A6
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
John Day again looking to BUILD
The city hopes its second attempt
at the multimillion-dollar federal
transportation grant is successful
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The John Day City Council is again apply-
ing for the BUILD grant, which could provide
the city with up to $17.5 million for transporta-
tion infrastructure.
The deadline for the application was May
18, and this is the city’s second attempt. Their
submission last year made it to the category of
highly recommended applicants.
The BUILD grant would assist John Day
by helping build a complete street network and
transportation infrastructure that includes walk-
ing, biking, driving, automobiles and public
transit, according to the agenda.
The city council agenda also states that
this project will build 4.3 miles of new street
improvements and supporting infrastructure,
which can be found in several projects in the
Innovation Gateway project.
“These are very competitive, and we made
it into the final round last year. My hope is
that, if we can do that again this year and they
think we’re competitive, even if they decide to
pull specific components out, we can get some
Eagle file photo
City Manager Nick Green, left, and Mayor Ron Lundbom during a city council meeting on Feb. 25.
things funded,” said City Manager Nick Green
during the virtual meeting May 12.
Based on the feedback from the 2019
BUILD application, the city got a better idea
of what to include into this year’s application.
Some of the new additions to the BUILD
grant application are Phases 2 and 3 of Iron-
wood Estates, Government Entry Road, the
Charolais Heights intersection improvement
project, two parking lots, Mahogany Ridge
phase one development and letters of support
from senators. The total estimated cost for the
projects in the application are $19.7 million.
John Day and partners have committed $2.1
million in local match (11%) and the city is
requesting $17.5 million in BUILD grant fund-
ing (89%) according to the city of John Day’s
website.
John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom said that
each grant the city applies for is important, but
the Economic Development Administration
grant the city is currently working on and the
BUILD grant compliment each other in com-
pleting big projects in John Day.
The total estimated cost for the projects in
the application is $19.7 million, and the city
and partners have committed $2.1 million in
local match funding, according to the city’s
website.
Lundbom added that receiving either the
EDA grant or the BUILD grant will give the
city an opportunity to begin building on the
projects proposed in the applications.
He said the reason why some of the proj-
ects haven’t started is because, if the city starts
construction prior to being awarded a grant,
then the funds used will not count as the city’s
matching funds for that project.
“That’s why we’re so eager to get one of
these grants because so many things are going
to happen once one of these triggers,” Lund-
bom said. “The timeline of starting and fin-
ishing fits exactly within our timeline of start-
ing within six months and finishing within four
years.”
Benefits from the projects in the BUILD
grant include activating Main Street, economic
expansion, workforce housing, improved flood
resilience, quality of life improvements, new
business growth and riverfront recreation at the
Innovation Gateway.
“This is all very well thought out and
planned, and we have the support of a lot of
local, state and federal agencies that are for it,”
Lundbom said. “We’re ready to put the shovel
in the ground on some of these projects. We
have done the two years’ worth of leg work to
prepare to receive the grants and begin working
on these projects within six months. All good
things happening, and it’s a good time to move
to John Day.”
John Day development code amended
Code enforcement,
short-term rentals,
sign placement and
manufactured homes
impacted
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Changes are coming for
code enforcement, short-term
vacation rentals, sign place-
ments and manufactured
homes in John Day.
At the joint John Day City
Council and Planning Com-
mission virtual meeting May
12, public hearings and dis-
cussion were held regarding
ordinances amending various
aspects of the development
code.
Code enforcement saw
some changes to clarify com-
pliance provisions, redefine
violations and provide provi-
sions for remediation, accord-
ing to the staff report. Devel-
opment code violations have
been redefined as a nuisance
instead of a misdemeanor,
which will reduce the penalty
fee for violations.
City Manager Nick Green
said the amendment also clar-
ifies that any structure that is
erected, moved, altered, land
divided or used has to be done
in compliance with the code.
Eagle file photo
The John Day City Council
Jan. 14.
Contributed photo/City of John Day
In a photo of space 23 at Riverside Home Park presented to the planning commission, one of the accessory structures was propped
up by iron bars, which was not permitted by the city.
The amendment also
places limitations on proper-
ties that are in violation.
“If you’re in violation of
the code for property, you
cannot continue to develop
until that violation has been
resolved,” Green said. “The
intent here is to prevent us
from going further down a
path that’ll require more time
and money to correct.”
Councilor Dave Hol-
land clarified that he does not
believe that these amendments
add permitting, but rather clar-
ifies what the city can do when
people don’t go through the
processes that have already
been established.
Sign placements saw
changes to avoid unnecessary
meetings and give a slight
increase in size standards for
signs.
Green said that all signs
that require permits will be
approved as a type one admin-
istrative approval, which will
be reviewed by Daisy Goebel,
the associate planner, and then
go to Green for signature as
long as it meets the standards
in the code.
Signs will be referred to
the Planning Commission for
public review if they exceed
the size standards, according
to Green. Freestanding signs
can now be 10 feet in height,
over the previous 8 feet, and
no building-mounted signs
shall project more than three
feet above the highest roof
elevation of the building.
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those who have risked their
lives to protect our freedoms
120 E Main St.
John Day
541-575-0629
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Planning
Commission
Chair Ken Boethin said he
liked the changes because the
commission met many times
in the past because a proposed
sign was 1 foot larger than
regulations allowed.
Alterations of existing
manufactured dwelling parks
will be subject to a type two
site design review, according
to Green. This is to ensure that
the alteration does not expand
a non-conforming use.
Other additional require-
ments will be 100 square foot
of open space for each unit in
a mobile home park provided
in common open space; com-
mon space areas shall each
be no less than 5,000 square
feet; lighting shall be at levels
appropriate for pedestrians;
and short-term rentals within
mobile parks will be prohib-
ited except in designated RV
areas, which shall be subject
to applicable transient room
taxes.
This ordinance does not
affect existing manufactured
home parks except when alter-
ing or adjusting the parks
or when adding new units,
according to the staff report.
Regarding
short-term
vacation rentals and bed and
breakfast businesses, the city’s
intent is to relax the restrictive
policy.
Rather than requiring a
type three conditional use per-
mit for someone to convert a
property or dwelling unit into
a short-term rental, this relax-
ation would allow property
owners to simply apply for
a business license and then
go through an administrative
review with the city, Green
said.
Short-term rentals are now
defined as providing lodging
for 28 or fewer consecutive
days.
The amendment also
requires a transient room
tax for short-term rentals to
be collected by the property
owner and given to the appli-
cable government body. The
city also has an agreement
with AirBNB, where the com-
pany will remit taxes directly
to the taxing authority in the
city limits rather than requir-
ing that it be remitted by the
property owner.
S187698-1
In memory of many,
in honor of all,
thank you for your service!
MEMORIAL DAY
REMEMBER AND HONOR
Grant County Chamber of Commerce
301 W Main St., John Day
541-575-0547
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