T he C olumbia P ress
December 22, 2017
Fort Pointe project gets another approval
The Columbia Press
Fort Pointe
ad
e Ro
Ridg
Fort
Stevens
Wetlands
Developers of Fort Pointe
received unanimous approv-
al in their first subdivision
request for the 480-home
planned-unit
development
south of the KOA.
But it was not without a
struggle.
Developers initially had no
plans to build neighborhood
parks within the project, pro-
posed sidewalks of asphalt on
one side of the street only and
requested narrower roads.
“This is a planned-unit de-
velopment; it’s not supposed
to conform to the cookie-cut-
ter,” Adam Dailey, an engi-
neer working on behalf of the
developer, told the Warren-
ton Planning Commission in
a Dec. 14 public hearing.
But commissioners stuck to
the conditions they’d placed
on the project in August.
“I think it’s a little bit cra-
zy a development of this size
wouldn’t have sidewalks on
both sides,” Commissioner
Ryan Lampi said.
Members of the project
KOA campground
team contended the city was
changing its conditions.
“We have good ideas on
what we’d like to put in and
want to move forward,” Sur-
veyor Dale Barrett said.
The city imposed a new
rule about parks 18 days af-
ter the application was in,
he said. “Keep in mind we’ve
been trying to keep up with
things as they’ve been passed
… but that’s difficult with the
changing goalposts.”
After a brief break, devel-
opers returned to the podium
and told commissioners they
agree to build 28-feet-wide
local roads within the project
and concrete sidewalks on
both sides of the road.
Their proposal Dec. 14 in-
cluded 53,000 square feet of
space for several small parks
built among the homes,
which will be maintained
by homeowners association
dues.
“I think they’ve made a lot
of concessions,” Planning
Commissioner Paul Mitchell
said. “They’re being a good
steward for the community.”
Commissioner Ken Yuill
agreed. “The demand for
building lots, I don’t think
I’ve ever seen it this great be-
fore.”
Special election deals with health care funding
Health care funding is the
focus of a special election set
for Jan. 23 throughout the
state.
State Ballot Measure 101
asks voters to approve or re-
ject temporary assessments
created as part of House Bill
2391, enacted by the 2017 Or-
egon Legislature to address
health care funding issues.
Voters’ pamphlets go out
Dec. 26, followed by ballots
on Jan. 2.
The bill provided funding
to cover the cost of provid-
ing health care to low-income
adults, children, families and
individuals with disabilities,
and to stabilize premiums
charged by insurance com-
panies for health insurance
purchased by individuals and
Register to vote
You can register at the
Clatsop County Elections
Office (820 Exchange St.,
2nd Floor, Astoria), at a
post office, public library
or the state Department of
Motor Vehicles office.
You can also register
online at sos.oregon.gov/
voting.
families.
The bill placed a 1.5 percent
assessment on premiums
charged by health insurance
companies, the Public Em-
ployees’ Benefit Board, and
managed care organizations
for a two-year period.
It also added a 0.7 percent
assessments on the net rev-
enue of some hospitals from
Oct. 6, 2017, through July 1,
2019.
The measure asks voters to
approve or reject the assess-
ments and specifies that in-
surance companies may not
increase health insurance
premiums by more than 1.5
percent to cover the assess-
ments.
If the measure passes, the
assessments on some hospi-
tals will be approved, subject
to approval by a federal agen-
cy. If the measure does not
pass, the assessments will be
rejected, or delayed until ap-
proved by a federal agency.
The last day to register to
vote in the election is Jan. 2.
Measure details can be found
on the county’s website.
3
Wauna Credit Union will serve
cannabis industry with new software
For the first time since pot
was legalized in Oregon,
a local credit union has
stepped in to serve their
business banking needs.
Wauna Credit Union an-
nounced a partnership this
week with Hypur, a finan-
cial technology company in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
The partnership means
Wauna can offer compli-
ant, transparent banking
services to cannabis-relat-
ed businesses through Hy-
pur’s software, the Clats-
kanie-based credit union
announced in a press re-
lease. Wauna has more
than 25,000 members in
Oregon and Washington.
“Wauna CU believes that
providing banking access to
CRBs benefits not only the
businesses themselves, but
the entire community by
bringing transparency and
accountability to the canna-
bis industry,” Wauna wrote
in their announcement. “As
a new industry that poses
unique banking challenges,
Wauna CU has taken care-
ful steps in ensuring their
full compliance with state
and federal law and policy.”
Marijuana is listed feder-
ally as a “Schedule I” drug –
a designation that includes
LSD, heroin and ecstasy.
Despite its legalization in
Oregon, Washington, Cal-
ifornia and other states, it
remains illegal on the fed-
eral level.
Some banks have feared
they’d be held criminally lia-
ble should a marijuana busi-
ness run afoul of the law.
Cannabis businesses have
had to be cash-only, mak-
ing them vulnerable to rob-
beries.
“Serving the CRB indus-
try, we become part of the
solution and not part of
the problem,” said Robert
Blumberg, chief executive
officer and president of
Wauna.
Inquiries about Wauna
Credit Union’s Cannabis
Business Solutions account
applications and opening
procedures can be made by
calling 800-773-3236.
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