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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 2019)
June 28, 2019 T he C olumbia P ress Clear Lake: Subdivision poses difficulties Continued from Page 1 variance on the less than half-acre of wetlands he pro- posed to fill and appealed the requirement to construct a fence between his property and the conservancy’s land and to improve the existing gravel road for an emergency vehicle turn-around. “This piece of property … was never partitioned from the parent parcel. It’s not a le- gal lot or unit of land that can be subdivided at this time,” said Jeff Kleinman, a real es- tate attorney hired by Rod Gramson. Kleinman argued that the city’s code places a 200-foot limit on the length of a cul- de-sac and the project would make the Kalmia cul-de-sac 1,500 feet long. “It’s somewhat insane, frankly,” Kleinman said. “It’s Future Fort Pointe Development clearly a self-imposed hard- ship. It’s the most extreme case I’ve seen. There’s been one variance, another vari- ance, another variance and they’re all his variances.” Local contractor Terry Mill- er said other homes in the area built by Gramson have been an asset for the city. “There’s a real need for more housing in our area,” Miller said. “It’s a model development, in my opinion. It just makes the city look good.” Lynn Miller, who has lived on the banks of Smith Lake for 35 years, said any filling of wetlands is likely to cause problems for his property. Skip Urling, the city’s for- mer community development director who’s now working as a consultant on the project, said there’s no way to build a second access road without impacting wetlands. Concerns about land par- titions and legal lots can’t be answered until decisions are made about road widths, wet- OSU hemp seed certification program first in U.S. Oregon State University has launched the nation’s largest research center devoted to the study of hemp. OSU will begin certifying hemp seed for planting in Or- egon. The Global Hemp Innova- tion Center will be based in OSU’s College of Agricultur- al Sciences, with research taking place across the state and world. Currently, there are more than 40 OSU facul- ty representing 19 academic disciplines engaged in hemp research, teaching and exten- sion services. The center will serve as a research hub connecting fac- ulty and researchers engaged in plant research, food in- novation, pharmacy, public health, public policy, busi- ness and engineering. Oregon State’s decision to launch the new hemp center follows Congress’ adoption of the 2018 Farm Bill that re- moved hemp from the list of controlled drug substances and initiated the creation of a framework for hemp to be- come a fully legalized com- modity in the future. The university collaborates with the Oregon Department of Agriculture and various state commodity commis- sions to certify seeds for as many as 48 agricultural com- modities grown in Oregon. As it launches its seed cer- tification services for hemp, the seeds will be for use by farmers that are registered by the state. OSU is currently the only university in the na- tion to certify hemp seed. 5 lands variances and access roads, he said. “There’s been no ill intent on the applicant’s part,” said Erik Hoovestol, a consultant work- ing for Sandridge. “That’s just the normal process of doing things.” Commissioners declined to take any action on the project, but closed the public hearing. The project will come back be- fore them in late July or early August.
