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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 2021)
The Columbia Press August 13, 2021 3 Moratorium on short-term rentals expected in county areas OANG conducts more air-combat training By Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press County commissioners on Wednesday gave initial approv- al to an ordinance that places a moratorium on new short-term rentals in unincorporated areas of Clatsop County. It was the first of two public hearings required on the issue before the moratorium goes into effect Sept. 1. “My sense of this moratori- um is it’s an attempt to calm and soothe the waters in the situations that have developed around short-term rentals, at least in my neighborhood,” said Commissioner Lianne Thomp- son, who lives in Arch Cape. “What I’m hoping as we look at this is that this will be a time for people to settle and calm.” Cameron Lewis, who lives in Surf Pines south of Warrenton, said the gated community has many problems with houses being rented to 10 and even 20 people at a time. “There are lots of problems with speeding on our roads. There’s a lot of things that are damaging to our environment,” Lewis said. “If you’re a home- owner, you’d be cited for that, but it’s difficult to establish who it is (causing problems) when they’re short-term renters.” The county has chosen to deal with the issue after receiving many complaints about the rentals from permanent resi- dents and after a 2019 housing study identified a shortage of affordable housing. The study was conducted on behalf of the county and all five cities. Warrenton’s response to the study was to change its build- ing codes to allow tiny homes and other nontraditional but affordable dwellings in residen- tial areas and to allow smaller lot sizes in some places. Warrenton also made chang- es to its rules eliminating short-term rentals unless done within a home where the own- er also lives. Less than a dozen non-owner-occupied rentals that had been operating in the city at the time were grand- fathered in and that list has grown smaller as properties have changed hands. On Tuesday, Warrenton city commissioners heard an up- date on one grandfathered rental in which the owner lost her rights to operate because she didn’t abide by rules gov- erning short-term rentals in the city. But in county areas, once the moratorium is in place, plan- ners will have until the end of the year to develop ordinances governing how, when, where and if they can operate. Two town hall meetings were held in July to gather public comments and county com- missioners held a work session Aug. 3. A final public hearing on the moratorium is planned for Aug. 25. “People buying a second home or short-term rental … have exacerbated the housing crisis,” said Gail Henrikson, the county’s community develop- ment director. While the moratorium ap- plies to unincorporated areas, it won’t affect the urban growth areas of Cannon Beach, Asto- ria, Seaside or Warrenton. It does include Gearhart’s ur- ban growth area, however. The Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing con- tinues its series of air com- bat training sessions this month. Strike Fighter Squadron 37 from Naval Air Station Ocea- na, Va., will spar with the lo- cal ANG in the dissimilar air combat training, with much of the training off the Oregon Coast. F-18 super hornets will fly in collaborative exercises with the 142nd Wing’s F-15 Eagles in realistic combat scenarios that help pilots hone their aerial skills, which may be required against po- tential adversaries. The exercise is an essential and required component that ensures military readiness in support of the base’s national and state missions, according to the Guard. “Training with the super hornets from VFA-37 af- fords us the opportuni- ty to execute in a multi- service and multi-air- craft environment that we normally do not see un- Food truck approved to serve Buoy 10 crowds in Hammond The Columbia Press Those participating in the Buoy 10 fishery – and any- one else who’s hungry – can now buy food at Hammond Marina. Warrenton city commis- sioners on Tuesday unani- mously approved an agree- ment with Alex Cabalona to sell breakfast burritos, sandwiches, coffee, and box lunches from a food truck. The agreement allows him to target anglers on Thurs- days, Fridays and Saturdays in the morning during the popular salmon fishing sea- son. Cabalona will pay the city $300, which will go to the Hammond Marina fund and used for maintenance. In 2019, the city made a similar agreement with Wendey Balensifer, a cousin of Mayor Henry Balensifer, who sold breakfasts and boxed lunches from a food cart during the summer. “We’d like to see these kinds of things start hap- pening more out there,” City Manager Linda Eng- bretson said. Spec. Justin R. Pacheco/U.S. Navy An F/A-18C hornet assigned to Squadron 37 prepares to land on the flight deckj of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Harry S. Truman. less we go to an (remote) exercise,” said Lt. Col. Brad- ley Young, 123rd Fighter Squadron director of opera- tions. “It also affords us an oppor- tunity to see how they execute and train and help us refine our integration between the two services,” Young said. Flights will depart from and land at Portland Internation- al Airport, and training will be conducted in approved air- space off the Oregon Coast and in Eastern Oregon. Flights will launch daily af- ter 8 a.m. and conclude be- fore 4 p.m. The Portland Air National Guard Base employs 1,500 airmen.