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.