January 30, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A
Council to consider North Laurel Street proposal
Three new
homes and a
rebuilt cottage
are proposed
By Erick Bengel
Cannon Beach Gazette
The fate of property on
North Laurel Street, where
landowner Jeff Nicholson
wants to build three reg-
ular family-sized houses
and rebuild an existing
99-year-old cottage on the
northwest corner may be
decided by the City Coun-
cil Feb. 10.
Nicholson, of Portland,
hopes to rebuild the cottage
to modern building stan-
dards but use the house’s
original building materials.
In its current state, the his-
toric cottage is “on its last
legs,” Nicholson said.
To carry out his recon-
struction project would
require an investment of
several hundred thousand
dollars, which he said he
cannot afford without sell-
ing the other three houses
he is proposing for the site
at 532 N. Laurel St.
Nicholson, who pur-
chased the property last
summer for $895,000, will
ask the council to make an
exception to the municipal
code’s “slope density re-
quirement,” which limits
the number of houses that
can be built on a steeply
sloped property.
If an exception is granted,
the city will recognize four
buildable
5,000-square-
foot lots on his 0.57-acre
parcel. Because it is sloped
more than 30 percent, the
city currently considers
the parcel one consolidat-
ed 25,000-square-foot lot
Publisher
Steve Forrester
Editor
Nancy McCarthy
Reporter
Erick Bengel
Advertising Manager
Betty Smith
ERICK BENGEL PHOTO
ERICK BENGEL PHOTO
With members of the planning commission watching, Jeff Nicholson, of Portland, explains
a model of his property on North Laurel Street. Foreground from left: Commissioner
Charles Bennett, Vice Chairman Hank Johnson, Nicholson and Chairman Bob Lundy.
Jeff Nicholson’s model of the North Laurel Street area shows
how he plans to position four homes at 532 North Laurel St.
The commission turned down the proposal.
(which also includes two
half-sized lots) where, for
safety and stability reasons,
only one house is allowed.
Nicholson will have to
make his case without the
blessing of the city plan-
ning commission.
The planning commis-
sion voted 6-1 on Jan. 22
not to recommend that the
council grant his request.
Ryan Dewey was the only
commissioner who voted in
Nicholson’s favor.
Nicholson said he fears
he will ultimately be forced
to sell the entire property to
someone who will demolish
the cottage and, in its place,
erect a 15,000-square-foot
house out of scale with the
other houses in the neigh-
borhood.
Skepticism
Armed with a $2,000
model of the site measuring
11-by-11-by-2-inches, Nich-
olson tried to assuage the
Production Manager
John D. Bruijn
Circulation Manager
Samantha McLaren
Advertising Sales
Laura Kaim
Wendy Richardson
commission’s doubts that only to future subdivisions.
four houses could actually The Seal Rock Beach subdi-
¿WRQWKHSURSHUW\
vision encompassing Nich-
Three experts — Mat- olson’s property was platted
thew Dolan,
in 1890.
an engineer
the
‘I don’t believe p l But
from KPFF
anning
there’s any way commission
Consulting
Engineers;
remained
we can justify
Jay
Orloff,
that
approving this skeptical
a
designer
waiving the
from Tolova- plan as it stands’ slope density
na Architects;
rule would be
and
Don
in the best in-
Planning Commissioner
Rondema, a
terests of the
Lisa Kerr
geotechni-
city.
cal engineer
“I don’t be-
from Geotech Solutions — lieve there’s any way we can
sought to persuade the plan- justify approving this plan as
ning commission that the it stands without complete-
site is capable of supporting ly ignoring our own steep-
both the existing cottage slope requirements, our own
and the three other proposed ordinances,” Commissioner
houses.
Lisa Kerr said.
Will Rasmussen, Nich-
It marked the second time
olson’s Portland-based at- the planning commission re-
torney, previously argued, jected Nicholson’s plan. The
based on his interpretation FRPPLVVLRQ GHQLHG WKH ¿UVW
of the city code, that the iteration of the proposal, and
slope density rule applies the City Council upheld the
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decision last fall.
Nicholson then appealed
to the State Land Use Board
of Appeals. He chose to put
that appeal on hold, how-
ever, while he tried again
at the local level, seeking
a variance to the slope den-
sity rule and a planned unit
development.
When he goes before the
City Council next month,
he is technically not ap-
pealing the planning com-
mission’s January vote; the
commission is required to
hear all planned unit de-
velopment requests, even
though the council makes
WKH¿QDOGHFLVLRQ
“Worn out”
Nicholson remains opti-
mistic that the City Coun-
cil, now under the leader-
ship of Mayor Sam Steidel,
will let him move forward.
He has already sunk about
$150,000 into the project
so far: “It’s expensive to do
stuff like this,” he said.
However, he may reac-
tivate the State Land Use
Board of Appeals appeal
anyway, he said after the
January planning commis-
sion meeting, which he
called “pretty hostile.”
“I just want to work with
the city, and I don’t like
holding things over people’s
heads,” he said. At this point,
though, he added, “I’m kind
of getting worn out with this
process.”
The way Nicholson sees
the dilemma, Cannon Beach
can either have four regular
single-family dwellings on his
site, or it can have a McMan-
sion, which potential buyers
have expressed interest in
building there, he said.
Last year, as he embarked
on this project, he “didn’t
think there would be so
much opposition to having
normal-sized houses (on the
land),” he said. “That did
blindside me.”
of county.
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