6A • March 11, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
CB says OK to Laurel Street housing project
‘Smaller homes
on smaller lots,’
Nicholson says
Nicholson ready to start
building in Cannon Beach
By Lyra Fontaine
EO MEDIA GROUP/FILE PHOTO
Cannon Beach Gazette
The Cannon Beach City
Council tentatively gave ¿nal
approval, with conditions, to
a highly contested four-lot
residential development plan
Wednesday night, March 2.
The council’s public hear-
ing lasted more than three
hours and had City Hall’s
seats and doorways packed
with the project’s opponents
and supporters.
It ended the third stage for
approving the development
proposed by Cannon Beach
property owner and Portland
resident Jeff Nicholson, who
bought the property at 532
N. Laurel St. in 2014 for
$900,000.
Nicholson’s
proposals
have faced opposition from
the Friends of Cannon Beach
group, been denied twice by
the Planning Commission,
gone through a Land Use
Board of Appeals decision
and earned tentative approval
last year from the City Coun-
cil.
“It will look like what
we all know Cannon Beach
to look like, having small-
er homes on smaller lots,”
Nicholson said. “I would
prefer to have any future de-
velopment to go along with
the comprehensive plan and
look like Cannon Beach has
looked.”
One in opposition
The council voted 4-1,
with City Councilor Mike
Bene¿eld voting against the
approval.
“That ticking time bomb
continues to tick, so I don’t
think we have a choice but
to address this in this hear-
ing. But it should never have
come here, it should have
been denied,” Bene¿eld said.
“We didn’t follow proce-
dure. I don’t think we have
a choice, and I don’t like not
By Lyra Fontaine
Property owner Jeff Nich-
olson has said he plans to
tear down this 99-year-old
house at 532 N. Laurel St.
and rebuild it using some
of the original materials ac-
cording to modern build-
ing standards.
LYRA FONTAINE PHOTO
Fire department teams
up to repair flagpole
ten to your constituents, in-
stead of merely listening to
a lawyer. If you feel like you
made a mistake in 2015, this
is your chance, perhaps your
last chance, to ¿x it.”
Harrison counted 44 peo-
ple in the room from Friends
of Cannon Beach, with more
than half the members full-
time locals. About 22 oppo-
nents publicly voiced their
concerns.
“The lack of binding com-
mitment shows up again and
again in Mr. Nicholson’s
application,” said Cannon
Beach property owner Jef-
frey Gottfried.
“None of us have seen
a plan that indicates what
this unit is going to look
like,” said Planning Com-
missioner Lisa Kerr, adding
that planned developments
should have a similar look
and function. “We don’t
know if they’re going to be
cute little cottages.”
Some conditions
Before voting, the coun-
cil discussed conditions for
community concerns about
square footage, trees, build-
ing height, scheduling, slope
density, pile driving and
building design.
◊
After the Cannon Beach
City Council’s decision to
give conditional approval to
a four-home development at
532 N. Laurel St., property
owner Jeffrey Nicholson said
he is ready to move forward
and that he hopes to break
ground in about a month.
“It’s amazing the time and
effort the city has put in to
make this happen,” Nicholson
said, adding that councilors
continued to discuss the project
well after the 11:30 p.m. end of
last week’s public hearing.
Before voting, the coun-
cil discussed conditions for
community concerns about
square footage, trees, building
height, scheduling, slope den-
sity, pile driving and building
design. “Everything the Plan-
ning Commission wanted, the
City Council upheld,” Nichol-
son said. “I hope the commis-
sioners are happy.”
City Councilor George
Vetter said there were
“thoughtful and insightful
information and concerns
tonight,” but Nicholson has
“expressed considerable de-
sire to work with conditions”
and the Planning Commis-
sion is an advisory body to
the council.
A city staff report recom-
mended the council approve
the development.
Portland lawyer Will Ras-
mussen, representing Nichol-
son, denied that pile driving
would occur and said geo-
technical engineering will be
further examined.
“From a legal and engi-
neering standpoint, this is a
relatively simple request for
four homes on an over-half
acre site,” he said, adding it
has a planned development
overlay applied to it and
Nicholson will comply with
any concerns the council has.
“The law is straightfor-
ward,” Nicholson’s attorney
Steve Leighty said. “Only
those criteria or elements that
were not resolved in the ear-
lier stages can be reviewed.”
Rasmussen said they are
not at the end of the develop-
ment process yet. He agreed
to put the protection of the
property’s two spruce trees in
writing, responding to a com-
ment by Jan Siebert-Wahr-
munn, representing Cannon
Beach Friends of Trees, call-
ing for stronger language on
tree protection.
Public comments support-
ing the development included
Ted Wood of Cannon Beach.
Lawyer Will Rasmussen spoke on behalf of Nicholson.
having a choice.”
“This being the ¿rst time
a planned development has
been attempted in Cannon
Beach, unfortunately we
have found out that it (the
code) was badly written. It
was a failure,” Mayor Sam
Steidel said.
He said he anticipated a
future rewording or elimi-
nation of the code. “It has
taught us that we will change
this and whatever new that
comes out will hopefully be
better,” Steidel said.
Jeff Harrison, who rep-
resented the 70-member
Friends of Cannon Beach,
said the City Council should
have followed the Planning
Commission.“How can you
consider approving the appli-
cant for a highly contentious
land use application when
doing so would create a long
list of signi¿cant dangerous
precedents?” Harrison asked
the mayor, staff and council.
The city “rewarded”
Nicholson for not following
rules, he added.
“You’re in a tough spot
because you allowed the
rules to be compromised last
year,” Harrison said. “We ask
you to vote with your heart
and your conscience and lis-
Cannon Beach Gazette
A long road
Nicholson purchased the
.57-acre property in 2014 for
$900,000.
His proposals have faced
opposition from the Friends
of Cannon Beach group, been
denied twice by the Planning
Commission, gone through a
Land Use Board of Appeals
decision and earned tentative
approval last year from the City
Council. The decision to condi-
tionally uphold the approval was
issued by the council last week.
About 14 proponents spoke.
They echoed that Cannon
Beach’s small cottages appealed
to visitors and “McMansions”
had no place in the coastal town.
Opponents speak out
Opponents commented that
supporters of the plan were not
Cannon Beach residents and
were unfamiliar with the city.
Jeff Harrison, representing the
BUSINESS DIRECTORY ◊
C ONSTRUCTION
ed for duty on Feb. 23. Cap-
tain Matt Gardner, Lieutenants
Mike Johnson, and Steve Moon
teamed up to re-Ày Old Glory.
The ladder was extended, Cap-
tain Matt scaled, and together,
under the watchful eye of Amer-
ican Legion House Chairman
Pat Hegrenes, they replaced the
halyard and repaired the attach-
ing hardware.
Experience Family Dining in
a Relaxed & Friendly
Environment
Serving Seafood, Pizza,
Sandwiches, Espressos, Beer,
Wine, Ice Cream and our
Homemade Desserts
“TO-GO”
Orders Welcome
We have a fabulous patio
where you can enjoy the
weather and your meal.
C ONSTRUCTION
B OB M C E WAN C ONSTRUCTION , INC .
E XCAVATION • U NDERGROUND U TIITIES
R OAD W ORK • F ILL M ATERIAL
S ITE P REPARATION • R OCK
OWNED AND OPERATED BY
Residential • Commercial • Remodeling
New Construction • Storm Damage Repair
Full Service Custom Cabinet Shop
503-738-3569
34154 Hwy 26, Seaside, OR
P.O. Box 2845, Gearhart, OR
503.436.2235
S ERVING THE P ACIFIC N ORTHWEST S INCE 1956 • CC48302
www.coasterconstruction.com • CCB# 150126
H EATING & C OOLING
L ANDSCAPING
Expert Service,
Repairs & Installation
503.436.9551
Owned and Operated by the Cleary Family
OPEN AT 11:30
Tuesday’s Open at 4pm
Delightful Beer
Garden • Ocean View Deck
Pool Tables • Darts
Full Bar ( including Bill’s Tavern brews )
but that’s not all...
Smoked Pork Ribs • Steak • Seafood
and much, much more!
Located in SOUTH Cannon Beach
3301 S. Hemlock St. • Tolovana Park
503.436.1130 • Minors Welcome
arcadia organic
landscaping & design
Gas, Oil & Electric Furnaces
Ductless Systems • Fireplaces
Water Heaters • Heat Pumps & AC
Licensed & Bonded
Commercial Refrigeration
Locally Owned & Operated
Cannon Beach, Oregon
503-440-6975
503.440.1491
arcadialandscaping@hotmail.com
lcb 9071
L ANDSCAPING
P AINTING
Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix
Soil Amendments
YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF
SERVING
LUNCH &
DINNER
GARDENER
Residential & Commercial
coastheating@gmail.com
156 N. Hemlock • Cannon Beach
“Helping shape the character of Cannon Beach since 1973”
M IKE AND C ELINE M C E WAN
CCB#199205
The Cannon Beach Ameri-
can Legion was not able to es-
cape the high winds of February
and a “Mayday” call for help
was issued. The U.S. Àag was
torn from the halyard and the
line separated crashing to the
ground hardware and all.
Post Commander Dan
O’Reilly reports the Cannon
Beach Fire Department report-
70-member
Friends
of
Cannon Beach,
said in a letter
the tentative
vote is “un-
explainable,
unless you be-
Jeff
lieve that the Nicholson
council mere-
ly caved in to the developer’s
lawsuit threats.”
“The courageous thing
would have been for the mayor
and the three councilors to ad-
mit they made a mistake and to
deny the admittedly faulty and
wildly unpopular incomplete
application,” Harrison wrote.
“Slope density provisions
were put in place for good rea-
son and should not be circum-
vented,” Harrison added,
During public comment, 22
opponents spoke out against the
project’s proposed wall, build-
ing and landscaping plans, lack
of a homeowner’s association,
development schedule and
the City Council’s approval in
2015 that followed a threatened
lawsuit by Nicholson.
Opponents also questioned
whether Nicholson’s four pro-
posed homes would be small-
sized and affordable.
The implication that “the
only alternative to four houses is
a 15,000-square-foot McMan-
sion is a ridiculous scare tactic,”
said Elizabeth Muller-Lorish, of
Cannon Beach, at the hearing.
“If you again choose to ignore
the recommendations of the
Planning Commission as well
as many constituents. ... Please
give us clear reasons. I think
you owe that to us.”
Robin Risley, who lives
near the development, said a
bond should be taken out for
the city’s protection, along
with an insurance policy to
cover potential damage.
Cannon Beach property
owner Clay Newton said it felt
like the lawyers were “playing
games.”
(no Scotch Broom)
503-717-1454
34154 HIGHWAY 26
SEASIDE, OR
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
CCB# 89453
Randy Anderson
36 Years Experience
Anderson Painting
(503) 738-9989 • Cell (503) 440-2411 • Fax (503) 738-9337
PO Box 140 Seaside, Oregon 97138
Laurelwood Farm
www.andersonpainting.biz
“Custom Finishing”
A DVERTISING
TO PLACE YOUR AD HERE!
per
$
ONLY
issue
25
Seaside Office: 503-738-5561 • Astoria Office: 503-325-3211