6A • May 6, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Appeal puts Laurel Street development on hold
Jef Nicholson
property is now
listed for sale
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
Less than two months after
the Cannon Beach City Coun-
cil approved the highly con-
tested plan for 532 N. Laurel
St., owned by Jeff Nicholson,
the property was put on the
market.
Cascade Sotheby’s In-
ternational Realty listed the
property online April 20.
Nicholson said still wants
to rebuild the old house and
build two other homes on the
property, but business circum-
stances dictated otherwise. He
has “no immediate or long-
term plans” for building a
home on the northeast lot.
“My plans are what is
wanted by the city, by the vast
majority of the citizens, and is
best for the city in that it fol-
lows to a tee the comprehen-
sive plan,” Nicholson said in
an email. “My hope is that I
can keep the project solvent
while I deal with the frivolous
appeal and ultimately pre-
vail.”
Ten people, including the
Friends of Cannon Beach
president Jeff Harrison, iled
an appeal with the Oregon
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE/FILE PHOTO
Property listed for sale at 532 N. Laurel St. is the subject of
a Land Use Board of Appeals challenge.
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE/SUBMITTED PHOTO
Aerial view of 532 N. Laurel St. in Cannon Beach.
Land Use Board of Appeals
on March 29 against Cannon
Beach. The petitioners want
to reverse the City Council’s
March approval, with condi-
tions, of Nicholson’s four-lot
residential development plan.
A response from Cannon
Beach must be submitted by
May 11.
Nicholson said the appeal
iled will “create inancial
stress,” particularly for the
city, and further delay the
project.
The best-case scenario is
for the appeal to be heard and
the judges make a ruling in
ive to six months, he said in
an email.
“This makes for the build-
ing season to be wasted and
for incredible costs to be had
by holding the property and
funding the legal expenses,”
Nicholson said.
Individuals “who will
build a single, very large
home” have shown interest in
the property, he said.
The online listing states
that the 0.57-acre Laurel
Street property stands at an
elevation of 76 feet and one
can build up to 15,000 square
feet of “generational estate
with views of iconic Haystack
Rock and mesmerizing sun-
sets,” according to Zillow.
The council’s March ap-
proval ended the third stage
for approving the develop-
ment proposed by Nicholson,
who bought the property in
2014 for $900,000.
Nicholson’s
proposals
were 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.
Jeff Harrison, who rep-
resented the 70-member
Friends of Cannon Beach,
Harrison said at earlier hear-
ings the City Council should
have followed the Planning
Commission’s guidance in
denying the “incomplete ap-
plication” and the council’s
approval would “create a long
list of signiicant dangerous
precedents.”
High response for citizen surveys in Cannon Beach
Results will
soon be
analyzed
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
The last surveys were de-
livered to City Hall by Cannon
Beach residents Friday, April
29.
Along with input from the
City Council and staff, the sur-
vey will play a major role in in-
forming the city’s strategic plan.
So far, the city has received a
40 percent response out of about
1,700 residents. City Manager
Brant Kucera said this “very
high” response rate is not ex-
pected to increase much more.
“It’s exciting,” Public Works
Director Dan Grassick said, not-
ing how a “vocal and passionate
group” comes to city meetings
but others do not come. “We al-
ways ight for public input.”
But some residents wonder
what it all means. They say the
survey is vague and will fail to
provide meaningful direction
for the city’s future.
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
City Manager Brant Kucera
said the survey would pro-
vide guidance for the city’s
upcoming strategic plan.
“In completing the survey
for which the city of Cannon
Beach is spending $30,000, we
found that its questions were
designed to apply broadly to
any city in the country,” Rex
Amos said in a letter to The
Daily Astorian. “This expensive
exercise is a poor substitute for
good governing.”
At a City Council meeting
in early April, Vinnie Ferrau
Local musician Paul Deuber
comes to the history center
The Cannon Beach His-
tory Center & Museum wel-
comes local musician Paul
Deuber on Friday, May 27, at
7 p.m. Deuber has been per-
forming locally for decades.
He bought his current
guitar at Portland Music
when got out of the Marines
in 1968. Deuber sings songs
in the tradition of Peter, Paul
and Mary, Gordon Lightfoot,
and Paul Simon. Deuber
has played for the Stormy
Weather Arts Festival event,
at the Coaster Theatre for the
Songwriters’ Hootenanny,
among other venues.
Beyond music at con-
certs, pubs, galleries, and
restaurants in town, Deu-
ber has been instrumental
in encouraging entertainers
in public spaces like Sand-
piper Square, where he and
his wife, Margo have long
owned businesses.
Seating for this concert is
limited. Tickets are available
at the museum, by phone at
503-436-9301 or through
the online gift shop. Tickets
are $12 for adults and $2 for
children. Complimentary re-
freshments will be provided.
All proceeds will help fund
upcoming events at the his-
tory center including future
concerts, lectures, exhibits,
and ield trips. To volunteer
for this event, email info@
cbhistory.org .
said certain questions were
straightforward and others
were vague.
“If I am not in favor of cur-
rent economic development
and I choose ‘poor,’ will that
be interpreted as not enough
or too much?” Ferrau asked.
Kucera responded that
“poor” would mean that the
citizen is unhappy with the
speciic city services provided.
At the same meeting, Jan
Siebert-Wahrmund said she
was concerned that the ques-
tions were too vague to inform
decisions on complex issues.
“The answers allowed
don’t give any indication of
why a citizen votes one way or
another,” Siebert-Wahrmund
said, adding that responses
can be “misinterpreted” be-
cause of the vague questions
and answers. “Our communi-
ty needs and deserves real di-
alogue, which takes time and
effort but is worth it.”
Planning process
The surveys, mailed to
residents about a month ago,
will be analyzed soon. A pre-
liminary report should be
available May 16, and in late
May, city councilors and con-
sultants will meet to review
the survey responses that will
“become a large part of the
strategic planning,” Kucera
said.
The strategic plan is a two-
year process that will also in-
clude plans for the next ive and
10 years and will help guide fu-
ture city policies and goals.
The plan is to be updated
continually and reviewed each
year as a “living document,”
Grassick said. “The goal for
me is to take it and overlay it
in public works to make sure
I am prioritizing the right
things. It’s another road map
for guiding each department
through annual work plans.”
For example, strategic
planning would be taken into
account when planning roads,
providing water services or
creating visitor amenities.
Assessing livability
Kucera has completed
strategic plans involving
citizen surveys for six com-
munities. The National Citi-
zen Survey has administered
Centuries later, the world is still a stage
William Shakespeare died
400 years ago, an anniversary
noted around the world and by
the Cannon Beach Book Com-
pany. He has had more theatri-
cal works performed than any
other playwright known in his-
tory. Countless theater festivals
honor his work, students mem-
orize his eloquent poems and
scholars reinterpret the millions
of words of text he penned.
“Shakespeare:
Sonnets,
Songs, Scenes, Scholarship” is
a potpourri of readings from his
works that will be presented by
northwest actors Donald Con-
ner, Brandy Hussa, Jason Hus-
sa, Frank Jagodnik, Cameron
Lira, Liz McCall, Jack Shields
and Merril Lynn Taylor Satur-
day, May 14, at 7 p.m. at the
Cannon Beach Book Company.
Free and open to the public,
light beverages and tidbits will
be served.
Cannon Beach Book Com-
pany is located at 130 N. Hem-
lock St., Suite 2. For more infor-
mation, call 503-436-1301.
Cannon Beach’s
Largest Selection
of Oregon and
Washington Wine!
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powered by
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May 14 • Puin Wines
May 21 • Great Wines for Grilled Foods
May 28 • Sokol Blosser
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Shack Hours
Sun-hurs • 11am to 5pm
Fri-Sat • 11am to 6pm
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124 N. Hemlock, Cannon Beach
503.436.1100 - www.beachwine.com
more than 1,000 surveys of
residents for local govern-
ments of various sizes.
“The survey gives an accu-
rate relection about how the
community feels about the di-
rection we’re heading,” Kucera
said. “It can afirm we’re head-
ing in the right direction or
show us areas we need to con-
centrate on more.”
Areas of weakness can be
prioritized in the strategic plan,
he said.
“It is meant to gauge the
public satisfaction rate with the
city,” Kucera said.
The survey includes many
standard questions, but certain
questions were tailored specif-
ically to the community. Can-
non Beach is unique in that it
is a coastal town with tourist
activity in a remote location,
Grassick said.
Citizens could also write
comments.
Kucera said he hopes the
surveys, by asking citizens for
their honest opinions, help to
“build trust” in the govern-
ment. “We are asking all res-
idents to have an equal voice,”
he said.
Dining on the
North Coast
NORMA’S SEAFOOD & STEAK
20 N. Columbia, Seaside
503-738-4331
Since 1976 discriminating diners have
sought out this Seaside landmark. There’s a
chalkboard fresh catchlist, exclusively natural
Angus beef and a great regional wine list as
well as local microbrews. From Steak & Lobster to Fish &
Chips (and Chowder to die for) - this is worth the drive!
11am-10pm daily. Visit www.normasseaside.com
OPEN Wednesday - Sunday
for Lunch & Dinner
Live Music • Wine Tasting
271 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach
503.436.1539 • www.cafesweetbasils.com
PIG ‘N PANCAKE
223 S Hemlock
503-436-2851
7AM - 3PM Daily
From hashbrown potatoes ground fresh
daily and award-winning sourdough
pancakes to homemade soups and
clam chowder, you’ll fi nd delicious family friendly dining
at the Pig ‘N Pancake. Over 35 breakfast varieties and a
complete lunch menu, too. Our dining area overlooks a
beautiful wetland area and downtown Cannon Beach.
TO PLACE YOUR
AD HERE!
ONLY $ 25
per
issue
Seaside Office: 503-738-5561
Astoria Office: 503-325-3211