4A • September 22, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Views from the Rock
Arcadia Beach drama
unfolds over two decades
CANNON SHOTS
R.J. MARX
R
esidents of Cannon Beach
may have a sense of déjà vu
all over again as they read
the headline of the local
landowner wanting to bring an RV park
to 17.6-acre parcel of forested land
across from Arcadia Beach. The owner,
James Smejkal, considers the property
well-suited for his purpose, mostly
because it is one of the only types of
development allowed with the land’s
current zoning.
“Because of the high volume of
campers that visit the Coast in the
summer, I don’t think there will be
a problem,” Smejkal said in August.
“Planners designated it for park use
because they saw it as a need.”
Smejkal said he intends the project
to be designed like another RV park he
developed in Wallowa County, which
he described as “upscale.”
Opponents say the installation of
roads, water and septic systems in the
steeply sloped area would eliminate the
area’s open space and jeopardize the
health of the environment.
A long-ago land swap
How pristine park land across from
the beach came to be a hot commodity
for a developer is another story.
It all began as a land swap in 2002.
In the course of negotiations to
acquire the new Stub Stewart State
Park near Vernonia, landowner Smejkal
pursued a trade with the Oregon State
Parks and Recreation Department.
When Smejkal gave the department
113 acres in Columbia County valued
at $157,000, and 30 acres in Wallowa
County valued at $6,000 in exchange
for the property in 2002, no one raised
any eyebrows. Oregon State Parks
ultimately gave roughly 20 acres east
of Highway 101 — 90 percent of Ar-
cadia State Park to Smejkal. Only the
parking lot at Arcadia was retained in
state ownership.
It was on the east side of the high-
way, wasn’t providing beach access
and there were no plans to develop it
ever for recreation, Chris Havel, asso-
ciate director of the Parks and Recre-
ation Department, said in 2009.
“It wasn’t playing a signifi cant
role,” Havel said at the time. “So it was
offered in trade.”
Residents responded by attending
public meetings in protest. They said
they hadn’t received any notice of the
2002 transaction.
“I still feel that land trade was inap-
propriate,” former Cannon Beach May-
or Mike Morgan said this month. “The
state was scrambling to put together as
I recall that Stub Stewart State Park.
This guy (Smejkal) happened to have
some property adjacent to it and they
just did a private kind of a deal, with
no public process. Our entire council
was pretty outraged that they would
just trade away something without
any kind of public hearing or notice to
anybody.”
In 2002, the Parks and Recreation
Department considered the 17.5-acre
property in terms of its contribution to
the mission of state parks, Havel said
this month.
“This property — on the east side
of the highway with no real prospects
for public recreation — wasn’t a strong
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Blue lines on this county aerial indicate approximately 17.5-acre parcel owned
by James Smejkal across from Arcadia Beach.
contributor to the mission, which can
be boiled down to providing great
recreation experiences by protecting
special places in a sustainable way,”
he said.
Limited options
In 2009, Smejkal proposed a zone
change that would have allowed him to
build eight homes on the property.
But the county denied his request,
citing the need to protect the habitat
of the marbled murrelet, a threatened
seabird.
After his zoning application was
rejected, the owner’s options were
limited.
An article in the Gazette February
2009 hinted at what might come next:
“If the property’s current zone is main-
tained, however, an RV park would be
allowed as a conditional use.”
Jump to eight years later and plans
for an RV park are unfolding.
The opposition has returned.
Cameron La Follette, director of the
environmental advocacy group Oregon
Coast Alliance, said the plan is not the
best use for the property.
La Follette said the development
lacks the infrastructure to support an
urban project in a rural area, and that
ultimately, the land should be back in
public hands.
“Just because the parks system
didn’t have a plan for this plot didn’t
mean it was valueless to the public,”
La Follette said. “Put in a trail loop,
install other interpretive uses. There are
lots of things you can do there. But an
RV park in this area is something we
don’t feel comfortable with.”
The property, east of U.S. Highway
101 across from the Arcadia Beach
Wayside, is zoned recreational manage-
ment and agriculture-forestry.
Recreation management zoning
comes with strict guidelines.
According to the county master
plan, this zone is intended to be applied
to existing public and private parks,
particularly those that contain signif-
icant natural values. These areas are
intended to accommodate the type of
recreational development that ensures
the maintenance of the site’s natural
values.
For sale?
It appears unlikely the Parks
Department will try to repurchase the
property they traded away in 2002,
Havel said this month. The department
does still acquire and dispose of prop-
erty, and trades are among the options
available for doing both things.
But, Havel added: “It would be
highly unusual for us to reacquire
property that disposed of because it
wasn’t contributing noticeably to the
state park system. The question would
be, what has changed? The reasons the
property was a candidate for disposition
in the fi rst place are probably still true,
but even if something dramatic has
changed, becoming a priority for state
park acquisition may take years and re-
quires extensive study. Since the funds
available for acquisition are very tight,
the competition is fi erce. We’re focused
more on a few ongoing projects and
improving existing properties than new
acquisitions.”
There are better and likely faster
ways to buy a property that don’t in-
volve state park acquisition, Havel said
— private purchase by a nonprofi t with
complementary goals or other govern-
ment agencies with a vested interest in
future use of the property.
“If he can get eight houses on it
it’s probably worth $800,000 or $1
million,” Morgan said. “Just roughly
$100,000 a lot. But if he has marbled
murrelet problems, it may be worth
much less than that.”
Ideally, Morgan suggested, affect-
ed neighbors would get together and
purchase it from him.
“It is in the best interest of the
threatened marbled murrelet and people
that care about the birds’ dwindling crit-
ical habitat to try and purchase this land
now,” Mike Manzulli, president of the
Oregon Coast Alliance and a member
of the Ecola Watershed Council, said.
“Anything is for sale,” Smejkal said
this month. He said he had yet to be
approached by potential purchaser.
This property is within the North
Coast Land Conservancy’s focus area,
the Coastal Edge, right by the proposed
Rainforest Reserve, North Coast Land
Conservancy Executive Director Katie
Voelke said.
“Being adjacent to state forest land
and state park, and being great wildlife
habitat, it becomes a good fi t for con-
servation,” Voelke said. “If Mr. Smejkal
is a landowner interested in selling
land for its conservation value, we’d be
interested in talking with him about this
land. To date we have not heard from
him.”
A public meeting on the development
site takes place Thursday, Sept. 28, at
the Cannon Beach Fire Hall, 188 E.
Sunset Boulevard at 11 a.m.
Lucy’s acrobatics
win an apple pie
O
ur youngest dog,
Lucy, is quite
the scamp. We
got her as a tiny infant
who fi t in the palm of
my hand. A pedigreed
Miniature Pinscher from
a breeder in Seaside,
next month she will be
2 years old and grown
to full size. She is 11
pounds of energy;
willful, entertaining,
EVE MARX
very loving, and a good
Th e pie, before the dog ate it.
companion. She is also
always hungry — and
very clever.
She learns a lot from observing. One day when she
was six months old, I noticed her paying close attention to
my use of the kitchen step stool. Being of limited stature
myself, I was using it to reach something on a high cabinet
shelf. Lucy kept a close eye on the proceedings and also
noticed my failure to put the stool away. A few minutes
later she used the stool to launch herself on the kitchen
counter to snag a stick of butter softening for a pie.
Last summer when we were renting a place in Gearhart,
I got in the habit of walking her along the wide boulevard
streets. After strolling past the grand palaces on Ocean
Avenue, we’d walk along Cottage where I couldn’t resist
picking a berry or two from the large patch of blackberry
bushes between 1st and 2nd Streets. Lucy, always keen
about anything I put in my mouth, looked expectant. I
started giving her a berry just to see if she would eat it.
Pretty soon she learned to pick blackberries herself.
This summer
in the front yard
of the house we
VIEW FROM
bought, we have
THE PORCH
fruit bearing blue-
EVE MARX
berry bushes, as
well as apple trees.
Lucy observed us
picking blueberries and soon fi gured out she liked to pick
and eat blueberries, too. When the fi rst of the apples began
falling from the trees, she sampled bites.
Last week my son’s girlfriend drove out from Portland
for a visit. In her honor, I baked a pie using apples from
our trees. When the pie was done, I put it to cool on a
counter I thought was safe. The girlfriend arrived hungry
so we went out to lunch. I thought we’d have a slice of pie
at home afterwards.
When we walked in the door an hour later, I wondered
why the 13-year-old Lhasa Apso, Basil, was so hepped up.
He was wagging his tail and very forward. Normally when
I come in after being out awhile, he doesn’t bother to get
up.
“I’ll just put some coffee on,” I said to my son’s
girlfriend. As I was crossing the kitchen to fetch dessert
plates, she said, “Oh my. Will you look at that.”
The apple pie I’d so lovingly made with my own hands
was a shambles. Someone had gouged the center out.
“Lucy,” I said sternly. I knew it was her handiwork.
She’s the only one of my three dogs (the Chihuahua is 17)
capable of the athletic feat of leaping from a chair on to
the window seat and then to the counter where the pie in-
nocently sat. She had eaten most of the middle of the pie,
which contained six small apples, ½ cup of brown sugar,
¼ stick of butter, and some graham cracker crumble. The
Pillsbury pie crust I’d dusted with cinnamon was of no
interest to her.
“Lucy,” I said again. She didn’t even have the decency
to look ashamed. Instead she shot me an impish look, her
expression saying, “I left you some. Put a scoop of ice
cream on it and you’ll be fi ne.”
Which is more or less what happened. After my son’s
girlfriend left, and I gave my husband his dinner, we both
had what was left of the pie with some Häagen-Dazs Va-
nilla Bean on it. It was fi ne. Really.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Thursday, Sept. 28
Monday, Oct. 9
Cannon Beach Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E.
Gower St.
Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protec-
tion District, 6 p.m., 188 Sunset,
Cannon Beach.
Friday, Sept. 29
Tuesday, Oct. 10
Emergency Preparedness Com-
mittee, 10 a.m., City Hall, 163 E.
Gower St.
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Cannon Beach City Council, 7
p.m., City Hall, 163 E.Gower St.
Cannon Beach City Council, 7
p.m., work session, City Hall, 163
E. Gower St.
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Cannon Beach Public Works
Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163
E. Gower St.
What to look for when selecting an autumn wine
F
ootball is back, harvest is
underway, there are parking
spots in town and it’s clear
that fall is upon us. I don’t know
exactly why, but I always look
forward to the change of seasons.
Maybe it’s because I enjoy a new
lineup of beverages.
As we move from summer to
fall, we leave behind light, crisp and
fruity wines like sauvignon blanc,
albarino and grenache and transition
to heavier wines with more tannin
and higher alcohol levels. If you’re
looking for a couple of wines to try
this season, here are a couple of my
favorite fall wines.
For white wines, try Brandborg
Publisher
David F. Pero
Editor
R.J. Marx
Circulation
Manager
Jeremy Feldman
Production
Manager
John D. Bruijn
UNCORKED RAMBLINGS
STEVEN SINKLER
Gewürztraminer with its wonder-
ful classic aromas of citrus (think
lemon with notes of pineapple) and
ginger. Made in Elkton, this south-
ern Oregon wine is off-dry with
crisp acidity making it a perfect
companion to Asian food or any
other entrée with a little heat.
Pinot noir’s earthy fl avors make
it a great fall wine and my favorite
is our very own Puffi n Pinot Noir.
Classifi ed Sales
Jamie Ramsdell
Advertising Sales
Holly Larkins
Chris Olson
Staff writer
Brenna Visser
Contributing
writers
Rebecca Herren
Katherine Lacaze
Eve Marx
Nancy McCarthy
Puffi n Pinot Noir’s complex fl avors
of red cherry, black cherry combine
with a smoky earthiness that is
sure to please. This pinots’ fl avors
of smoke and earth give a nod to
Burgundy while still fully represent-
ing the best of Willamette Valley. I
enjoy a nice glass of pinot noir with
pork tenderloin, turkey or mush-
room dishes.
For those of you who like your
red wines a little bigger, Angel Vine
Columbia Valley Zinfandel is an
excellent choice. Our staff loves this
zin from Angel Vine and named it
a Wine Shack “Wine of the Year”
in the past. Made with fruit from
the Columbia Valley, this delicious
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
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SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Annually: $40.50 in county,
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Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach,
OR 97110
zinfandel is packed with fl avors
of cherry and currant with hints of
chocolate. This food friendly wine
pairs nicely with a bowl of chili,
grilled turkey or burgers.
Speaking of chili … if you like
chili as much as I do, give Lujon
Syrah a try. Made with fruit from
Walla Walla’s Spofford Station
vineyard, this purple colored Syrah
is loaded with fl avors of plum and
savory smoked meat. I love this
wine and fi nd that it goes well with
stews, grilled meats and yes, chili.
I’ll give you one more fall drink
to consider. I’d like you to try Atlas
Blackberry Cider. Based in Bend,
Atlas makes my favorite lineup
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of ciders and their blackberry is
delicious. Made with local fruit, this
cider nicely blends tart blackberries
and fruity elderberries, to create a
glass of off-dry deliciousness. This
cider packs a punch of fruit fl avors
without any hop fl avors that often
ruin the cider experience for me.
We have this on tap at Provisions
124 and its crispy blackberry fl avors
make it a crowd pleaser. Atlas
Blackberry cider goes nicely with a
wide range of foods or enjoy it by
itself.
Whichever beverage you enjoy
this season, please do so responsi-
bly. Don’t drink and drive. We’ll see
you at The Shack or Provisions 124.
THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING