Friday, December 14, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | CannonBeachGazette.com • A5
City to offer workforce housing incentives
By Brenna Visser
Cannon Beach Gazette
The City Council voted
unanimously
Tuesday,
Dec. 4, to provide a work-
force housing incentive to a
developer from money gen-
erated from a new construc-
tion excise tax.
Last year, city councilors
voted to apply a 1 percent
tax on all building permits
in an effort to raise money
for workforce housing proj-
ects. So far, the council has
seen the fund as a way to
provide fi nancial incentives
to developers.
Mike Clark, of Coaster
Properties, will be the fi rst
developer to receive the ben-
efi ts to rebuild and expand
the Sea Lark Apartments on
Larch Street. The one-bed-
room units, destroyed in a
fi re last February, were one
of the few affordable living
options in town. He plans to
expand the former fourplex
into eight units.
Clark will be reimbursed
$19,000 for permit fees
and systems development
charges associated with the
An artist’s rendering of workforce housing units in Cannon Beach.
project, all based on the
estimated $510,000 in con-
struction costs.
In order to be eligible for
the incentive, Clark agreed
to include a deed restriction
that bars the units from ever
becoming vacation rentals
or condos.
The agreement also
requires that rent must not
exceed 100 percent of the
average median income for
Clatsop County for the next
10 years. Based on U.S.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development pro-
jections, the city estimates
rent will be between $950
to $1,100 a month.
The process is seen
largely as a sign of progress
by city councilors and staff,
who have been struggling to
move the needle on work-
force housing for years.
Some on the council,
however, have expressed
concerns about the sustain-
ability of the incentives.
Only about $65,600 has
been raised since the excise
tax took effect in July 2017.
The land-strapped city sees
little development in com-
parison to neighboring
communities, limiting the
growth and utility of the
tax.
But it’s a step in the
right direction, Mayor Sam
Steidel said.
“I think this project
will be a good trial run to
see how it works,” Steidel
said at a November work
session.
Water: Solutions to high bacteria readings at outfalls
CONTINUED from Page 1A
matter of the bacteria from
the pipes.”
With human sources
ruled out, the city believes
bacteria from animal waste
and fungi are building up
inside the pipes, a major-
ity of which are under-
ground. Engineers are look-
ing at installing ultraviolet
light fi lters at the outfalls,
which would kill the bacte-
ria before it goes out to the
beach.
The other option would
be to open up the pipes and
let the stream run through
an open system, exposing
the runoff to sunlight and
accomplishing the same
goal.
“We are not as concerned
about animal feces as much
as human, but that doesn’t
address the fact we’re get-
ting sporadic high readings,”
La Bonte said. “It’s still
causing harmful bacteria in
File Photo The Daily Astorian
Beachgoers cross a bridge over the Ecola Court outfall
in Cannon Beach. Recent samples shows bacteria levels
higher than state standards at this location.
these areas where dogs, kids
like to play around.”
Ingesting bacteria-con-
taminated water can result in
illness, according to the Ore-
gon Health Authority.
While installing ultra-
violet light fi lters would be
ideal, engineers are studying
whether it’s a viable option
with the outfall’s confi gura-
tion. An open system would
also most likely require
reconfi guration, and could
bring other challenges, such
as monitoring what kind of
waste could fall or collect in
open drainage ditches.
Both systems are effec-
tive, La Bonte said, but will
likely be expensive.
As engineers conduct
the study, La Bonte said
she is reaching out to the
state and working with the
Department of Environmen-
tal Quality to get grants to
cover the project.
“It’s been very much
a
needle-in-the-haystack
problem, which is very frus-
trating for me,” she said.
“It’s a top priority and we
are going to do everything
we can to address it. We’re
not going to let money be a
showstopper with the proj-
ect. It’s too important. We
are going to look for all the
funding available.”
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CONSTRUCTION
Capsule: Blast from the past buried at Tolovana Arts Colony
CONTINUED from Page 1A
After about 20 minutes
of drilling, chipping and
buzzsawing, a copper tube
emerged. The tube, about
1 ½ feet tall and about 4
inches in diameter, was
sautered so tightly pub-
lic works employees had to
slowly and diligently saw it
open, prompting people in
the crowd to shout out their
guesses of what would be
inside.
“Maybe it’s just a note
that says the real one is two
feet to the right,” someone
joked.
“Maybe it’s just a knock-
knock joke!” yelled another.
But once opened, the
capsule revealed artifacts
such as 50-year-old news-
paper articles, a presiden-
tial election fl yer, aerial
photos of Cannon Beach,
and magazine clippings of
some of the latest hairstyles,
clothes, planes and cars.
The canister also featured a
detailed history of the build-
ing that used to house Tolo-
vana Park Community Club
and now hosts the Tolovana
Arts Colony. All items will
be donated to the Cannon
Beach History Center and
Museum.
“There’s some really fun
stuff in here,” Mayor Sam
Steidel said as he poured
over articles in the 1968
newspaper. One in particular
caught his eye.
“Five people ran for
city council ... wow,” he
chuckled.
A personal connection
For some attending the
ceremony, the time cap-
sule was personal. Robert
and Lori Moon, as well as
a handful of other family
members, drove more than
1,000 miles from Nevada to
attend. Lori Moon was 23
year old when she attended
the original ceremony in
1968, but was fi lled with as
much suspense as the rest of
the crowd.
“It was 50 years ago, I
don’t remember what was
put in,” she said. “I’m here
to fi nd out.”
The family made the trek
to honor Lori and Robert’s
son, Scott, who was featured
in a photo with his Rob-
ert Moon’s father, a mem-
ber of the club at the time,
and Congressman Wendell
Wyatt at the original dedica-
tion ceremony. Scott Moon
died about a year ago.
“We just wanted to honor
him,” Lori Moon said.
The city will continue the
tradition with a new time
capsule in the same loca-
tion. Over the past couple
of months, residents have
been invited to bring items
“smaller than a shoe box”
to put into the new ves-
sel. Because the new cap-
sule does not fi t the space
of the old one, residents are
invited to continue bringing
items throughout this week
until a date is decided for
burying the new capsule.
“Hopefully someone will
want to go to the trouble of
opening it 50 years from
now,” City Manager Bruce
St. Denis said.
Below is a list of what the
city has collected so far:
• Cell phone.
• Numerous newspaper
articles on affordable hous-
ing challenges, our fi rst pot
shop opening, the new city
manager and the plans for
unearthing the 50-year-old
time capsule.
• Public works hat.
• Glass art from Ice Fire
gallery.
• Pictures of down-
town Cannon Beach during
the annual Fourth of July
parade, a town photo, plus a
fl ash drive with hundreds of
photos.
• A video of Cannon
Beach showing archived
photos.
• A story and hand drawn
artist drawing from Tolovana
Art Colony.
• A copy of the Cannon
Beach magazine from the
Chamber of Commerce.
• Children’s art work and
questions about the future
from the Cannon Beach
Academy.
• A menu from The Drift-
wood restaurant.
• Beach trash art from Hay-
stack Awareness Program.
• A soft bunny.
• A soft puffi n.
• CD and classic movie
video.
• Numerous articles from
local residents of past mem-
bers of the Arts Colony as
well as current events of Can-
non Beach.
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