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Published by Seaside Signal & Cannon Beach Gazette
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM • COMPLIMENTARY COPY
OUR 109th YEAR • April 17, 2015
Smith gets another shot at barn permit
Gearhart Planning Commission must decide if owner
has substantially completed conditional use permit
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
The Land Use Board of
Appeals has ordered the
city of Gearhart to recon-
sider Shannon Smith’s
conditional use permit for
her historic livery and de-
termine if she’s completed
substantial
construction
and, if not, whether she’s
entitled to another six-
month extension.
“What happened was
positive for me and, I think,
for Gearhart,” Smith said.
“We’re very excited to get
it behind us and make this
a wonderful gathering place
for people in the city.”
She announced during
public comment of the
Gearhart City Council’s
meeting April 1 that she
had received the Land Use
Board of Appeals’ decision,
but it was not further dis-
cussed at the meeting.
The
three-member
board heard oral argu-
ments in Portland on Feb.
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lengthy appeal process.
Shelby Rihala, an associ-
ate with Jordan Ramis PC
who specializes in land-
use issues, represented the
city; Smith was represent-
ed by her attorney Dan Ke-
arns, of Portland.
The written opinion pro-
vided by the board summa-
rizes that Smith was appeal-
ing the city’s decision that
her conditional use permit
was void and, subsequent-
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO
ly, denying her request for
a second extension of the Gearhart resident Shannon Smith has been trying for several
years to renovate her historic livery for use as an events cen-
permit.
See Smith, Page 10A
ter. She obtained a conditional use permit in 2012, which the
city believes expired last year.
Seaside man gives smile, waves
to drivers on Highway 101
Assisted living facility resident shares memories from his years as football star, architect
of buildings as an architect. His work spanned
single and multi-family dwellings, condomini-
ums, commercial buildings, tennis clubs and
more. His portfolio includes the World Tennis
you have traveled along U.S. High-
Center in Naples, Fla., and the Shipps Landing
way 101 in south Seaside any time during the Getting to know Gary
Condominiums in Marco Island, Fla. Lewis
Lewis was born in Ohio in January 1946 to moved to Oregon about 13 years ago but his
past few months, chances are you’ve caught a
glimpse of Gary Lewis doing one of his favorite Francis Harvey Lewis Jr. and Gladys Katherine mother, Gladys, and sisters, Deloris and Jeanne,
pastimes: Smiling and waving at passersby, or Title. He was a star quarterback on both his high still reside in Florida.
SHUKDSVVROLFLWLQJDKRQNIURPDÀHHWLQJWUXFN school and college football teams, and he partic-
To this day, Lewis is an avid sports fan and
On dry days, the 69-year-old resident of Ava- ipated in several other sports, such as basketball he sticks to his roots by following the Cleveland
mere at Seaside – formerly Necanicum Village DQGWUDFNDQG¿HOG%ODFNDQGZKLWHSKRWRVRI %URZQV+HDOVRKDVDQDI¿QLW\IRUWKH)ORUL
Senior Living before its recent acquisition by Lewis show him, as younger man, donning his da manatee, which is evident through his many
the Avamere Family of Companies – frequents football uniform or wearing a letterman jacket. GHFRUDWLRQVLQFOXGLQJDWKURZSLOORZDQG¿JX
He graduated from Ohio State University rine, that depict the animal. He even has swam
the sidewalk in front of the facility, trying to
in the 1960s and soon after was drafted by the with manatees before, he said.
brighten the days of those he sees.
He has been quite successful in this mission, $UP\DQGZHQWWR9LHWQDP+HIXO¿OOHGDPDQ
according to Avamere staff. They have received datory four-year military stint and re-enlisted Sustaining a smile
Lewis suffered a debilitating stroke in 1980
calls from multiple people and visitors express- for two more years. He wasn’t injured and he
ing gratitude for the smile and wave they re- doesn’t feel he was psychologically impaired that impaired his ability to speak except for a
ceived from Lewis and, often, wanting to learn from the experience either. For his service, he few words. His mind, however, is sharp and
a little more about him. When he’s not outside, received a National Defense Service Medal; a KH KDV QR SUREOHP FRPSUHKHQGLQJ DQG ¿QG
IXO¿OOLQJKLVXQRI¿FLDOUROHDVHPLVVDU\IRUWKH Vietnam Service Medal; a Vietnam Campaign ing alternative ways of communicating. He has
assisted living facility, people will inquire if he’s Medal; a Bronze Star Medal; a Meritorious carefully preserved many aspects of his past in
photographs, documents and other mementos,
Unit Commendation emblem and others.
alright.
which he can refer to when sharing his
He moved to Florida in his late
People who have been touched
story.
20s and lived there for about 30
by Lewis’ wave when passing
A family tree, for instance, links
years, during which time
by him on Highway 101 have
Lewis as a second cousin seven times
he designed dozens
thanked him for his kindness
removed to George Washington. His
with various gifts, such as a
collection of keepsakes also includes a
cake, hot beverages, a baseball
copy of Eddie Robinson’s “Lucky Me,”
cap and other items. But, as a
signed by the famous baseball player, and a
social and thoughtful person,
book about Oregon that he received as a thank
Lewis’ primary goal is to
you for volunteering at Legacy Meridian Park
Medical Center in Tualatin. Together, these and
other personal items combine to create a portrait
of who he is.
2WKHUVPLJKWKDYHVXFFXPEHGWRDQDIÀLF
tion that limited their speech and motion, but
not Lewis, Spivey said. He maintains a cheery
disposition and strives to be as independent as
possible. He likes to dress nicely and be clean
shaven. He doesn’t struggle to assert autono-
my – he’s well-known and liked in and out of
the facility, Spivey said. Other patrons and staff
members described him as friendly, social and
“a love.”
“We’re quite fond of him,” Spivey said.
make people happy, said Sue Spivey, director
of health services.
“That reward is enough for him; anything
else is like icing on the cake,” she added.
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
If
Gary Lewis, 69, has assumed the unoffi cial role of emissary
for Avamere at Seaside (formerly Necanicum Village Senior
Living) where he is a resident. Lewis often can be seen fre-
quenting the sidewalk outside of the facility to brighten the
days of passing travelers with a smile and a wave.
Council
reviews pot
dispensary
ordinance
Business license
ordinance also to be
amended
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
City Council is slowly
moving ahead on adopting an
ordinance to regulate medical
marijuana dispensaries with-
in city limits and the Urban
Growth Boundary.
At its meeting Monday,
the council read a draft ordi-
nance, crafted by the Seaside
Planning Commission, in its
entirety, as well as a proposed
amendment to the business li-
cense ordinance.
7KH ¿UVW VWHS WR DOORZ
dispensaries in the city will
be to amend the Code of
Seaside, which currently
prohibits any business that is
unlawful, illegal or prohibit-
ed by state and federal laws.
The proposed amendment
changes the business license
ordinance to include the sen-
tence: “Notwithstanding the
aforementioned provisions,
a license can be issued for
medical marijuana dispen-
saries that comply with the
additional licensing require-
ments in Chapter 118.”
The wording is meant to
narrowly allow medical mar-
ijuana facilities without leav-
ing the possibility for other
illegal business activity, Sea-
side Planning Director Kevin
Cupples said.
“(The ordinance) has
just been opened a crack,”
he said.
In addition, a new chap-
ter regulating dispensaries
will be added to the Code
of Seaside. The chapter, as
proposed, requires all med-
ical marijuana dispensaries
to be registered in accor-
dance with the Oregon Re-
vised Statutes and Oregon
Administrative Rule. Dis-
pensary owners must be
licensed with the Oregon
Health Authority prior to
operation.
It also requires back-
ground checks for anyone
who owns, volunteers with
or works in a dispensa-
ry. Dispensaries will not
be able to operate from 8
p.m. to 8 a.m. and distrib-
uting marijuana or marijua-
na-infused products free of
charge will be prohibited.
Other chapter sections deal
with licensing, license va-
lidity and annual review
for renewal, revocation and
suspension of licenses and
penalties for violating pro-
visions in the chapter.
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
See Council, Page 12A
Seaside sees new surplus of thrift, vintage stores
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
In the past year, Seaside has seen
an emergence of thrift shops and
similar stores, and many store own-
ers see that as an opportunity to give
locals and visitors a multitude of in-
expensive options.
Currently, there are at least 10
thrift stores in the area, not includ-
ing a children’s consignment store in
Gearhart, antique stores and nonprof-
it clothing exchanges, like Father’s
Closet at Welcome Home Church.
Other stores that opened last year,
such as Nature’s Spirit, came and
went in a matter of months, along
with the Helping Hands Thrift Store,
which closed in September.
Cheryle Barker, Seaside’s Tri-
City Spay & Neuter Thrift Shop
board president, said there has not
been a time in recent memory when
this many thrift shops were in the
area. When she started volunteering
at the Spay & Neuter Thrift Shop
about 15 years ago, Rag and Bone
was the only other thrift shop she
can remember. The Spay & Neuter
Thrift Shop is the oldest in the city.
The store started in 1968, moved to
its Broadway location in 1988 and
got its current title October 2013.
Rag and Bone was established in the
mid-1990s.
At the start of each summer, Bark-
er creates a brochure of thrift, resale
and consignment stores in Gearhart
and Seaside. The rapid addition and
subtraction of several shops in 2014
made the brochure outdated before
the end of summer.
“I have no idea why they’re
springing up,” Barker said, though
she thinks many people still are
VWUXJJOLQJ ¿QDQFLDOO\ IURP WKH HFR
nomic downturn and can’t afford to
purchase things at big box stores, so
they’re turning instead to thrift shops.
See Thrifts, Page 9A
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO
Seaside’s STUFF, which opened in July 2014 on Roosevelt Drive, is one of
many thrift stores that has opened the past year