December 11, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A Cannon Beach prepares to go its oZn Za\ on Àoodplain mapping Residents may see big insurance savings By Dani Palmer EO Media Group R.J. MARX/THE DAILY ASTORIAN Councilors Sue Lorain and Dan Jesse at the Gearhart City Council meeting. Gearhart plans new short-term rental rules the playing for ev- Poll is scrapped as city level erybody. ” schedules work session Mixed input Over recent weeks, councilors had solicited letters and comments from Gearhart councilors homeowners and renters reversed course Wednes- alike. “We are not Seaside or day, Dec. 2, and scrapped plans for a short-term Cannon Beach and I sug- rental survey among resi- gest that we not copy their dents. The survey, which ways,” Whittemore said in would have been insert- opposing regulation. “Let’s ed in water bills, was to keep the ‘heart’ in Gear- determine the public’s hart.” Vacation guests Michel inclination to regulate short-term housing rent- and Marian Boileau urged the council not to restrict als. Of the city’s 1,200 short-term rentals in Gear- homes with water con- hart. Without a short-term nections, more than 80 vacation home available, are used for short-term “we would not have come rentals, City Manager to Gearhart for our vaca- Chad Sweet said in a No- tion,” they wrote. Planning Commission vember analysis. Thir- Richard W\¿YHRIWKRVHDOORZIRU Vice-President occupancy of 10 or more. Owsley supported reg- “I don’t think the poll ulation. “By consensus, will do any good at this the Planning Commission point,” Mayor Dianne recommends and supports short-term W i d d o p rental regula- said. “It’s and we not going to ‘We are not Seaside tions, are ready to accomplish a n y t h i n g . or Cannon Beach and begin work immediately,” People who have vaca- I suggest that we not Owsley told the council. tion rent- copy their ways.’ “Success- als in their ful regula- neighbor- Laurie Whittemore, tion I’ve seen hood will homeowner along the possibly re- coast includes spond to it. People who don’t have prudent limitations to the vacation rentals in their amount of guests a home neighborhood — I see can have, as well as the amount of vehicles,” wrote totally apathy.” Widdop said the poll Dean McElveen, director would likely be inter- of operations for Oregon preted in different ways Beach Vacations. “I am looking for regu- without providing real guidance for the council. lation that permits rentals “Right now it’s more while protecting the feel of important we go home our residential, non-touristy and start working on community,” said Jeremy regulations, some things 'DYLV ZKR ZDV RI¿FLDOO\ we want to do going for- appointed to the city’s Plan- ward, so we can have ning Commission Wednes- things set up for the day. South Marion Avenue summer rental season,” resident Paula Madden Widdop said. North Marion Ave- urged adoption of measures nue homeowner Laurie like those in Cannon Beach. Whittemore asked coun- These could limit the num- cilors to adopt educa- ber of short-term rentals tional tools rather than and establish a minimum number of days per stay to regulation. “I urge the City Coun- EHWZHHQ¿YHDQGVHYHQGD\V cil to adopt a collabora- in the high summer season. “Gearhart should learn tive approach with the short-term rental home- from the Cannon Beach ex- owners,” Whittemore ample and follow this lead said. “Rather than pit- without delay,” Madden ting one side against the wrote. other, please forgo re- strictions in favor of an Joint work session planned educational approach.” Widdop, Lorain and Council Sue Lorain said education is “al- Councilors Dan Jesse and Paulina Cockrum voted to ways a good thing.” “But I believe, also forgo the poll, while Coun- with education, we need cilor Kerry Smith voted on some fundamental things its behalf. Councilors plan a joint that give consistency to all the rentals,” she said. City Council and Planning Lorain asked council- Commission work session, ors to choose language OLNHO\WKH¿UVWFRXQFLOPHHW- carefully and avoid ing of the new year. In preparation, Sweet words like “restrictions” or “bans,” which have was instructed to gather in- formation on licensing, reg- negative connotations. “I don’t think it has ulations, safety and health ever come up that we measures, rules and taxation. “I think it would be nice, have ever said we want to ban or prohibit these Chad, for you to get some of homes, but what we the rules of people who have want is a regulation for successful rentals, so we can uniformity,” Lorain said. get a wider range of what’s “I don’t think we need a working,” Lorain said. “So we don’t need to re- survey. I think we need some minimum regu- invent the wheel,” Widdop lation from the start to added. By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal CANNON BEACH — 1HZPDSVFRXOGRIIHUÀRRG insurance savings to Cannon Beach residents. But because of problems with North County mapping, it looked like South County’s savings would be delayed. Cannon Beach was ready to make a request to the Fed- eral Emergency Management Agency to adopt the maps, encouraged by business own- ers and residents who said changes would lower costs. City Planner Mark Barnes had begun writing a draft. )(0$DFWHG¿UVW During a City Council work session last month, Barnes said FEMA decided to accelerate its adoption of Cannon Beach and Seaside maps, removing the need to send a letter. In an email ex- change shared with Barnes, Stephen Lucker, mapping specialist with the Oregon Department of Land Con- servation and Development, asked FEMA engineer Da- vid Ratte if the agency was “preparing to separate out the Warrenton and Colum- bia Estuary work and move forward with the rest of the country.” Ratte answered yes. In this FEMA flood plain map draft, Cannon Beach’s downtown area would be removed from the flood plain. “It is important for insur- ance payers throughout the county to get this right, and that’s what we’re determined to do,” Warrenton Mayor Mark Kujala told The Daily ‘Tremendous’ Astorian in August. cost savings Flood plain maps have Accuracy concerns in WZR VLJQL¿FDQW XVHV WR VHW ÀRRGSURQHDUHDVDIIHFWHGE\ ÀRRG LQVXUDQFH UDWHV DQG WR the Columbia River near War- provide cities with guidelines renton and Astoria had stalled for regulation. In Cannon adoption of all mapping work Beach, new construction in throughout Clatsop Coun- WKHÀRRGSODLQLVUHTXLUHGWR ty, when FEMA originally be above reach of the 100- planned to approve the south- \HDUÀRRGOHYHO Flood insurance rates rose ern and northern portions of VLJQL¿FDQWO\ WZR \HDUV DJR the county together. North County agencies and subsidies were phased are now working together to out last year. Under the new maps, complete an in-depth analysis and technical review of the Cannon Beach’s downtown FRPHVRXWRIWKHÀRRGSODLQ GUDIWÀRRGPDSV Dining on the WRZQÀRRGLQJZKLFKZRXOG FRPH IURP RYHUÀRZV LQ storm drains. The maps show new potential risks IURP YHORFLW\ ÀRRGLQJ WKDW could negatively impact homes near the beach. Overall, Barnes said the map changes would be “overwhelmingly good” for Cannon Beach. Mixed results FEMA’s adoption pro- 1RW DOO ZLOO VHH EHQH¿WV cess should be complete in however. about six months, the time it Those along the water- would have taken to receive front would likely see a 50-50 approval for the letter of split — some insurance rates map revision request. would rise and others would Cannon Beach will go lower or remain the same. through a local adoption Oceanfront homes are process for regulatory pur- most affected by velocity poses once the maps are ÀRRGLQJ FDXVHG E\ VWRUP FEMA approved, likely in surges, as opposed to down- the spring. 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