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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2016)
March 18, 2016 Seaside Signal seasidesignal.com 9A Brew pub plan gets conditional go-ahead Beer, cooking odors, said to be contained By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Despite questions about potential odors from a meat smoker and beer-making op- eration, a plan to convert the Gearhart grocery into Gearhart Station, a brew pub and deli, won Planning Commission ap- proval Thursday, March 10. The ¿ nal verdict The pro- posal ¿ lls a need in the com- munity and meets the goals of the comprehensive plan. Planning Commissioner Virginia Dideum was one of the four who voted to grant approval to the plan. “I’m one of those people who go to Fort George,” she said. “I go to Buoy Beer. I would love to have some place to get dinner. This would be good for the community.” The transition is motivated by slow sales at the grocery store, according to the owners Molly and Terry Lowenberg. The grocery store has been for sale for over two years and has struggled to compete with re- gional grocers north and south of Gearhart.. “I go into that store,” Dide- um said. “I go into that store lots of times. And I’m the only person in that store.” The Paci¿ c :ay property, located in a commercial zone, is considered a café under the city’s code. Commissioners considered public need, hours of operation and a requirement the business operate at least 11 months per year. Commissioners also stud- ied parking, traf¿ c patterns and septic, which has won condi- tional approval from the county. Residents voiced concern about potential odors from smoked meats and the brewing process. A system that size is more kept inside than out, Seaside Brewing co-owner and brewer Vince Burg said. “Inside the walls, smell,” Burg said. “Out- side the walls, pretty minimal.” Most brewing is done during the day, especially for a smaller brewery like the one proposed, he added. Beer would be sold for cus- tomers within the store, and available for takeout in con- tainers, engineer Mark Mead of Mead Engineering said on behalf of the applicant. The food area would be separated from SUBMITTED PHOTO Gearhart Grocery has been a gathering place for many years. the bar by a short wooden wall and families would be served at the nine tables, with a 40-seat area. The brewing area would be visible through a glassed area. Mead said the owner felt the brew pub was needed “because Gearhart group tackles rules governing short-term rentals Septic concerns play key role in discussion By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal GEARHART — Even as the wind whistled and howled :ednesday night, March , a full contingent of Gearhart City Council and Planning Com- mission members gathered at City Hall to hammer out a proposed short-term rental or- dinance. They hope to have the policy in place by summer. “:e need to look at the big picture,” Planning Commis- sion er David Smith said. “:e need to look at where we are and where we need to go.” Mayor Dianne :iddop added, “:e don’t want to have a hotel on a residential street .” .Minimum night stays, number of guests, registra- tion, licensing and inspection procedures all ¿ gure in plans to regulate Gearhart’s short- term rental properties. It’s about the septic But before of¿ cials at- tacked those issues, they received a lesson in septic systems, as Clatsop County Public Health Environmen- tal Health Supervisor Mike McNickle provided an over- view of the city’s septic sys- tems, cesspools and gravity waste -treatment systems. Many septic tanks, partic- ularly steel ones installed 40 or 50 years ago, are disinte- grating, he said. Others are overloaded or inef¿ cient. Since Gearhart residents use groundwater as their drinking supply, more short- term rental visitors could play a role in the public’s clean wa- ter supply, he said. Tanks for two people should be pumped every ¿ ve to seven years, McNick- there wasn’t one in Gearhart itself.” “He thought about doing just a restaurant, but a restau- rant alone needed something else with it,” Mead said. “By adding craft beer, you’re add- ing something that isn’t there. He’s put a lot of thought and research what to put in that building so it just doesn’t sit empty.” Commissioners David Smith, Terry Graff and Jeremy Davis voted against the plan; Dideum, Carl Anderson, Rich- ard Owsley and Russ Taggard voted for it. Mead said after the meet- ing a changeover date has not been set. Monthly Craft Fair coming to community center By Katherine Lacaze For Seaside Signal The Bob Chisholm Com- munity Center will be hosting a Craft Fair every third Thursday of the month to highlight the talents of local artisans. The monthly fairs, spon- sored by the Northwest Senior and Disability Services and the Sunset Empire Park & Rec- reation District, will be from 100 a.m. to 120 p.m. at the center. The next event is sched- uled for March 17. Holly Burns, the nutrition and health promotion coordi- nator, is lining up vendors, who will demonstrate their craft and sell their products. Proceeds from sales will go to bene¿ t the center and its future remodel. “Anyone with a talent can come,” she said. The community craft fairs, open to the public, will coin- cide with senior lunches, which are served each week day cour- tesy of Northwest Senior and Disability Services, a local in- tergovernmental agency. The agency is trying to get more people involved with the meal site, Burns said. “:e want to keep seniors as independent as possible for as long as they can be,” she added. The lunches, held at 1145 a.m. Monday through Friday, are designed for residents 60 years and older, but anyone can join, though a donation of $6.75 is suggested, Burns said. Hot meals are served Mondays, :ednesdays and Fridays, and salad, soup and sandwiches are served Tues- days and Thursdays. The agency also offers a Meals-on- :heels program, which deliv- ers hot meals — in addition to a frozen meal — on Mondays, :ednesdays and Fridays. Both programs are volunteer-driv- en and serve residents from Gearhart to Cannon Beach and in between. :ithout the vol- unteers, Burns said, “this pro- gram couldn’t function.” For many of the seniors who attend the lunches, “they come really to socialize with their friends,” Burns said. The center hosts other ac- tivities and classes for seniors throughout the week; they of- ten are held before or after the lunches. R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL Russ Taggard listens as Mike McNickle gives a presentation on septic concerns for short-term rental properties. le said, and a family of four should pump every three to ¿ ve years, depending on us- age. Five loads of wash could put a home at 75 percent of the 275-gallon daily water -us- age average. Homeowner limits The number of bedrooms rather than the size of the bathroom determines a home- owner’s limit , he added. City Planner Carole Con- nell recommended a maxi- mum of 10 people per short- term rental stay, including people sleeping in tents or RVs on the property, because “those people use the facil- ities,” she said. “It has to do with the water usage.” Septic inspection would be required and cesspools would be prohibited from licensing at transient rental properties, of¿ cials agreed. In addition to septic mon- itoring, of¿ cials addressed parking concerns, garbage pickup and emergency safety. Adequate parking should be ANSWERS ON : Efficiency a consideration, commissioners suggested, and could be limited to one car per rental bedroom. Property owners could be required to provide sideyard garbage pickup and informa- tion about recycling for their guests. Rules may mandate emer- gency go-bags and ensure a National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration radio in case of tsunami and earthquake scenarios. Commissioner Terry Graff urged an occupancy cap and minimum -length -stay require- ment. “If you’re going to do something to control the rental problem, the only way you’re going to do it is with an occu- pancy cap and minimum rental stays,” Graff said. “That’s the most important reason we’re here,” Councilor Paulina Cockrum said. 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