May 13, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A
Gearhart Grocery makes way for brew pub
Challenge likely as councilors
approve switch
Owen was formerly the marketing
director at a local title company
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
GEARHART — City council-
ors in Gearhart opened the way for
a new brew pub Tuesday, May 3,
approving a conditional use per-
mit for Gearhart Station at 599
Paciic Way.
In a three-hour hearing at the
Gearhart irehouse, owner Terry
Lowenberg of Sum Properties in
Seaside told councilors the Gear-
hart Grocery could not compete
with Fred Meyer, Safeway and
Costco.
“We sell raw food now,”
Lowenberg said. “Raw food is not
a sustainable thing in this commu-
nity.”
Lowenberg said alternative
food choices, such as organic veg-
etables or specialty products, had
not been successful with custom-
ers.
“People say they wanted it, we
bought it, and we ended up eating
it ourself,” he said. “We thought
about what we could do to make
it better, to make it a proitable
business.”
Lowenberg said the brew pub
would be limited to retail sales
only. “We’re not looking to put in
a Fort George or Buoy Beer.”
Planning approval
In March, planning com-
missioners voted 4-3 to OK the
transition of the grocery to a
1,300-square-foot brew pub. The
40-seat pub — deined as a cafe
under city zoning code — would
include nine tables seating four
people each, with four seats at
a bar area. Brewing operations
would be separated from diners
by a glass partition.
Opponents said the brew pub
is contrary to Gearhart’s compre-
hensive plan, citing 1994 goals to
limit commercial activity in the
city and to prevent the city from
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL
R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL
R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL
Gearhart Grocery owner Terry
Lowenberg addresses the public
hearing.
Jeanne Mark, who opposed the
brew pub, spoke during the
hearing.
Gearhart Grocery employee Alyssa
Logan urges the council to en-
dorse the transition to a brew pub.
becoming a tourist destination.
They said septic facilities are
inadequate and the city needs to
retain its only grocery store.
After the Planning Commis-
sion granted conditional approval,
the decision was appealed to the
City Council by ive Gearhart res-
idents.
grocery earnings had “plummet-
ed.”
“While I love a lot of our fre-
quent shoppers, they just don’t
shop with us enough,” Logan said.
grams, a business or parking plan
and no public need discussed or
established.
“It is abundantly clear due dil-
igence was lacking before a vote
was called,” Sabol said. “There’s
no need for another bar in Gear-
hart. Let’s keep Gearhart Gear-
hart.”
Councilor Dan Jesse asked
Lowenberg if he intended to keep
and run the establishment himself,
or to have someone else run the
business.
“Am I building it to sell?”
Lowenberg said. “No. I’m build-
ing it for myself.”
Councilors Jesse, Sue Lorain
and Paulina Cockrum voted for the
brew pub’s conditional approval.
Councilor Kerry Smith was the
lone vote in opposition. Mayor Di-
anne Widdop was not present.
Requirements for the business
include a 10 p.m. closing, retail
sales only and Department of
Environmental Quality permits,
among other conditions.
Tuesday’s decision could be
appealed to the state’s Land Use
Board of Appeals.
“We’ll process this, but it’s
something we’ll deinitely consid-
er challenging, because we have
enough material to have LUBA
consider our position,” Mark said
after the meeting.
Decision upheld
At Tuesday night’s hearing,
residents were divided into “pro-
brew pub” speakers and those
who spoke against the plan.
Gearhart’s Jeff Roberts said he
was “severely disappointed” by
opposition to the brew pub.
“Our well wishes cannot keep
a business aloat, only our dollars
can, and to date we are not help-
ing the owners keep a viable busi-
ness,” Roberts said.
Roberts said many arguments
against the brew pub were “pa-
tently ridiculous.”
Grocery employee Cathryn
Roe, an Astoria resident, said she
had worked at the market for more
than two years.
“We really do support the
growth and change of Gearhart,”
Roe said. “Keep in mind growth
and change is not a bad thing, but
a good thing.”
Alyssa Logan of Astoria, a
ive-year grocery employee, said
In opposition
Availability of other suitable
sites owned by the Lowenbergs
on U.S. Highway 101 should be
considered, said Gearhart resident
Jeanne Mark, one of those who
iled the appeal to the Planning
Commission decision.
Former Gearhart mayor Kent
Smith said it was “hard to imag-
ine” Gearhart without a grocery.
‘While I love a lot of
our frequent shoppers,
they just don’t shop
with us enough.’
Gearhart Grocery employee Alyssa Logan
“A brewery is very close to be-
ing an industrial activity in a com-
mercial zone,” Smith said.
Gearhart’s Rick Sabol said the
Planning Commission decision
was based on “inconclusive inves-
tigation of the facts,” without dia-
RETHINKING BEACHES
Naturalist raises awareness about ‘amazing phenomenon’
By Lyra Fontaine
EO Media Group
Many use Oregon’s sandy
shores for recreational fun in the
sun, and there’s nothing wrong with
that, local naturalist and nature pho-
tographer Neal Maine said in his
April 13 lecture, “Beaches: More
than Sand.”
With the increase in visitors,
Maine said a greater understanding
of lively ecological processes and
“the wonder of this amazing phe-
nomenon” happening on beaches is
needed.
He wants to change public per-
ception of Oregon’s beaches, which
Seaside Chamber
announces new
executive director
were made accessible to the public,
protected from private development
and administered as a state recre-
ation area in 1967.
“We’re trying to recast the
beaches of Oregon as ecosystems,
not just playgrounds,” Maine said to
a rapt audience gathered in the Can-
non Beach Chamber Hall as part of
the city’s “12 Days of Earth Day”
events.
With his late wife, Karen,
Maine started the Haystack Rock
Awareness Program, which began
an oficial program in 1985. Last
year, the program celebrated 30
years of educating visitors about
the iconic rock.
Now, Maine hopes to help de-
velop a strategic campaign called
“Beaches are Alive” to raise public
awareness about beach ecology. For
example, instead of showing visi-
tors how to clam, state parks could
provide lessons about beach ecolo-
gy, Maine said.
He invited the audience to send
“ideas, observations and inspira-
tion” for the possible program this
spring.
As Maine demonstrated with
photos and animated dialogue,
beaches are living systems home
to a wide variety of creatures, in-
cluding mole crabs, clams, tiny in-
vertebrates, kelp, birds and more.
Beaches are unique in that they are
inluenced by external input sourc-
es, like material from the ocean.
“The richer your awareness
about the environment and how it
works,” he said, “then the higher the
quality of life.”
Maine displayed photos of some
beach-dwelling creatures, includ-
ing Velella velellas, an example of
“population explosion.”
“You’ve seen more than you’ve
ever wanted to see,” he said.
Meanwhile, razor clams, with
their quick burrowing into the sand,
are an example of biological spe-
cialization. “They have evolved for
that speciic habitat.”
Brian Owen will leave
his job as marketing direc-
tor at Seaside’s Ticor Title
to assume the executive
director post at Seaside
Chamber of Commerce.
“What a great it,”
chamber President Sadie
Mercer said in announcing
the decision. “We’re pret-
ty thrilled. We had other
applicants — and Brian Brian Owen, the
by far dominated in in- new executive
terviews as the strongest director of the
candidate.”
Seaside Chamber
The chamber had been of Commerce.
without a director since
early March, when Susan Huntington stepped
down from the role she had held since 2013.
Owen stepped down as Seaside Chamber
president to pursue the job.
“On a personal level, the volunteerism is
always what drives me,” Owen said. “But the
business level itself is what helped me to make
the choice to leave title and escrow.”
“Brian is a really personable guy,” Mercer
said. “He makes friends and contacts really
easily. He’s very easy to talk to.”
Mercer described Owen as “very busi-
ness-minded.”
“When he was president, he had big ideas
for changing the chamber, restructuring it a lit-
tle bit and showing the beneits to the business-
es,” Mercer said. “He had that plan laid out.”
The board’s decision to select Owen was
unanimous, Mercer added. He begins May 16.
Owen worked at Ticor Title since 2013.
Prior to that he was the business develop-
ment specialist for First American Title & Es-
crow.
A longtime volunteer and board member,
Owen was chairman of the board for McMinn-
ville Area Chamber of Commerce in 2007 and
in 2005 was honored as their chamber volun-
teer of the year.
Owen assisted with Seaside Chamber’s
Beach Volleyball Tournament and Pouring at
the Coast events for the past two years.
From previous experience, Owen said he
learned how to build a volunteer base, manage
volunteers and expand both community and
business growth.
“The more I thought about it, the duties
of the job itself was a personal it with what I
want to do with my life, my aspirations and my
value system,” Owen said.
He plans to retain current staff along with
annual events such as the volleyball tourna-
ment, Hood to Coast and Pouring at the Coast.
Owen said the chamber should be a “refer-
ral generator” for local businesses and improve
digital communications on the web and social
media platforms.
“I think we can redo that and make that a
huge member — and community — beneit,”
he said.
The local chamber could also play a role in
politics, Owen said. “Chambers of commerce
are powerhouses with national and state gov-
ernment. I believe we should make sure that
we are a communication hub for any action
that would impact our businesses.”
NEWS BRIEFS
SEASIDE SIGNAL/SUBMITTED PHOTO
Volunteer book sorters prepare do-
nated books for the annual North
Tillamook Library book sale on Me-
morial Day weekend in Manzanita.
Memorial Day book sale
returns to Manzanita
An annual Memorial Day tra-
dition plays out May 27 and 28 in
Manzanita, as the North Tillamook
Library hosts its book sale featur-
ing thousands donated books. It’s a
sale that has become so big in recent
years that it’s at two locations: The
Hoffman Center for the Arts and
Pine Grove Community House three
blocks away.
The sale begins Friday, May 27,
from 5 to 7 p.m. Members of the
Friends of the Library get irst crack
at this year’s selection.
Nonmembers can join the eve-
ning of the presale, $10 for an in-
dividual membership and $15 for a
family.
Saturday, May 28, from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. the general public is invited to
comb the shelves and tables for good
deals on “gently used” books. Man-
zanita book sale returns Memorial
Day weekend
The books at the Hoffman Cen-
ter are non-iction and include cook-
books, biographies, humor, nature,
gardening, history, religion, self-
help, reference, general interest and
coffee table books. One can ind ic-
tion books at the Pine Grove Com-
munity House, including novels,
mysteries, science iction, poetry,
romances and children’s books.
The book sale, held every year
over the Memorial Day weekend, is
the major fundraiser for the North
Tillamook County Friends to pro-
vide maintenance to the Manzanita
library. The books have been donat-
ed by members of the community,
and volunteers sort and price them
year-round.
Hoffman Center for the Arts is
located at 549 Laneda Ave., Man-
zanita; the Pine Grove Community
House is located at 225 Laneda Ave.
Learn to play ukulele at
the Seaside Library
Join the Seaside Public Library
Saturday, May 14, at 1 p.m. and learn
to play the ukulele at the Ukalaliens
workshop, which is sponsored by the
Friends of the Seaside Library. Sign-
up required at the circulation desk or
by phone.
Musician-teachers Kate Power
and Steve Einhorn travel in John-
ny Appleseed fashion from town
to town to introduce the fun of
playing the ukulele.
They will bring 30 ukes for par-
ticipants to use and will teach begin-
ners, in a friendly atmosphere, how
to play these simple instruments.
The mission of the Ukalaliens
workshop is to grow budding musi-
cians from scratch through ukulele
and to give the uke-curious the op-
portunity to the play the little musi-
cal powerhouse that is the ukulele.
The Seaside Public Library is lo-
cated at 1131 Broadway. For more
information call 503-738-6742 or
visit seasidelibrary.org.
Conservancy leader
speaks in D.C.
North Coast Land Conservancy Ex-
ecutive Director Katie Voelke returned
from a week in Washington, D.C., ad-
vocating on behalf of the national Land
Trust Alliance and the Coalition of Or-
egon Land Trusts — her irst such trip
to the nation’s capital. In Washington
she spoke to members of Oregon’s con-
gressional delegation, advocating for
continued support of key federal con-
servation programs such as the Land
and Water Conservation Fund.
Voelke presented both Rep. Earl
Blumenauer and Sen. Ron Wyden with
an award from the Land Trust Alliance
recognizing their leadership in making
the Conservation Easement Tax Incen-
tive permanent.
Immediately upon her return to
Oregon, Voelke received the Gaylord
Nelson Award from the City of Cannon
Beach at the city’s annual 12 Days of
Earth Day potluck, in recognition of her
many years promoting environmental
awareness and protection. The award is
named for the Wisconsin senator who
founded Earth Day in 1970 and who
sponsored signiicant environmental
legislation during his term in ofice,
from 1963 to 1983.
Kristin Grorud-Colvert
Exploring Oregon’s
ocean presentation
Join marine ecologist Kirsten
Grorud-Colvert, Ph.D., for a
wide-ranging talk about the sea
beside us in a presentation titled
“Into the Deep: Exploring Oregon’s
Ocean” Wednesday, May 18, at 6
p.m. at the Seaside Public Library.
It is the inal program in the 2016
Listening to the Land speaker se-
ries, which this year has focused on
the theme of water. Admission is
free; refreshments are served.
Grorud-Colvert will provide a
look at underwater reefs as she dis-
cusses upwelling and its role in the
productivity of our ocean. She will
address challenges such as sea star
wasting syndrome and ocean hy-
poxia, or “dead zones.”
Grorud-Colvert is on the faculty
of Oregon State University, where
she has studied marine systems and
ocean organisms from the Florida
Keys to the near-shore ocean off
Oregon. She uses data from many
different marine species and habi-
tats to look at what happens when
you protect an area in the ocean
and what we can learn from these
areas in order to design even better
protection. She also directs the Sci-
ence of Marine Reserves Project, a
team of marine ecologists, graphic
designers, communication special-
ists and marine reserve scientists
around the globe developing effec-
tive ways to share scientiic data
about marine reserves with the gen-
eral public.
Listening to the Land is an an-
nual winter speaker series presented
monthly by North Coast Land Con-
servancy and the Necanicum Wa-
tershed Council in partnership with
the Seaside Public Library.
SERPD launches
Learning Ladder
Sunset Empire Recreation and
Parks District preschool program,
the Learning Ladder, will be plant-
ing in a class garden box in the
newly expanded community gar-
den. Master gardener Barbara Has-
san will be on hand.
The mission is “PLAY,” Posi-
tive Life Activities. A public grand
unveiling takes place Wednesday,
June 8, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The
after-school program children and
their families will be joining for the
special event.
Contact Shelly Saunders, Early
Childhood Manager, 503-738-3311,
ext 125.