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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2016)
July 22, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A Short-term rental owners get reprieve in Gearhart Reading of ordinance will wait until August By R.J. Marx Seaside Signal Two consecutive days of four-hour meetings, public comment and deliberation still left Gearhart without a short-term rental ordinance. But by 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 6, it was getting closer. Councilors declined to conduct a ¿rst reading of the ordinance, designed to regu- late properties rented for less than 30 days. But a revised draft of Gearhart’s zone code amendments for short-term rental properties from city councilors will be presented at Gearhart’s August council meeting. Of¿cials worked their way through the amend- ments, picking up where they left off Tuesday night in a public hearing at the ¿re- house. Most of the conditions presented by the Planning Commission were left intact, with signi¿cant changes to the number of permits of- fered to property owners, an extension to bring properties to code and a discounted fee for property owners who pro- vide go-bags to their guests. Councilors raised the pro- posed permit fee from $500 to $600 per short-term rental R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL Paulina Cockrum and Sue Lorain deliberate at the Gearhart City Council meeting. property application, with a refund of $100 for those who provide tsunami prepared- ness supplies to their guests. The permit fee and lodg- ing taxes are designed to cover the city’s costs, City Administrator Chad Sweet said. He estimated city in- come from short-term rent- als could reach $200,000, with more than $140,000 from lodging taxes, paid quarterly, and $50,000 from rental fees. Other conditions for per- mit applicants include pro- viding neighbor notice and a 24-hour representative able to physically respond to the vacation rental site within 30 minutes. Property own- ers would be required to dis- play a notice of occupancy, parking and good neighbor policies in every rental, and occupancy limited to two people per bedroom. A pro- vision requiring a maximum occupancy of more than 10 people was deleted if a prop- erty otherwise meets the or- dinance requirements. Tsunami ready Councilors expressed concern for visitors unpre- pared for risks in the tsunami zone. “From a preparedness standpoint, I feel all these items should be mandato- ry,” Councilor Dan Jesse said. “We owe it to people coming to our community to have someone looking after them.” A Planning Commission recommendation of go-bags and a NOAA weather ra- dio was modi¿ed to offer a discount on the application for homeowners providing emergency supplies. Councilors also considered what conditions would war- rant a loss of permit, forming a consensus that three cita- tions to separate rental parties would be required to trigger revocation, rather than mul- tiple citations from a single incident. A “bad group” should not be enough to revoke an own- er’s permit, Councilor Sue Lo- rain said. “I don’t think it’s fair to kick somebody out because of a bad apple,” Jesse added. The city will also provide language for a variance pro- cess, one which could impact several Gearhart properties, including the Lodge at Little Beach and Breakaway Lodge, both of which received ap- proval from the city in 1994 to operate under hotel rules. “Both submitted evidence they’ve long been used as lodges,” Watts said. They have each paid the 7 percent lodging tax since that time, Sweet said, and could be treated as nonconforming properties. Planner Carole Connell ad- vised putting a “placeholder” to the ordinance to consider variance procedure. “The key is to have criteria that can be applied across the board,” Watts said. With the close of delibera- tions, councilors unanimously approved a motion to direct staff to prepare a ¿nal docu- ment in ordinance form for its August meeting. Peace Builders partners with Rotary to create a network of bully-free zones Seaside Rotarians share ‘four-way test’ By Eve Marx For Seaside Signal Rotarians Alan Evans and Veronica Russell are work- ing to extend the reach of the Seaside School District’s bul- lying prevention program by taking it to the streets. Seaside Rotary hands out dictionaries to every fourth-grader inscribed with their names, Russell said. “We help host the all-night grad party for seniors each year, we offer scholarships and we have the Rotary youth exchange.” Rotary shares the organi- zation’s “four-way test” with ¿fth-graders, guiding ethical principles of service and good- will, she added. The school district’s own bullying prevention pro- gram is regularly discussed at monthly assemblies, remind- ing students what to say and do should they witness some- one being bullied, or if they are victims of bullying. The school’s partnership with Rotary began at a Peace Builders brainstorming ses- sion earlier in the school year. Gaps in the anti-bullying pro- gram became apparent. “The kids at school had the oversight of staff to help pre- vent bullying, but what about those kids walking to and from school, riding a bike to an event, or to a friend’s house on a weekend?” Russell said. “There was nothing in place to provide protection away from school, so we decided to look to our business community.” This resulted in the creation of bully-free zones around town where shop owners could be on the lookout and where bullying would not tol- erated. Russell said dozens of businesses expressed interest in helping out, so the Peace Builders committee created a simple set of rules and a win- dow sticker. They reached out to Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham for feedback. “School-age kids are our most vulnerable citizens,” Russell said. “We hope these safe zones offer a haven for kids for those in-between times when they’re not at school or at home.” Nearly two dozen Seaside businesses including Beach EO MEDIA GROUP/FILE PHOTO Neacoxie Creek Barn in Gearhart. Neacoxie barn faces foreclosure Gearhart event center scheduled to be auctioned cil meeting. “I am in conversa- tion with prospective investors and co-partners who share my goal of preserving this unique historic resource for all of By R.J. Marx Gearhart to use and enjoy for Seaside Signal many years to come.” On Thursday, she said the GEARHART — Martha Strickland, a co-owner of loan is in modi¿cation consid- Neacoxie Barn in Gearhart, is eration by the lender, which facing foreclosure at the for- could end the sale proceeding. mer livery stable on the banks “Foreclosures are more com- of Neacoxie Creek. mon than people know,” she “In October, the bank puts said. “They often get to this it up for auction, or it fore- level and they get resolved. closes,” Gearhart City Ad- I’m extremely optimistic.” ministrator Chad Sweet said. Smith said she became an While Gearhart’s Shannon “underwater property owner” Smith is listed on the property in 2007, within months of her deed, she is not listed as a par- purchase of the barn, when she ty to the foreclosure proceed- was hard-hit by the economic ing, which appeared as a legal downturn. “I have held on de- notice in The Daily Astorian. spite the land use and zoning The notice of default comes approaches taken by the city’s after Strickland’s failure to re- of¿cials in their interpretation pay $297,741 and other of the allowed use of advances and expenses. one’s property.” The property is sched- A court order has uled to be sold at auc- suspended use of the tion at Clatsop County barn until Smith meets Courthouse on Oct. 7. conditions of city ap- The Neacoxie Creek proval. In May, Smith Barn, at 774 3aci¿c said she plans to bring Way in Gearhart, has Shannon the building up to code. been used for wed- Smith If Smith violates the dings, family reunions court order, she would and other com- receive a $500 mercial events. ¿ne for a zone ‘My property has Without a condi- code violation. tional use permit been listed recently This would be in and a building in legal notices, due addition to more occupancy per- than $30,000 in in part, to personal administrative mit, according to Gearhart of- impacts upon me and ¿nes racked up ¿cials, the own- by Smith, an ers have put the … most of all through amount reduced health and safe- to $15,000 by political ill-will.’ ty of guests and the Gearhart Shannon Smith residents at risk. City Council in “My property December. has been listed recently in le- Clatsop County Circuit gal notices, due in part, to per- Court Judge Philip Nelson sonal impacts upon me and … extended an order keeping the most of all through political former livery stable off-limits ill-will,” Shannon Smith said for parties and special events, at a July Gearhart City Coun- at least until October. You can help weed the Skipanon River by canoe SUBMITTED PHOTO Rotary Peace Builders co-chairs Veronica Russell and Alan Evans with Chief Dave Ham; front row, students from Seaside School District: Kayla Sandoval, Samantha Evans. FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Bully-Free zones, contact Russell at veronicarussell@ gmail.com or Evans at a.evans@helping- handsreentry.org. Books, Oceanside Vacation Rentals, the Seaside Cham- ber, the Sunset Pool and Park, Seaside Coffee House and Ace Hardware, expressed interest in being Bully-Free zones. “Our goal is to create a network of safe zones, but also to make all of Seaside a bully-free community,” Evans said. Russell and Evans share something in common giving them the inside track on what it’s like to be bullied. “We were both redheaded, freckle-faced kids growing up in the 1970s when there were no bullying prevention pro- grams in place,” Russell said. “We were both bullied and know how that feels.” Through their af¿liation with Rotary, they knew they could do more. “We wanted to partner with the schools and ¿nd more concrete ways to work proactively on the prob- lem,” Russell said. She said the school district stepped up their game, and at the begin- ning of the school year, Broad- SUBMITTED PHOTO Bully-free zone at Seaside Coffee Shop. way Middle School began of- fering specialized training to staff, faculty, and community members through the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. They worked most closely with John McAndrews, prin- cipal at Broadway Middle School, where bullying was most prevalent and “where we could make the biggest im- pact,” Russell said. “Alan and I attended school assemblies at Broadway Middle School and spoke at a recent assembly about what we were doing as Peace Builders from Seaside Rotary.” Local businesses who wish to participate in the program can sign up through a form. “We’re currently signing up businesses and organizations and should soon have a list and a map of bully-free locations,” Russell said. “Typically they will be located in places where children go and the routes they take to and from school.” She said the zones are meant to serve as places of temporary reprieve, where children can feel safe from being bullied. Through the Seaside Police Department’s tracking system, the depart- ment will be able to get a sense of who is being bullied, where it happens and who is doing the bullying. The wild, forested upper Skipanon River is lush with towering Sitka spruce, native sedges and invasive plants such as purple loosestrife, yellow Àag iris, and ivy. North Coast Land Conservancy owns three properties totaling 106 acres along the Skipanon near Warrenton High School. The properties are impossi- ble to access on foot, so staff and volunteers plan to ride the tide and weed the waterway by boat on Wednesday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stewardship day is a partner- ship with Skipanon Watershed Council. The conservancy will pro- vide canoes on a space-avail- able basis. Wear clothing appropriate for boating and the weather, and bring lunch, drinking water, and gloves. There are no toilets or potable SUBMITTED PHOTO Invasive yellow flag iris seed pods. water on site. The conservan- cy will provide any necessary tools. Volunteers may also participate with their own ca- noe or kayak. In either case, contact Stewardship Director Melissa Reich in advance at melissar@nclctrust.org or call 503-738-9126 for RSVP and location, and to reserve a spot in a canoe if needed. Silent auction to bene¿t Alzheimer’s research Avamere at Seaside will hold its second annual silent auction for Alzheimer’s from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23. This year’s entertainment will feature jazz musician Shir- ley Yates and local wines and cheese will be provided in abundance for wine tast- ing. This event is open to the community. Area businesses and private individuals have generously donated items for the auction, which include dining certi¿cates, gift cards, rounds of golf, kitchen cab- inets, lawn care and more. Avamere at Seaside has been a part of the Seaside com- munity since 2001 and serve both the assisted living and memory care needs along the coast. Because of Avamere’s commitment to the care and development of residents with Alzheimer’s. Avamere at Sea- side is located at 2500 S. Roo- sevelt Drive. For information, call 503-738-0900, or visit www.avamereatseaside.com.
