6A • July 6, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Seaside considers water, forest protections
Balancing
forestlands and
water projection
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
“Third in a series” is how
Public Works Director Dale
McDowell called the Source
Water Protection Plan and
Timber Management Plan, in
process of public input. The
purpose of the report is to
guide the city in making deci-
sions around increased forest
management while protecting
the quality of water flowing
out of its timberlands.
The plan follow the Source
Water Assessment, completed
in 2016 and the Water Man-
agement and Conservation
Plan, delivered in April 2017.
With the water protection
plan’s first update since 1983,
officials are developing rules
for protecting and managing
about 1,100 acres of city-
owned forestland within the
Necanicum Watershed. The
entire Necanicum watershed
consists of 49,000 acres; of
that, the South Fork portion
amounts to 5,192 acres or 18
percent. The city of Seaside
owns 1,100 acres in the South
Fork; the rest is split nearly
evenly by timber operators
Lewis & Clark and Weyerhae-
user.
In 2015, Katie Voelke, ex-
ecutive director of the North
CITY OF SEASIDE
Potential income from logging using various cutting scenarios.
Coast Land Conservancy, and
Melyssa Graeper, coordinator
for the watershed council at
the time, had asked the city
to temporarily halt timber
harvesting until they could
offer harvesting alternatives.
City staff members later dis-
covered after searching the
archives, that the city had a
timber management plan that
hadn’t been updated for more
than two decades.
Instead of clear-cutting
and replanting trees that
eventually become uniform
in size, the management plan
would be more selective in the
trees harvested, leaving room
for smaller trees to grow and
protect stream banks, Voelke
said at the time.
The city and the Neca-
nicum Watershed Council
applied for and received a
$30,000 grant from Infra-
structure Financing Authority
to develop a new plan, subse-
quently prepared by Mason,
Bruce and Girard of Portland.
Resource
management
The Necanicum River
Drinking Water Resource area
serves more than 6,700 Seaside
residents.
Water flows from the moun-
tains to the ocean, McDowell
said, via an intake system and
through steel pipes with exte-
rior coating, McDowell said at
Monday’s City Council meet-
ing, “We don’t want any dirt,
sediment, pesticides or herbi-
cides used around it. We want
to keep it as pristine as possi-
ble.”
The timber management
plan, delivered in conjunction
with the source water plan, will
set rules for logging operations,
which if approved, would be set
out to bid for subcontractors.
The plan describes the nature of
Watershed area owned by the city.
timberland property and stan-
dards and guidelines to protect
water resource during harvest
activities.
For logging operations, the
city must show how they log
and where they log, and how
the water source is protected,
McDowell said. Logging rev-
enues typically go to mainte-
nance on roads, bridges and to
buy additional land.
One of the advantages of
Seaside’s water source is the
lack of development, agriculture
or septic systems around it.
“It’s Mother Nature at her
best,” he said.
Neighboring landowners
Lewis & Clark and Weyerhae-
user have “stringent rules for
their own property,” he said.
“Everybody is working togeth-
er to protect the city.”
According to the city’s new
report, much of the forest is in
the mature age classes from 55 to
65 years, with most stands prop-
New rules for accessory homes
ADUs from Page 1A
An additional paved off-
street parking space must be
provided in addition to two
spaces for the single-family
dwelling.
Unlike a guest house, an
accessory dwelling unit must
include a kitchen and function
as an independent dwelling
unit.
A unit must be set back a
minimum of 5 feet from the
main home.
The units are not subject to
residential zoning density, but
are only allowed on lots that
meet the minimum lot size in
the zone.
Provisions restrict short-
term or vacation rental of ei-
ther the single-family dwell-
ing or the accessory building,
enforceable by the building
official.
“Violators could be hit by
the building official’s $5,000
fine, a business license fine,
and a transient room tax fine,”
Cupples said. “They can be
hit with some pretty expen-
sive numbers.”
How big?
The Planning Commission
considered the amendments
at two June public hearings
before providing their recom-
mendations to the City Coun-
cil.
R.J. MARX
A proposed amendment aims to comply with new state rules
regulating accessory dwelling units.
At those meetings, com-
missioners wrestled with pro-
posed sizes of accessory units,
recommending 525-square
foot maximum.
“I won’t say it’s a magi-
cal number, but they felt that
would allow you to put in a
relatively decent-sized acces-
sory unit,” Cupples said Mon-
day.
The Planning Commission
also provided an “out” for
change of circumstance, Cup-
CITY OF SEASIDE
ples added, approving a con-
ditional use permit process
to allow for larger accessory
dwelling units.
Council members asked
for a cap on the potential size
of the accessory unit. While
current law limits accesso-
ry structures to 1,000 square
feet, the proposed amendment
presented no maximum.
Developer Max Ritchie,
an owner of Seaside’s 15-acre
Blue Heron Pointe subdivi-
sion, said the 525-square-foot
limit could force crowding
and limit financial incentive
for homeowners. He recom-
mended a 750-square-foot
limit without the need for a
conditional use permit.
Councilors stuck with the
525-square-foot limit but set
the maximum size of a unit,
if permitted by the Planning
Commission after a review
process, at 800 square feet.
“I’d like to see how it af-
fects affordable housing,”
Councilor Randy Frank said.
“It would be nice to see how
it impacts the city and the
people. As Kevin (Cupples)
said, we can address it further
later.”
Councilors and Mayor
Jay Barber approved the first
reading of the amendment by
a 6-1 vote, with Tom Horning
voting in opposition. A second
reading will be delivered at
the council’s July 9 meeting.
erly stocked and ready for final
harvest. The updated manage-
ment plan identifies the manage-
ment activities that could impact
water quality, and makes recom-
mendations to mitigate negative
consequences. The report offers
three potential harvest schedules.
Depending on the type of
logging — clear-cutting with
ground logging or cable log-
ging, or thinning with ground
logging, the city could see
net revenue of approximately
$4,000 to $14,000 per acre.
Logging revenues typically
go to maintenance on roads,
bridges and to buy additional
land, McDowell said.
The city is in talks now with
neighboring timber companies
to purchase recently logged
land.
“The time to purchase the
next property is after they clear-
cut it,” McDowell said. “That’s
the cheapest time to buy it.
There’s no harvest.”
During City Council com-
ment, Councilor Tom Horning
and Joyce Hunt of the Necan-
icum Watershed Council both
urged longer times between har-
vests, or potentially foregoing
harvest of trees on city-owned
land. Each cited the value of
older trees in retaining water,
preventing drought and reduc-
ing climate warming.
“You can get 50 percent more
water flow from an old forest
than a young forest,” Horning
said. “In future, as the climate
the planet warms and the pop
increases the city’s going to have
need to have a reliable source of
water that flows at a larger feet
per second than it does under
present conditions. It would be
nice to see the options that ad-
dress this more than the current
plan does.
The public comment period
remains open, McDowell said,
with a goal of submitting the
plan by Oct. 1.
Barber says he’ll
be on ballot
Barber affirms
second-term bid
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
Seaside’s Mayor Jay Bar-
ber affirmed his intention to
run for Seaside mayor, the
second candidate to do so.
Radio station owner John
Chapman did so earlier this
month, in his first city elec-
tion bid.
Barber said his petitions
are circulating and he in-
tends to file as soon as he
has acquired the signatures
required.
A retired college pres-
ident, foundation director
and ordained minister, Bar-
ber was appointed mayor in
January 2017 after the death
of Don Larson the previous
month.
Barber and his wife,
Jan, have lived full time in
Seaside since 2006. He was
selected in 2009 to fill the
unexpired council term of
Gary Diebolt and won elec-
tion for Ward 1 in 2010 and
again in 2014.
At the time of his ap-
pointment in 2017, Barber
said he did not intend to run
for a new term.
Barber
said his wife
challenged
him
about
two weeks
later.
“She
said, ‘How
can you know Jay Barber
what you’re
going to do two years out?’”
He rethought it and re-
considered, he said, en-
couraged by the number of
people who asked him to
continue.
“They challenged me to
act early,” he said.
He initially announced
his decision in March but
has yet to officially file.
Barber said the an-
nouncement of Chapman’s
run further “motivated” his
decision.
Chapman was among
candidates seeking to fill
Barber’s unexpired council
term in early 2017, filled by
Steve Wright.
“I like John, but he has
no experience in this kind of
position,” Barber said Mon-
day.
Councilors Wright, Tita
Montero and Dana Phillips
also face expired terms at
the end of December.
Candidates have until
Aug. 28 to file.
Longer hours needed, pot stores say
Market is open for business
Closing from Page 1A
The Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation District is
hosting its Sixth Farmers
Market runs through Sept.
19 at the Broadway Mid-
dle School parking lot, 1120
Broadway.
The event supports fami-
lies and businesses and pro-
vides fresh, healthy food to
the community. This year the
market will feature more than
50 vendors over the market
season, as well as activities
like face painting, kids craft
opportunities and live music.
Angi Wildt is in her sec-
ond year as manager.
The Seaside Farmers Mar-
think it puts us at an unfair
disadvantage as a business,”
Kulp said. “I don’t think it’s a
risk to the public,” Kulp said.
“I don’t think it’s a risk to the
city image. I think it’s benefi-
cial and safer for everyone.”
Geiger spoke on the same
subject. “A lot of people work
late, and it’s forcing people to
go out of town,” he said.
Funds go to local schools
and public safety, Geiger said.
“And right now our stores are
sitting closed while our com-
petitors are open. It doesn’t
make sense. I hope it’s some-
thing you can change.”
City Councilor Dana Phil-
lips asked for a discussion of
the hours to be put on the
agenda. “If Cannon Beach
and Astoria can be open until
10 p.m., why can’t Seaside?”
If an ordinance change is
approved at subsequent coun-
cil meetings, hours would
change within 30 days of its
final passage.
“I think they had an open
mind, which is great,” Kulp
said after the meeting. “I
R.J. MARX
Highway 420 owner Steve Geiger at the Seaside City Coun-
cil meeting. Geiger sought additional evening hours for
pot shops.
can’t see a reason why we
have to close at 8 p.m. We’re
at no risk to anyone.”
Local hours
Seaside’s pot shops are
required to close at 8 p.m.
Here are some hours from
neighboring communities:
Astoria
Five Zero Trees, 9 p.m.
Sweet Relief, 9:45 p.m.
Hashtoria, 10 p.m.
Hi Casual, 9 p.m.
Hi Cascade, 10 p.m.
The Farmacy, 9 p.m.
Cannon Beach
Five Zero Trees, 9:45 pm.
Manzanita
Oregon Coast Cannabis,
9 p.m.
ket offers a SNAP match pro-
gram that will match SNAP
purchases dollar for dollar up
to $10, allowing low income
families to have easier access
to healthy foods. In addi-
tion, patrons can spend Farm
Direct Nutrition Program
checks on fresh foods.
Summer hours for the
market are 3 to 7 p.m.; Sep-
tember hours are 4 to 7 p.m.
R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL
Grace Lee of Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation District
and Angi Wildt, manager of
the Seaside Farmers Market.
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