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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2019)
A6 • Friday, December 13, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com Parking: Developers seek to enhance ‘downtown feel’ by easing parking rules Continued from Page A1 R.J. Marx Seaside’s Erick Zuber, a commercial mortgage banker, asked commissioners to ease downtown parking rules to bring an “urban feel.” Stuart Emmons, an Astoria resident, architect and planner, said Seaside has the most stringent parking rules of Astoria, Gearhart, Warrenton or Cannon Beach. “If we want to bring in more affordable hous- ing, parking is really an issue that can hold up unit count on site,” Emmons said. “I am very supportive of reducing parking ratios for especially studios and one-bedrooms, and I would even consider two bedrooms.” There are other ways to look at poten- tial reduction, he said, especially in areas near public transportation. Public Works Director Dale McDowell said he was in favor of using underutilized spaces in the downtown core. McDowell warned, however, with more cars on the street it may be more diffi cult to clean the streets because of the turn- ing radius of the street sweeper. “My only comment, is how we are going to keep it clean,” McDowell said. Seaside’s Erick Zuber, a commer- cial mortgage banker, said he had looked at properties at the urban core of Seaside. “There are some underdeveloped units,” he said. “The people I speak with on a daily basis, the urban feel is, people don’t need cars. They want to walk to work, to shops or restaurants, whether by bike or walking.” A two-to-one parking ratio per parking is a “little bit exorbitant,” Zuber said. “As a developer, I think it’s in good interest to have some safeguards for people who want to live within their community with- out a car.” Festival of Trees: Foundation raises nearly $200,000 Continued from Page A1 Bethany Stamschror, who attended the open house with her daughter Greta and son Otto, said the event is a traditional part of their holi- day season. They especially enjoy the cookie-decorat- ing and story time, as well as fi nding familiar faces in the crowd. “I love just seeing every- one we know in the com- munity in the same place together,” Stamschror said. The community open house has evolved signifi - cantly since the beginning of the Festival of Trees more than two decades ago. According to Ward, the foundation always invited the community to come see the trees, because they wanted the festival to be “a magical time for kids and their families,” in addition to the people attending the gala. They also had a couple of activities in the lobby and a Santa Claus on hand. Since Ward joined the foundation fi ve years ago, they’ve expanded the com- munity open house to include Candy Cane Lane, moving activities upstairs to facilitate future growth. “It’s kind of blossomed from there,” she said. “Each year, we’re hoping to add a different component and make it a really cool experi- ence for families.” To accommodate the hun- dreds of guests who attend each year, the foundation requires not only commu- nity partners but also close to 120 volunteers. The bulk of the volunteers are indi- viduals who regularly help with tasks and activities for the hospital. Others show up particularly for Festival of Trees or volunteer through the organization sponsoring a specifi c activity. Most of the volunteers “keep coming back,” said Mark Squire, the volun- teer coordinator, adding he believes that’s a good indi- cation they enjoy assisting the festival and serving the hundreds of locals and vis- itors who attend. “It’s just Commissioner Teri Carpenter said she was “absolutely in favor” of adopting the amendment in Seaside’s downtown core, but said she was concerned about park- ing limitations in other parts of Seaside. “I have found in my opinion, lack of parking can lead to larger problems down the road, but I’m still excited about this downtown.” The ordinance will return for refi ne- ments at the Dec. 17 Planning Commis- sion work session, and could be referred to the City Council at the commission’s Jan- uary meeting. ‘It’s a lot of easier to ratchet things slowly than doing it in one fell swoop and realizing oh gosh we’ve got an error,” Cup- ples said. “With the push for affordable or workforce housing, the goal is to get some- thing designed and put on the plate.” BUSINESS Directory FLOORING CCB# 205283 Luxury vinyl planks and tile. you walk on our reputation Flooring Installation 3470 Hwy 101 Suite 102 • Gearhart, Oregon 503.739.7577 • carpetcornergearhart.com FLOORING Randall Lee’s 0% FINANCING AVAILABLE Katherine Lacaze Mrs. Claus reads a story to children during the Seaside Festival of Trees Community Open House during the Festival of Trees. 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Box 2845, Gearhart, OR Katherine Lacaze Bethany Stamschror helps her son Otto, 4, make a Christmas ornament on Candy Cane Lane at the 2019 Community Open House for Festival of Trees. a great community-builder, because it’s not just Seaside that participates.” During the event, fam- ilies also voted for their favorite among the donated trees that were auctioned off during the gala. “We had some absolutely beautiful trees,” Ward said. This year, the People’s Choice Tree was Stay and Play in Seaside, a unique “tree” made from a ladder S erving the p aCifiC n orthweSt S inCe 1956 • CC48302 Justin Grafton “Merry S’more-mas,” donated by Maggie’s on the Prom Restaurant and the Seaside Oceanfront Inn, designed by Sadie Mercer and the Maggie’s on the Prom Crew. and strung with elegant pur- ple and silver ornaments. The tree was designed by Dawn Fujiwara-Pavlik, of BAMM! Promotional Products. The tree with the highest bid at the evening gala and auction was a Toast to Jan Martin, donated by Ryan and Stephanie Snyder of Martin North. Jan Martin, Stepha- nie Snyder’s mother, died in February 2018. Jan Mar- tin and her husband, Steve made a signifi cant impact in the hospitality and real estate development indus- tries on the North Coast and were well-respected in the community. The Toast to Jan Mar- tin tree went for $8,200, a record at the Festival of Trees, Ward said. Overall, the foundation raised about $195,000 at the gala and auction. LANDSCAPING YAR D D E B R I S D R O P -O F F ( no S cot ch B room) • Laurelwood Compost • Soil Amendments • Planting MacMix • Mulch 503-717-1454 34154 HIGHWAY 26 SEASIDE, OR Laurelwood Far m TIRES/WHEELS DEL’S O.K. TIRE Inmates: Letting them know they’re ‘not forgotten’ YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR TIRES Continued from Page A1 Carl and Shirley Yates have been visiting prisons and writing to inmates for over 20 years. This year, along with a crew of volun- teers, they will be sending between 800 to 900 cards to people behind bars. The incarcerated reside in cor- rectional facilities in Cali- fornia, Mississippi, and Ore- gon. What started as a small list of card recipients grew by word of mouth. It started with 33 women Yates began mentoring via letter and over time, a Christmas card list was developed. “The cards are designed by David Haidle, an art- ist,” Yates said. “The greet- ing inside was written by his wife, Helen. They donate 1,000 cards every year to our nonprofi t here in Ore- gon. Our friends and neigh- bors get together and we address and sign each card.” Yates provides pointers to her volunteers. It starts with putting the person’s fi rst name inside the card so the message becomes per- sonal and offers tips on what kind of handwritten message to inscribe. The messages • CUSTOM WHEELS • • AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES • Hours: 503-325-2861 35359 Business Hwy 101 Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat 8-4 For emergencies 503-325-0233 (Miles Crossing) Astoria, OR ELECTRICAL • Repairs • Generator installation & servicing • New construction • Remodels Shilrey Yates Making Christmas cards at Seaside Coff ee. are meant to be oblique but positive. Some examples include, “Stay strong and may the hope of this sea- son be yours” or “This card is to let you know you’re not forgotten,” or “Be encour- aged and have a peace-fi lled Christmas.” Each card is signed with the volunteer’s name. There are stickers for the return address, which is always the same, the post offi ce box for “At the Water’s Gate,” which is the Yates’ ministry. The mood was festive at 7 p.m. at Seaside Cof- fee where the proprietor, Michelle Wunderlich, pro- vided festive snacks to fuel the card writers in their task. They met for two hours. They produced a lot of signed and addressed cards. “In the past, we’ve done this at my house,” Yates said. “It was Michelle’s idea we do it here this year.” For more information about the Christmas cards for prisoners program, con- tact Shirley Yates at smithy- atess@yahoo.com. Dona- tions are always welcome to cover postage. Serving the North Oregon Coast since 1950! Serving Clatsop & Tillamook Counties 503.738.8391 CCB#3226 ELECTRICAL • New Construction • Remodels • Panel Changes & Upgrades CCB #198257 • Add Circuits or Lighting • Generators CALL US for your next electrical project! Eve Marx Carl and Shirley Yates hope to make those behind bars feel a little less forgotten at Christmas. • Repairs 503-739-7145 712 S. Holladay Dr. • Seaside, OR Monday-Friday 8 am -5 pm www.jjelectricservice.com
