OUR 113th Year
SEASIDESIGNAL.COM
Gearhart
land use
fees to jump
Building fees to be next
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
January 17, 2020 $1.00
HIGH TIDE IN THE COVE BRINGS OUT
WAVE-WATCHERS
First on the City Council agenda for
2020: a bump in land use application fees.
The intent is to bring Gearhart’s fees in
line with other cities, and to meet the cost
of processing application fees and plan-
ning department resources.
Developers seeking conditional use
permits, street vacations and variances
could pay fees up to 10 times higher in
order to meet the cost of staff reports,
maps, legal notices, map searches and
appeals, among other tasks.
“This is a project that’s been worked
on for some time,” City Administrator
Chad Sweet said. “We’re going to talk
about building fees and basic permit fees,
because we haven’t made changes in 20
years.”
Sweet said fees failed to cover plan-
ning costs, leading to a burden made up
by taxpayers. “We want to make sure
costs are covered for the city,” Sweet said.
See Fees, Page A6
Council asked
to lift downtown
parking
requirements
R.J. Marx
Visitors to the Cove stand on high ground at Seltzer Park, shortly after high tide Saturday.
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
ffi cials blocked off the Cove to traf-
fi c midday Saturday, Jan. 11, as the
city braced for king tides and poten-
tial fl ooding.
Water crested over the parking area
and onto rocks to the south, providing a
show of nature that captivated onlookers.
“We’re letting them know we have
high tides today,” Public Works Direc-
tor Dale McDowell said. “A lot of them
O
Move could spur
workforce housing
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Seaside could take a step toward a
more urban lifestyle, if the City Coun-
cil adopts an amendment to eliminate or
reduce parking requirements throughout
the city.
The amendment, a product of Planning
Commission work sessions, aims to elim-
inate parking requirements for above-
ground apartments over commercial uses
within the downtown core area, and to
relax requirements for one-bedroom or
studio apartments within all zones.
The aim, Planning Commission Chair-
man Chris Hoth said at Tuesday’s meet-
ing, is to make workforce housing more
economical for developers and provide
more affordable housing for tenants.
According to Planning Director Kevin
Cupples, the current standard speci-
fi es two spots per dwelling unit, regard-
less of the number of bedrooms or where
they are located. The requirements place
“a signifi cant impact” on the amount of
backup land necessary to develop smaller
apartments or multifamily dwellings,
which in turn drives up the land cost to
develop smaller rental housing.
Public Works Director Dale McDow-
ell warned at a previous meeting that an
unintended side effect may be parked cars
aren’t aware of it. We’re closing the Cove
for parking so the debris doesn’t end up
coming over and damaging vehicles or
people.”
As McDowell directed traffi c, front
loaders along Sunset Boulevard readied
to remove water and debris swept onto
the roadway.
Members of the Seaside Fire Depart-
ment’s water rescue team and volunteers
advised spectators to stay on high ground,
away from the tides that could move rap-
idly and without warning.
Plumes rose from the breakers as the
Tiff any Boothe/Seaside Aquarium
Water washing up at the Cove before high tide Saturday.
whitecaps swelled offshore and rolled
into the Cove.
Wave-watchers skipped back for
safety or found higher ground.
Spectators found a safe vantage point
at Seltzer Park, greeting the wave show
with oohs and aa hs, photos and videos,
until the tide began to subside.
In downtown Seaside, waves came up
to the Turnaround, McDowell added.
While Saturday’s waves were the
highest of the weekend, crews came out
Sunday, too, closing Sunset Boulevard
for several hours.
R.J. Marx
Debris in the river near Avenue G in
Gearhart.
COMMUNITY MOURNS AS ONE CHILD DEAD, ONE MISSING IN FALCON COVE TRAGEDY SEE PAGE A3
See Parking, Page A6
Seaside artist Blue Bond expands
to new Broadway space
By EVE MARX
For Seaside Signal
Blue Bond has operated
galleries in Taos, New Mex-
ico; Santa Fe, New Mex-
ico; and Vancouver, Wash-
ington. But his new space
at 613 Broadway in Sea-
side he considers his most
ambitious.
“I started my art career
with $7 and can of paint,”
Bond said. “And here we
are, 50 years later.”
In January, Blue Bond
offi cially took over the
space that for 15 years has
been known as the Gilbert
District Gallery, owned and
operated during that time
by renowned wildlife artist
Dave Bartholet.
“I’m keeping the Gil-
bert District Gallery name
in the original gold leaf it
was painted on the front
window,” Bond said. “But
I have my own name above
it.”
The new gallery is a big
jump up from his charm-
ing but limited space at 417
S. Holladay Drive. He isn’t
giving that space up. It will
be his location for his art
school, which offers classes
Eve Marx
See Artist, Page A6
Blue Bond and Dave Bartholet are feeling good about the gallery business transfer. “I know it’s
in the right hands,” Bartholet said.