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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2020)
Friday, October 16, 2020 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3 Downtown: Amendments meant to allow businesses more options Continued from Page A1 CODE ENFORCEMENT? C-1 zone? Have you asked what the impact would be if you pass these regulations? ... Please pause this — this would be a disaster.” In material submitted to the commission before the meet- ing, business owner Joy Sigler said City Administrator Chad Sweet has “knowingly and willfully” ignored his responsibil- ity to enforce code at two Gearhart stores, which, she said, do not have conditional use permits to sell baked goods or coff ee. Proposed changes “It is the responsibility of the code enforcement offi cer to evenly and objectively inform and or educate and require business owners to abide by the ordinances of the city,” she wrote. “He has failed his duties.” The goal of the amend- ments, City Planner Carole Connell said, are to modern- ize some of the uses in the downtown to allow current and future businesses more options to increase revenue, be more vibrant and remove some of the more restrictive language. According to city code, the purpose of the neigh- borhood commercial, or C-1 zone, is to provide for the location of needed small businesses and services in the city center for the conve- nience of nearby residents. The zone includes 13 stores on 2 acres. The code, based on the city’s comprehensive plan, refl ects “your vision and your values,” City Attorney Peter Watts said. “I have never seen a more restrictive zoning than Gear- hart’s C-1 zoning,” he said. “But there are changes that can be made to it.” The amended code expands descriptions for cafes, galleries and salons, and allows more options for variety stores, and increases residential options down- town, Connell said. Language prohibits for- mula use businesses in the downtown commercial Mayor Matt Brown said the Planning Commission and City Council are not enforcement bodies but rather policymakers. “It seems that now may be a good time for you to start that positive outreach program instead of fi ling complaints against them,” Brown said in response. “I think the Planning Commission would agree that will make everyone more successful.” zone, defi ned as any restau- rant, bar, entertainment and retail store that has four or more establishments in operation. Other prohibited uses include adult shops, amuse- ment parks, rentals and parking lots. Restrictions ‘onerous’ Restrictive zoning hurts businesses, Sweet Shop owner Traci Williams said, and changes, while under- taken with the best inten- tions by the Planning Com- mission, missed the mark. She said business own- ers weren’t given enough opportunities for input, and the changes and new defi - nitions are arbitrary and vague. “These new con- ditional use defi nitions do nothing to encourage any- thing new,” Williams said. Stuart Emmons Audience at last Thursday’s public hearing on Gearhart’s downtown commercial zone defi nitions. She asked that cof- fee shop, cafe and retail be labeled outright uses that let the market determine what succeeds. Stuart Emmons, a Clat- sop County-based architect and planner, said in corre- spondence the amendments that the city has proposed for the C-1 zone will reduce or eliminate retail and services that provide for the needs of the residents. The proposed amendment changes are overly “pre- scriptive” and “anti-busi- ness,” he said. “The amendments that the city has proposed for the C-1 zone will reduce or eliminate retail and ser- vices that provide for the needs of the residents,” Emmons wrote. “Go to the businesses, ask them what they need, and let’s keep our businesses in business and encourage other people to open businesses.” Kevin Leahy, execu- tive director of Clatsop Economic Development Resources, a business advi- sory group, advised the city to be fl exible in working with businesses. Gearhart property owner Jeff TerHar said he was concerned about the amendments. “I’m just asking that we reverted back to the Plan- ning Commission input and reach out to us, the busi- ness people, and owners so we don’t get hurt by this. I would ask that you table this or settle, set it aside for work or study.” Virginia Dideum, chair- woman of the Planning Commission, said the changes were based on the city’s comprehensive plan, written in 1990. “If you want to change it, it’s not for us to go change,” she said. Commissioner David Smith said the success of local businesses or lack of it, was dependent on the busi- ness owners themselves, not the city. “That’s not our business. We’re a govern- ment,” he said. Commissioner Terry Graff said the commission worked more than a year on the changes for “hours and hours and hours.” “We thought we were doing the right thing for the business community when we went through this, expanding a lot of things, making sure it met the com- prehensive plan,” Graff said. “This is what I would like from the businesses. You’re here day-in, day-out. Come up with a two-page report saying, ‘This is what you guys can do.’ Tell me how you can help us solve those problems.” Business owners plan to take the commissioners up on their offer. “I am working with other business owners to provide two pages of feedback, per the commissions request,” Williams said. “I hope they will incorporate our sugges- tions because we are very invested in maintaining a viable C-1 district. And in fact, the city’s comprehen- sive plan requires this, so the commission shouldn’t do anything to create more barriers, especially in these uncertain times.” The hearing on commer- cial zone amendments con- tinues at the Planning Com- mission’s Nov. 12 meeting. Lands: Study shows detailed look at unconstrained vacant land ment trends are factored in. Cities are required to main- tain a 20-year supply of land to accommodate future pro- jected growth for housing and other land needs, Hastie said. If the city fi nds that it does not have enough land to meet its long-term need, it poten- tially would need to expand Continued from Page A1 Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The building and land analysis, approved in March and delivered at a cost of about $12,000, used statewide guidelines to identify build- able lands along with Port- land State University popula- tion projections over a period of time as a basis of future estimates, Connell said. The updated report refl ects a more detailed look at unconstrained vacant land in Gearhart, including addi- tional development that has occurred since 2018, Hastie said. . The report estimates available and potentially available land by acreage and zoning to determine housing capacity by number and type of units. Among fi ndings, the capacity for new housing in Gearhart is impacted by constraints including natu- ral resource and hazard areas, conservation areas and lack of a community wastewater treatment system. For example, guidelines indicate 16 housing units may be placed on a 1-acre lot in a high density residential zone, but land in the same zone relying on Gearhart’s septic systems can only site 10 units per acre. About two-thirds of the capacity for future residential development is on land within the R-1 or low-density resi- dential zoning designation. About three-quarters of the capacity for future res- idential development is on vacant lots, while one quarter is on lots with some existing development. The new study does not factor in second homes. Forecasting second-home demand is “a little more tricky,” Connell said, because of a lack of Department of Land Conservation and Development standards. Projected future growth in Gearhart is based in large part on historical trends over the previous 20 years, the study’s authors report. The city should continue to coordinate with Portland State University’s Population Research Center in future forecast updates and ensure that changing develop- ued community partner,” Susan Penrod, superinten- dent of the Seaside School District, said this week. “We appreciate their com- mitment to Seaside, espe- cially the health and well- ness of our children. We are excited to see their new project develop.” Park district board mem- bers also saw potential for commercial tenants on the property. “There could be dance studios in there,” board member Michael Hinton said. “There could be a doggie day care. I’m look- ing forward to seeing this develop. It’s more than a landmark endeavor.” NOW SERVING BREAKFAST 8:00am - 11:00am daily classic breakfast items with a house-made touch and don’t forget the cocktails Steel on the inside where it matters most. 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The school district has also shown interest in leas- ing part of the property as gym overfl ow and locker rooms for sporting events at Broadway Field. “Sunset Empire Parks and Recreation is a val- trator Chad Sweet said. “I think it’s a good idea to keep an eye on this infor- mation in the short-term basis and make updates in the future,” he said. “We are about to go through a census. I think we should keep our eyes on it and have conversa- tions going forward.” Oceanfront, fl ood plain, tsunami inundation zone and wetlands will determine the city’s future growth. School: Potential for commercial tenants Continued from Page A1 its urban growth boundary. “However, it would need to go through a number of other steps fi rst,” Hastie said . “The city would not want or need to wait until capacity is exhausted, but at the point it falls below a 20-year supply.” The city will be watching the numbers, City Adminis- Sweet Potato Hash Fultano’s Pizza & Gearhart Bowl 3518 Highway 101 North • Gearhart, OR. 503-738-5333 • gearhartbowl.com
