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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2021)
OUR 114th Year March 19, 2021 SEASIDESIGNAL.COM $1.00 SEASIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT Student-athlete tests positive for coronavirus Seaside Signal A student-athlete has tested positive for the coronavi- rus, Seaside High School Principal Jeff Roberts said. The Seaside School District sent a note to parents Tuesday afternoon informing them of the positive case. The case comes as the school district opens the new high school and middle school campus to students. The student has not been in the campus building, nor has anyone from that residence been in the building, Rob- erts said at the school district’s board meeting on Tuesday. “With this environment, there’s a cost to doing busi- ness,” he said. All students and staff that came in direct contact with the student have been notified and are required to quaran- tine at home. Roberts said they are not to attend practice. “We will continue to work with the local health authority to provide as much information to those families as we can and to get them back into the building when it’s safe to do so,” he said. Seaside could ease parking rules to spur housing By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Seaside has the most restrictive parking requirements for apartment units in Clatsop County. The City Council wants to change that by reducing the number of off-street parking spaces required in new development. “There are lots of communities that have much lower parking requirements than we have,” Kevin Cupples, the city’s planning director, said. “We are known as the one that requires the most for apartment dwellings because it is a standard one-size-fits-all of two parking spaces per dwelling unit. This is trying to scale that so it’s more appropriate for whatever the use is.” Last week, the City Council considered an amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance to reduce the number of off- street parking spaces required from two to a system based on a unit’s size. Studios would need one off-street space; a one-bedroom apartment 1.25 spaces and a two-bed- room apartment 1.5 spaces. Larger units would continue R.J. Marx Intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Pacific Way in Gearhart. The intersection is one of several along the highway facing transportation review. Gearhart, state seek fixes for Highway 101 safety concerns By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Crashes are common. Crossing is dangerous. And while the highway is used by the Oregon Coast Bike Route and the Oregon Coast Trail, there are no safe walking paths or bike lanes. An Oregon Department of Transportation plan con- firms what drivers already know: U.S. Highway 101 from Pacific Way in Gearhart north is dangerous. The stretch “is notorious for speeding,” state plan- ners write. “Local law enforcement routinely clock drivers exceeding the speed limit by 20 mph or more.” A Highway 101 project update delivered to the city this month seeks public feedback on roadway improve- ments, a multiyear process to culminate with delivery of a final facility plan at the end of 2022. “The Highway 101 safety plan that ODOT is fully funding is underway,” Carole Connell, the city plan- ner, said at last week’s joint meeting of the Planning Commission and City Council. “We had a stakehold- ers’ advisory committee meeting of property owners, of people who live on the highway, people who use the highway for biking and all kinds of uses. There’s been some very good feedback.” See Traffic, Page A6 See Parking, Page A6 TO PROVIDE INPUT Rec center master plan process ahead By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Visit bit.ly/2QiWWmv to read more about the goals of the project. ODOT Study shows low housing inventory in Gearhart By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal A master plan for the new Sunset Recreation Center is the first order of business for the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District, executive director Skyler Archibald said. “The idea is that we recognize that the district needs some outside expertise to come up with a master plan for the Sunset Recreation Center,” board member Celeste Bodner said at last Tuesday’s workshop for the Sun- set Empire Park and Recreation District board. “In order to come up with a master plan we have to put together a request for proposal.” Archibald is hopeful that the request for proposal will be issued in the next two weeks and a firm selected no later See Park district, Page A5 Gearhart has significantly less hous- ing capacity than previously identified, Matt Hastie, of Angelo Planning, told a joint workshop of the City Council and Planning Commission. “We did find a pretty significant dif- ference in the residential capacity, from 700, in the updated analysis, to almost 381 units,” Hastie said at the meeting last week. The results show a need for 234 new housing units by 2038. “We found, on paper at least, there is enough land to satisfy that 20-year demand,” he said. “What that means, the city doesn’t have the information or the basis to justify an urban growth boundary expansion.” Nevertheless, the city could update the comprehensive plan, zoning ordi- nances and other policies to ensure that affordable housing demand is met, Hastie said. After a Clatsop County housing study delivered by Angelo Planning and Johnson Economics in 2019, Gear- hart hired consultants to do a fine-grain analysis, City Planner Carole Connell said. The building and land analysis, approved a year ago and delivered at a cost of about $12,000, used statewide guidelines to identify buildable lands, along with Portland State University population projections, as a basis of future estimates. Cities are required to maintain a 20-year supply of land to accommo- date projected growth for housing and other needs. If the city finds that it does not have enough land to meet its long- term needs, it potentially would need to expand its urban growth boundary. “We took all of that information that we prepared for this project, plus all the information in the previous docu- ment, and that’s what we’re present- ing at the meeting,” Hastie said. “The See Land needs, Page A6 Vineside Wine Bar to debut By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Wine, family and good vibes. That’s the vision of the upcoming Vineside Wine Bar, tucked into a cozy nook in the center of the Gilbert District. Designed to give guests a “no-nonsense” wine expe- rience, the bar was a long- time dream of owner Delaree Reilly and her two daughters, marketing and wine director Autumn Haile and hospital- ity director Carissa Dice. Originally from New- port Beach in Southern Cal- ifornia, through visits to the wineries of Temecula, Paso Robles and Sonoma, they learned early on that wine is more than “just a well- crafted beverage — it’s an opportunity for community, family, and friends to gather around the table and vibe.” Four years ago, Reilly relocated from California to Portland. She moved to Sea- side in September. Dice worked at Soter Vineyards in Carlton and Deschutes Brewery in Port- land since moving from California. Haile was working in mar- keting in New York before the pandemic and relocated to Portland in June. “I will be relocating again, hopefully this month, to Seaside,” she said. They initially looked at a vacant space directly on Broadway, but when the owner of the building sug- gested they take a look at the former Angi D. Wildt Gal- lery space in the back, they were hooked. The room gave them the look and feel they were searching for in an inti- mate setting and even pro- vided space for an outdoor patio. The menu comes with international wines, craft beers and small bites pre- pared in-house, including charcuterie plates, cheeses, locally smoked salmon plates and sweet treats of macar- R.J. Marx Delaree Reilly, Autumn Haile and Carissa Dice of Vineside. ons, fruit scones and assorted cookies. Music, comfort- able furniture, a welcoming bar and works of local art- ists on the walls complete the ambiance. Vineside won its limited on-premises sales license at a City Council meeting last week. Hours are Tuesday to Fri- day from 1 to 9 p.m.; Sat- urday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Vineside is closed Mondays; www.thevineside. com. The opening is scheduled for April 1.