Friday, May 28, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Lack of housing leaves businesses short-staff ed
By R.J. MARX
Seaside Signal
Ruth Swenson at a business recovery meeting hosted by City
Councilor David Posalski last week. Businesses in Seaside say
their biggest problem is staffi ng.
Seaside continues to
wrestle with two of its big-
gest goals: the needs of local
businesses and aff ordable
housing for those who work
in the city . Two May forums
showed the greatest need for
businesses is staffi ng.
City Councilor David
Posalski, a business forum
co-host who owns Tsunami
Sandwich, said the lack of
workforce housing contin-
ues to impact business oper-
ations throughout Seaside.
Construction , including
a 40-unit housing develop-
ment on South Wahanna,
will help meet some need,
Posalski said at Monday’s
City Council meeting. But
aff ordability and a lack of
buildable land within the
urban growth boundary
remains a key factor. As
long as demand outstrips
supply, housing prices are
going to continue to rise.
“It’s at a higher level
than we are, but it’s some-
thing that defi nitely needs
to be fi gured out,” he said.
“As a city moving forward,
how can we make the most
of residential property?”
Mayor Jay Barber com-
mended city staff for work-
ing with restaurants, bars
and hotels during the pan-
demic to help them bounce
back. Last April, the City
Council took action to
deliver a relief package for
local businesses and resi-
dents. Less than a month
later, the city approved
$250,000 in relief for busi-
nesses that suff ered eco-
nomic harm from govern-
ment restrictions amid the
pandemic. As COVID-19
restrictions are lifted, Sea-
side has seen a surge in new
business.
But fi nding places for
employees to live is a “real
challenge,” Barber said. “We
need to work together to try
to fi gure out how to provide
housing really for our indus-
try that funds our communi-
ty’s tourism industry.”
Because of the lack of
aff ordable housing, even
those with jobs may live in
encampments in city parks,
cars or vans. This month
the city addressed occupied
vehicles parking overnight
on Necanicum Drive . And
despite city eff orts, encamp-
ments continue to pop up at
the Mill Ponds .
City Councilor Tita Mon-
tero, who has hosted a series
of workshops on homeless-
ness, said no matter how
many housing units are
built, if they are unaff ord-
able for the workforce, “then
that’s only going to create
more of a problem.”
Additional workshops to
address homelessness are
scheduled at the Seaside
Civic and Convention Center
on June 3 and July 1, each at
6 p.m.
The June workshop aims
to invite ideas “no matter how
pie in the sky they may be,”
Montero said. “It’s all to take
in, not to decide and make
judgments.”
The July workshop, led by
the League of Oregon Cities,
seeks to understand and work
within the framework of state
laws regarding the homeless
population.
“What do those laws
mean, and how can we look
at making sure we operate
within those laws?” Montero
said. “It’s an overlay for what
we do as we work with our
homelessness issues in the
future.”
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
SEASIDE POLICE DEPT.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
May 14
8:11 a.m., 1800 block N.
Columbia: People sleeping in
their cars are told to clean up
their trash mess and move on.
4:47 p.m., 400 block N.
Holladay: Property crimes are
reported.
5:03 p.m., 400 block Ave-
nue U: Property crimes are
reported.
May 15
12:37 a.m., Safeway Parking: A
person is arrested and charged
with driving under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants.
4:29 p.m., 12th and Necani-
cum: A person is arrested on a
warrant.
May 16
9:55 a.m., 12th and Necani-
cum: Caller reports transient
female yelling and causing
a disturbance. The caller
conveys to police her frustra-
tion with homeless gathering
in her neighborhood. The
reported female is unable to
be located.
4:13 p.m., Wahanna and Shore
Terrace: A person is arrested
on a warrant.
6:02 p.m., 3700 block W.
Chinook: Police assist Cannon
Beach police.
9:30 p.m., Sixth and Downing:
Caller reports person sleeping
in their van; the person left the
area after the caller confronted
him.
May 18
11:09 a.m., Avenue S and
Roosevelt: Subject reported
in the middle of the road is
warned of disorderly conduct
and still refuses to leave. He is
cited.
12:40 p.m., 1900 block Spruce
Drive: Caller reports neighbor
is poisoning her dog. Police
say the accusation is unfound-
ed.
8:06 p.m., Fifth Avenue: An
assault is reported.
May 17
May 19
12:44 a.m., 700 block Broad-
way: Fire investigation.
9:49 a.m., 2200 block S. Prom:
A person is arrested for violat-
ing a restraining order.
1:47 a.m., 1700 block S.
Downing: Unauthorized entry
of a motor vehicle is reported.
11:56 a.m., 500 block S.
Columbia: Caller reports some-
one entered their car without
their permission.
11:58 a.m., 1700 block S.
Prom: Unauthorized entry of a
motor vehicle is reported.
12:18 p.m., Boat Ramp,
Broadway Park: Police attempt
to help a seagull with a fi shing
hook caught in its foot. The
seagull was uncooperative.
4:53 p.m., 1900 block S.
Downing: Caller requests
welfare check on her mother
who she’s been unable to
reach by phone. Police contact
the woman who said she was
napping and she will call her
daughter.
May 20
6:11 a.m., 800 block Avenue
M: Woman reports a man
opening her screen door be-
fore she opened the door after
he knocked. Police contacted
the man who was parked in
the area and said he knocked
on the wrong door.
7:20 p.m., 12th Avenue
Bridge: People reported camp-
ing are actually just fi shing.
9:06 p.m., 800 block Fifth
Avenue: A deceased person is
reported.
SEASIDE FIRE & RESCUE
PUBLIC SAFETY
LOG
3:18 p.m., Police headquar-
ters: A person came in to
register as a sex off ender.
11:12 p.m., 1000 block Ave-
nue F: A disabled vehicle left
overnight in a lot of reported
as suspicious. Police talk to the
occupants who say they will
contact the property owner in
the morning.
May 22
7:47 a.m., 12th and Wahanna:
Caller reports a golf cart being
operated on the roadway.
Police are unable to locate.
5:47 p.m., First and Prom:
Intoxicated subjects are
reported, one for urinating on
someone’s lawn. Police were
unable to locate.
8:54 p.m., Wahanna: A person
is arrested on a warrant.
1:31 p.m., 1100 block N.
Roosevelt: Emergency medical
response.
May 22
May 14
11:40 a.m., Avenue A: Emer-
gency medical response.
May 15
May 21
May 21
6:28 a.m., 1200 block Ave-
nue D: Emergency medical
response.
6:22 a.m., Red Barn/Oster
Road: Structure fi re.
10:09 a.m., 600 block S. Edge-
wood: Emergency medical
response.
OREGON STATE
POLICE
May 16
4:44 a.m., 200 block N.
Downing: Emergency medi-
cal response.
May 19
5:30 a.m., Forest Drive:
Emergency medical re-
sponse.
8:12 p.m., 1600 block S.
Edgewood: Emergency medi-
cal response.
May 20
3:01 a.m., 400 block Second
Avenue: Emergency medical
response.
11:11 p.m., 1000 block N.
Holladay: Emergency medi-
cal response.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Two-car crash
A two-car crash occurring in a
highway work zone May 18 at
2:22 p.m., on U.S. Highway 101
by milepost 13 damaged both
vehicles but not enough to call
for tow. The driver of one car
traveling westbound navigat-
ing a downhill curve saw the
car traveling in front of it brake
hard to avoid hitting highway
workers. That driver slammed
on her brakes but collision
was unavoidable at this point.
A citation was issued to a
75-year-old Seaside man.
Seaside
When people share their time, treasure and talent, the benefi ts spread throughout the entire
community. In celebration of this culture of generosity, we thank the tremendous work of
nonprofi ts, volunteers and donors who help improve the lives of all Oregonians.
JUST A FEW OF THE 315 NORTH COAST
GRANTS AWARDED IN 2020:
NORTH COAST 2020
LOCAL I M PAC T TOTA L S:
Lincoln County Child and Family Day Treatment
Grants and Scholarships: $5.3M
The Harbor
Grants: 315
Vernonia Cares Food Bank
Scholarships: 138
Centro de Ayuda
Value of Endowment: $26.7M
Oregon Coast Council for the Arts
Volunteers: 68
Sitka Center for Art and Ecology
Funds: 90
Tumblewheel Studios
Astoria Arts and Movement Center
Amani Center
Community Action Team Inc.
- Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook Counties
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Consejo Hispano
Turning Point Community Service Center
Innovative Housing, Inc.
Toledo Public Library
L E A R N | CO N N EC T | D O N AT E
BRINGING OREGONIANS TOGETHER SINCE 1973
PORTLAND | BEND | SALEM | EUGENE | MEDFORD
O R E G O N C F. O R G