Friday, November 12, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Vista Ridge II:
Subdivision
could bring
17 homes
Continued from Page A1
R.J. Marx
The Seaside City Council at a workshop on homelessness Monday.
Warming center: Described as ‘a good first step’ for Seaside
Continued from Page A1
In February, a warming center
proposed at the former Broadway
Middle School — now the Sunset
Recreation Center — was rejected
by the park district’s board. With
the approach of another winter, a
shelter remained a priority.
“Low barrier means they could
have had a drink that day. They
could have used (drugs) that
day,” said Alan Evans, of Help-
ing Hands. “They can come to the
facility, but they can’t come to the
facility and drink and use (drugs)
in the facility.”
The warming center, which
will open in winter months during
inclement weather, is fully funded
for at least one year, Evans said.
An overnight staff member will
be assisted by one or two volun-
teers to oversee the shelter. Men
will be separated from women and
children, Evans said. A pet policy
has yet to be determined.
Data will be gathered to deter-
mine future needs. “Whoever
comes in, we’ll take their name
and their information,” Evans
said. “We want to grab demo-
graphics. We want to hear their
story, and then take that data and
collect it so we can understand the
people that we’re trying to serve.”
The park district will work
with the shelter to provide vouch-
R.J. Marx
A building on South Roosevelt Drive will open as a warming center on Dec. 1.
ers for shower access, said Sky-
ler Archibald, the park district’s
executive director.
There is no financial con-
tribution estimate at this time,
Archibald added, other than the
$3 shower vouchers.
The park district is assess-
ing the best way to provide food,
Archibald said. “The hope is to
provide a box lunch for dinner for
folks at the shelter and then some-
thing for them to eat on their way
out in the morning,” he said.
Viviana Matthews, the execu-
tive director of Clatsop Commu-
nity Action, asked for community
support.
“Homelessness is a community
issue, and we all need and want to
work together to provide the best
services possible for the unhoused
in our community,” she said. “I
am thrilled that we are very close
to making the warming and navi-
gation center in Seaside a reality,
as last year we were not able to
achieve our goal.
“I am asking and hoping that
the community will support this
collaborative effort to serve our
unsheltered population.”
The news on the warming cen-
ter came as the city reviewed find-
ings from a homelessness think
tank chaired by Mayor Jay Barber
and City Councilor Tita Montero.
League of Oregon Cities lob-
byist Ariel Nelson provided state
and legal recommendations at
community forums this summer.
The city hopes to reestablish a
countywide elected officials work
group, which had met until 2019
but has not met since the corona-
virus pandemic.
Other think tank strategies
include a managed RV or car
parking lot where people could
stay, transitional housing and
permanent housing. City actions
could include a housing initiatives
manager and a contract position
to support the work of Clatsop
County’s two homeless liaisons.
Evans said he sees the warm-
ing center as a good first step for
Seaside.
“I think there have been great
voices at the table,” he said. “And
I think they’re in a good place
because it’s going to get worse
before it gets better. Once the
(eviction) moratorium is lifted,
the face of homelessness changes
again.”
Providence
caregivers care.
It’s that simple, even when it’s hard.
To every Providence caregiver, through every
demanding day of the COVID-19 crisis,
you make us proud.
You are heroes, and you’ve done heroic work.
We honor you as people of Providence.
People filled with kindness who dig deep in
difficult times and never, ever waver from
providing compassionate care. We thank you,
for all you do for the communities we serve.
The streets have been designed
to flow to catch basins that have a
sediment sump in them, engineer
Mark Mead wrote in his stormwa-
ter report, delivered at last week’s
meeting. “This will collect the
major runoff items. The home drive-
ways and roof drains will be piped
to the street and also run off into the
stormwater system. The yard areas
will provide a small amount of run-
off depending on the landscaping.”
After treatment, stormwater will
flow northwest into the existing
wetland area that eventually dis-
charges into the Stanley Lake drain-
age system. Storm drain water will
not be directed northeast into the
fish-bearing stream that is located
along the eastern boundary of the
site, according to the report.
The subdivision east of Wahanna
Road, to be accessed by Hemlock
and Aldercrest streets and separated
from the Vista Ridge subdivision by
a creek, could be developed into 17
residential building lots from 7,000
to 15,000 square feet, with a single
one- or two-story home on each lot.
Typical house plans show one-
story, 1,250-square-feet homes to
two-story homes with about 2,300
square feet.
Features include outdoor patios,
foyers, great rooms, dens and bonus
rooms. Every home plan has a
garage.
Buildings, located in a for-
ested area, are to be wood-framed
construction.
Since the city has a limited time
to make a decision once an applica-
tion is in motion, developers agreed
to waive the 120-day time limit, and
start the decision clock over at the
Dec. 7 meeting, Kevin Cupples, the
city’s planning director, said. “The
applicant has again requested a con-
tinuance because of the late date of
bringing that material forward.”
Three planning commission-
ers, Kathy Kleczek, Seth Morrisey
and Lou Neubecker have recused
themselves from the decision-mak-
ing process. Commissioners Robin
Montero, Christopher Rose and
Jon Wickersham unanimously
approved the continuance until the
commission’s December meeting.