Friday, August 26, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Trail: ‘There’s so much good to it’ Highlands: City reconsiders land swap
Continued from Page A1
Continued from Page A1
The trail would follow
the existing logging road
along the northern perime-
ter of the logged property.
The trail would vary from 4
feet to 8 feet wide on packed
gravel and dirt. A cedar
bridge would connect back
to the existing logging track
up to the fi re hydrant on the
eastern access road.
Meyer, a former fi fth
grade teacher with the dis-
trict, said existing roads
comprise 40% to 45% of
the proposed land. Other
parts cross fi lled dirt on the
north side down to the play-
ing fi eld. There would be
no infringement or impact
on Coho Creek drainage or
existing wetland areas, he
said. Some of the section
follows existing elk and deer
trails.
With its proximity to the
school track, a small stone
patio and coaching deck
would provide cross coun-
try coaches an observa-
tion place to time their run-
ners mid-race, Meyer said.
“With the views that we
have up here, I could see
this becoming a really sig-
nifi cant cross-country ticket
to say, ‘Look, we’ve got a
ripping trail for our kids for
sports. ’It’s a beautiful setup,
because as a parent, you
want to see your kid.”
Students who are engaged
in more hands-on and out-
door science experience
succeed at a higher rate than
just classroom instruction ,
added Meyer. “Our access to
a variety of ecological sys-
tems for our science instruc-
tion by having a ready trail
system out our backdoor is
amazing,” he said.
The trails would also
benefi t the community,
who already use the lower
trails around the elemen-
tary school, he said. Sun-
set Hills and Cooper Street
residents using the trails
already would benefi t from
the expansion eff ort as well.
Potential benefi ts would
include added buildable land
stock and redundancy of the
water system. The site could
serve as a helicopter landing
area or dunes passageway in
the event of a Cascadia Sub-
duction Zone event.
According to terms of
the August 2021 contin-
gent land transfer agree-
ment signed by the city and
developers of Cottages at
Gearhart LLC, two parcels
would be turned over to the
city, a 3-acre park parcel on
the south side and a 1-acre
parcel on top of the dune
site.
The agreement calls for
owners, a group of local
builders and developers,
to exchange the two lots
outside Gearhart’s urban
growth boundary for use
as a park and a new fi re-
house and resiliency station.
In exchange the city would
give 34 acres west of the
city’s no-build zone into the
county, most of it unsuitable
for development.
The developers could get
about 22 to 25 houses into
the property under county
1-acre zoning as opposed to
the city’s zoning of 10,000
square feet per lot. Under
city zoning, the property
could have up to 48 houses.
“The developers will be
able to develop it in R-1
residential designation, and
we would receive approxi-
mately fi ve acres – approx-
imately half for a public
park and then the other half
The dotted line indicates the Ridgeline Trail, proposed north
of the high school and middle school campus.
The
school
district
would not be liable for any
cost of an accident during
construction, Meyer said.
Financial sponsors who
donate $100 or more will
have a stone engraved
and placed at the coaches’
patio. A live music fund-
raiser has been planned for
September.
Susan Penrod, the dis-
trict superintendent, asked
if the proposed trail area
was available and safe for
the proposed uses. “I think
it would be important to
determine if any of that path
is protected land,” she said.
Costs for the due dili-
gence process are yet to be
determined, Penrod said.
Portions of the proposed
area may have other limita-
tions, school district build-
ing consultant Brian Harde-
beck said. “I caution: Look
at that map before moving
forward.”
‘I’M COUNTING HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO
WOULD BENEFIT. WE CAN ALL
ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL VIEWS AND
A BEAUTIFUL TRAIL UP TO THE
SCHOOL. THAT’S A WIN.’
unteer their time, money and
eff orts to make something
like this happen.”
Board members Corder,
Taylor, Mark Truax and
Brian Owen approved the
Ridgeline Trail request
pending due diligence on
geotechnical issues and pro-
tected lands, with the district
to cover the cost of the due
diligence.
Michelle Hawken, San-
dra Gomez and Shannon
Swedenborg were absent.
Morrisey: Will face
McVey in race
Continued from Page A1
Solutions. He and his wife,
Aimee, have two daughters,
Emmy and Ava.
Morrisey won his fi rst
race for council in 2014,
fi lling the two-year seat of
Rafael “Stubby” Lyons.
Morrisey was reelected in
2016, running unopposed.
“I opted not to run for
reelection in the fall of 2020
to spend more time with my
wife and two young chil-
dren,” he said Aug. 18. “After
a brief hiatus I was appointed
to the Seaside Planning Com-
mission in 2021.”
During that time, he said,
he learned more about the
city’s zoning ordinances and
building codes.
“In a short period of time
we’ve made great progress
and pushed forward with
major updates to the vaca-
tion rental ordinance and
other important land use
issues,” he said.
“If elected, I look for-
ward to once again serving
the citizens of Seaside as a
city councilor,” Morrisey
said.
Samuel M. Condron, also
known as Seamus McVey,
will also seek the coun-
cil seat. McVey facilitates
a recovery clinic working
with people with addictions,
people with mental illnesses
and homeless individuals.
Morrisey and McVey have
both met fi ling certifi cation
requirements.
Other certifi ed candi-
dates include Tita Montero,
the incumbent from Ward 2
and mayoral candidate Steve
Wright, the councilor from
Ward 1.
If councilors move for-
ward with an extension of
the agreement at the next
meeting on Sept. 7, the
state’s Department of Land
Conservation and Develop-
ment would need to approve
the deal.
“You, as the City Coun-
cil, do not have fi nal say
on whether this hap-
pens because it has to be
approved by the Depart-
ment of Land Conserva-
tion Development,” Watts
said. “They have the fi nal
say regarding this and it’s
a technical decision that is
made by them.”
Whether the city decides
to make the deal, devel-
opers will proceed with a
minimum of 21 lots, Cot-
tages at Gearhart inves-
tor Ryan Osburn said. With
or without a deal with the
city, he said, “We’re going
to develop it. There’s no
doubt.”
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Geotechnical
studies
would also be necessary,
board chairman Brian Tay-
lor said.
Taylor asked for explor-
atory research to check out
the trails from a professional
perspective.
Board member Chris
Corder said the project
could benefi t the entire
community.
“I really hope that we as
a board can support some-
thing like this to try to fi nd
the avenues to make it hap-
pen,” Corder said. “There’s
so much good to it and so lit-
tle risk involved. Hopefully
the right people can get on
the page and make it easy
for people that want to vol-
could be used for a public
purpose,” Watts said. “The
city’s not getting into the
development game. We’re
getting property in order
to benefi t members of the
public.”
In addition, the land
exchange would allow the
city to loop pipes and add
redundancy to the city’s
water system.
“It’s a public health ben-
efi t,” Watts said. “It would
allow us to provide water
outside of the city.”
If the city is unable to
bring the property into
the urban growth bound-
ary within one year from
the signing on Aug. 23, the
agreement would terminate
unless both parties agree to
an extension, Watts said.
The cons of that would
be fewer houses, Watts said,
with a potential loss of prop-
erty tax income to the city of
about $80,000.
Business Directory
John Meyer, retired teacher
“I’m counting hundreds
and hundreds of people who
would benefi t,” Meyer said.
“We can all enjoy the beau-
tiful views and a beautiful
trail up to the school. That’s
a win.”
He said the trail would be
funded by community busi-
nesses and individuals who
have committed to donate
time, money, and manual
labor to the trail venture.
The cost of operating a
small Bobcat tractor for a
proposed three weeks cut-
ting off the trail has been
met, Meyer said. The
machine has been donated
and the contractor who oper-
ates it is licensed and insured
with a $2 million bond.
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