By Jerry Keene, Editor, The Oceansider
This Wednesday,
August 2, the County Commissioners plan to approve and sign a long-awaited
Order Establishing Limits on STRs in Unincorporated Areas and initiating waiting lists in each community once their cap is reached. Oceanside currently has 129 STRs (19% of all residences), and the new cap will be 139 (20% of residences – a 1% increase). Anticipating a surge in applications once the current “pause” expires, the county will set up a lottery to determine the order of processing for applications submitted during the month of September. Thereafter, it plans to process them in the order they are received. Meanwhile
Oregon Coast Hosts (which opposed the STR changes) has posted a
summary of the new STR ordinance from its perspective and announced, “
We will proceed with litigation.“
A Gathering Indeed!
Close to 100 Ocean
siders and guests gathered at the Community Hall on
Saturday to share good food, incredible weather and a common bond in their affection for Oceanside. The
Village Gathering potluck is an annual ritual that brings Oceanside’s long-timers and newcomers together for home-cooked food, lively conversation and the chance to catch up. The event is sponsored by the Oceanside Neighborhood Association (thanks for the hard work, Sharon Brown and volunteers!), the Oceanside Community Club (thanks for the grilled franks, Brian Bucknam)
and the Oceanside Protection Society community foundation (thanks for the donations, Oceansiders).
Photo credit to Melissa Farlow
TCVA Workshop Completes Oceanside Project List
On
Tuesday, July 23, interested Oceansiders, presenters and local officials persevered through a
4-hour meeting to prune and prioritize a list of 47 community projects compiled in previous workshops led by the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association (TCVA) and organized by the Oceanside Action Partnership (OAP). County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell and Sarah Absher, Director of Community Development were among the group of 50 attendees (live and remote) offering insight, expertise and historical perspective on the relative importance and feasibility of the proposed projects.
Nan Devlin, TCVA’s Executive Director, determinedly managed the freewheeling exchanges and sometimes chaotic votes to identify the most popular items in each of several categories. Topping the list were (1) road improvements, (2) improved cell and internet service and (3) new or restored walking trails to Pacific Avenue and the beach access from surrounding hillside neighborhoods. Other favored projects included a “Welcome to Oceanside” road sign accompanied by other “wayfinding” signs at the various beach waysides. Devlin and her staff will now produce a prioritized list with implementation and funding suggestions for future reference. The OAP plans another session in September to identify volunteer teams to work on the key proposals.
To Your Health!
The
Oceanside Water District has “proudly” announced that the Oregon Health Authority found “no violations” of state standards during this year’s tests for contaminants in drinking water from the Short Creek watershed. Short Creek is the primary source of drinking water in the northern part of Oceanside. For a copy of the report, email a request to
Julia Johnson, Office Manager, at oceansidewaterdistrict@gmail.com
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
And that’s the view from Oceanside!
www.oceansidernews.com
jerry@oceansidernews.com
