THE OCEANSIDER: Oceanside Neighborhood Assoc. Meeting Jam-Packed with News

By Jerry Keene, Editor, The Oceansider

Over 50 Oceansiders attended or logged in Saturday (Dec. 2) for the first meeting of the Oceanside Neighborhood Association (ONA) in more than six months. The agenda featured updates on major developments of particular significance to Oceanside in both the short and long term.

County Public Works Director Chris Laity offered plenty of news for Oceanside. First, he invited all Oceansiders to drive recently-reopened Cape Meares Loop Road in “both directions” to enjoy the spectacular views and the scenic outlook at its summit. He urged caution during wet or cold weather due to its altitude and 12% grade, which will sometimes require the county to close the gates installed at both ends. Such closures would be reported to ODOT’s Tripcheck website.

Next, Laity addressed the county’s recent installation of “No Access” signs at the Short Beach Trail and the “Tire Trail” in Oceanside, as previously reported by The Oceansider. That decision was reinforced by the county’s liability insurer after a recent court decision effectively eliminated the “recreational trail immunity” from lawsuits that local governments have historically enjoyed. Laity acknowledged that these two trails are the only ones in the entire county that his Department currently intends to close based on such concerns – given that the others are predominantly owned by Oregon State Parks. Laity’s department will seek county TLT funding for the design and construction of improvements at the Short Beach Trail (which the county owns), hopefully over the next two years. It has no current plans to improve or open the Tire Trail because part of that trail and its aging bridge are privately owned.

Finally, Laity noted that ODOT has announced staffing cuts which will sharply reduce or eliminate pavement maintenance and winter safety measures on state roads throughout Oregon. This includes a reduction of winter sanding efforts on the Highway 6 summit!  According to Laity, it also includes Highway 131 from Tillamook to Oceanside. Curiously, however, the ODOT Fact Sheet for Region 2 (including Oceanside) does NOT list Highway 131 as one of the affected roads. The Oceansider has contacted Laity’s office for clarification.

News from Community Development:
Reaching the STR Cap and Mandatory Multi-Unit Zoning

County Community Development Director Sarah Absher brought news of more big changes. First, she announced that Oceanside is within one or two STR licenses of hitting its “cap” of 139 STRs (20% of our residential homes) under the new rules adopted this summer. She also invited the Oceanside Neighborhood Association to appoint a special committee to review whether Oceanside’s cap should be adjusted or calculated differently – which her Department would then take under consideration for action later this year. Meanwhile, the Tillamook County “Hotline” for complaints about STRs or the conduct of their visitors is (503) 850-0402, and the online portal for such complaints can be found at https://secure.hostcompliance.com/tillamook-county-or/complaints/type

Second, she invited the ONA’s input on revisions to Oceanside’s residential zoning ordinance as the county implements “Senate Bill 406.”  Sponsored by State. Sen. Weber and State Rep. Javadi in 2023, that new state law addresses workplace housing shortages by allowing construction of “middle housing” (quadplexes or smaller) in the single-family dwelling zones of all Tillamook cities and eight unincorporated communities, including Oceanside. (Click here for a summary of the law.)  Finally, Absher apologized for the delay in submitting the ONA’s 2021 proposals for a “Dark Skies” ordinance and new building height rules for consideration by the Tillamook County Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners. She hopes to do so within the next year.

News from the ONA Emergency Preparedness Team

Oceansiders John Prather and Rob Hoeper – Co-Chairs of the ONA Emergency Preparedness Team – submitted a Team Report to the membership regarding Oceanside’s participation in the Great ShakeOut national and state earthquake drill. During the drill, the Emergency Team confirmed that almost nobody on Oceanside’s beach (from Symonds Point to the Oceanside Wayside) will be able receive emergency text message alerts in the event of a tsunami. It also demonstrated that, if beach visitors could receive such alerts, they would have ample time to exit the beach and walk to the designated assembly area at the Oceanside Chapel before a tsunami reaches the shore. The ONA has submitted this report to Congresswoman Bonamici’s office in support of the Oceanside Action Partnership’s ongoing initiative to expand village cell service.  The report also detailed the Team’s progress in setting up a volunteer hand-held radio network in Oceanside for communicating the need for emergency services to the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District after a disaster event that disables Oceanside’s cell service and other conventional communications.