Local Surfers at Agate Beach Classic
Cannon Beach Hosts Visitors from Costa Rica
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VOL. 46, ISSUE 19
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CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
September 16, 2022
Cannon Beach real estate still a hot commodity with prices leveling a bit Deb Atiyeh
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Reporter
he rapid increase in housing prices experienced over the past two years in Cannon Beach has started to level off this year, according to Michael Henderson, managing principal broker for Duane Johnson Real Estate, but he noted that prices continue to rise in certain areas, such as the Presidential Streets and Chapman Point. Henderson said that over the past two years, sellers could sometimes receive a dozen or more offers for their property, with many offers above the asking price. The local real estate market continues to be a sellers market, with sales activity mainly constrained by the lack of inventory, according to Lynn Brigham, managing principal broker for Windermere Realty Trust, and 2022 President of the Clatsop Association of Realtors. Brigham agreed that the rapid price increases have started to moderate, but noted that the median sales price has still seen an 8% increase so far this year in Cannon Beach. Brigham said that since many of the buyers in the market are cash buyers, rising interest rates have not had a significant impact, but at some point additional price appreciation could affect buyer decisions. There has been a slight decrease in the total number of new
listings in Cannon Beach this year compared to the same period last year. The majority of home buyers in Cannon Beach continue to be from the Portland metro area, with buyers from Washington and the Seattle area also purchasing a significant number of local homes. Both Henderson and Brigham added that although buyers from other states continue to purchase properties here, they have not noticed an increase in buyers from areas outside of Oregon and Washington over the past few years.The repercussions from the Covid pandemic, with some people feeling the need to escape the larger cities, accompanied by the trend of more people being able to work remotely, have been factors affecting the local housing market over the past two years. Henderson noted that the real estate market in popular tourist destinations such as Cannon Beach tend to experience less market volatility than other real estate markets, saying that increased demand is being fueled by the limited number of properties in the coastal areas, while Brigham added that the local real estate market has historically tended to lag the larger Portland area market by about 6 months. A real estate market is considered “balanced” between buyers and sellers with an available housing supply of 6 months. For north coastal counties, the inventory in
Gazette file photo.
July 2022 was 2.7 months, an increase from the 1.6 months in July 2021, with a low of 1.1 months occurring in October 2021. Henderson’s advice for anyone thinking of selling their home: keep your home well maintained, because any deferred maintenance will be noted during a home inspection and could hinder a sale. Henderson noted that the vast majority of buyers prefer to make their own cosmetic changes (such as carpeting and paint) to a newly purchased home, so these types of upgrades are not as important to buyers as a well maintained home. Henderson’s advice for anyone thinking of purchasing a home:
be financially pre-qualified or pre-approved for a certain amount before making an offer, and his advice for both buyers and sellers: it’s important to find a real estate broker who will listen to you and understand your needs. Brigham’s advice for anyone thinking of selling their home in Cannon Beach: don’t try to time the market if it’s time for you to sell. His advice for anyone thinking of purchasing a home in Cannon Beach: don’t wait to buy your dream home. If you wait another five years, your kids are going to be older and you’ve missed out on the experience and memories of owning a home at the beach.
Council declares ‘National Hispanic Heritage Month’ T
No decision was made at this meeting.
Deb Atiyeh Reporter
he City Council met on Tuesday, September 6th for a short one-hour session. A resident explained how Hemlock Street in the south Tolovana area is straight and lacks crosswalks for pedestrians. She expressed concern that people drive faster on the straight section making it unsafe for people trying to cross the street. She requested more crosswalks be created for safety. The City Council declared September 15th to October 15th “National Hispanic Heritage Month” in Cannon Beach. Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn read the proclamation acknowledging how Hispanics lift up our community and economy, and enrich our nation and society. The City Council unanimously agreed that Cannon Beach restaurants can continue with outdoor dining through the spring of 2023. An employee from the Driftwood Inn explained how the increased revenue from the outdoor seating capacity has helped their restaurant through COVID. The Cannon Beach Food Pantry repair and funding was discussed, and a conversation followed about the possibility of the Food Pantry relocating to the Tolovana Arts Center location.
The City Council, Planning Commission and Design Review Board held a joint work session on September 7th. The code audit project was presented by Marcy McInelly of Urbsworks. Cannon Beach Community Development Director Jeff Adams stated, “This code audit project provides the community with an audit of its development codes...where the gaps exist between the vision of the Comprehensive Plan and the development ordinances that are in place to accomplish those goals”. There have been no revisions to City ordinances for more than 10 years. During those 10 years, there have been a number of changes not only to the city itself, but also to state statutes that dramatically affect what a city can have in an ordinance and how it must be written. Cannon Beach hired Urbsworks as a consulting firm to do the audit. Urbsworks is helping them review the city’s municipal codes to suggest ways to reorganize and revise them to comply with state requirements, to actually achieve what the city’s comprehensive plan says, and to make sure it is more efficient to use and enforce. Urbsworks is helping the city shape their priorities and what they are looking for in the
revised codes. A part of this was earlier public discussions and community surveys relating to the term “village character”, and what that actually means, so it can be incorporated into city building codes. At this meeting, questions were raised about tree removal and development close to wetlands, and whether the city council could accelerate revisions to these portions of the Cannon Beach Municipal Code before all the city’s wetlands are developed and more trees are removed. Commissioners Newton and Bates reiterated that it is clear that many members of the community do not want wetlands developed. Commissioners Bates and Matusick commented that we should at least have the same code as the State of Oregon on wetlands. The setback for wetlands in Cannon Beach is only 5 feet, while in some other Oregon cities and counties it is 25 to 50 feet. Urbsworks will now spend time generating their suggested revisions so they can be taken up for discussion at a future meeting and the City Council can consider whether to adopt the revisions. For more information, go to the City website to review current ordinances on tree removal and protection (17.70) and the Wetlands Overlay Zone (17.43).
Oregon’s revenue forecast shows big kicker JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
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he latest Oregon Revenue Forecast shows the projected personal kicker is $3.5 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in Spring 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $1.1 billion, which will be retained for educational spending. Overall, the forecast shows the state will see an estimated $600 million in additional surging tax revenues. The report by the Oregon
Department of Administrative Service issued Aug. 31 to Oregon ‘s legislators, also comes with a warning about a national recession. “The risks are real. The outlook is essentially a coin flip between the soft landing and a recession,” the state revenue forecast’s economic outlook states. Governor Kate Brown issued the following statement about the state’s September revenue forecast: “Thanks to the fiscally responsible decisions the State of Oregon has made over the last several
years, we are well positioned with significant reserves to weather any economic challenges that lie ahead. Now, we must continue to make investments to benefit Oregon’s working families, so that all Oregonians can feel the benefits of our strong economic recovery. “With rising costs of living continuing to impact Oregon families and businesses, the Legislature can, in the budget for the next biennium, build on the investments we made in the last session––particularly in housing, workforce development, behavioral health, and child care.
“And, thanks to the work of Oregon’s congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris administration to pass the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can continue to invest federal dollars to lower costs and create jobs for working families.” Revenue Forecast Executive Summary Economists are on recession watch. The combination of slower eco-
n See REVENUE, Page 3
Celebrate the Bounty of the Bays
Online auction September 12th-18th, 2022
Election will bring a new mayor and two at-large council spots Staff
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n Cannon Beach, Mayor Sam Steidel and City Councilor Mike Benefield are completing their second, four-year terms and are unable to run again because of term limits. Barb Knop, a retired teacher who serves on the Planning Commission, and Erik Ostrander, a hotelier, will be on the ballot running for Cannon Beach’s next mayor. Along with the mayor’s race, there are two at-large slots open on the five-member City Council, which go to the top two vote-getters. City Councilor Robin Risley, who was elected in 2018, will run for reelection. The other contenders are Lisa Kerr, an attorney and former planning commission; Gary Hayes, the owner of a media and marketing firm; Deanna Pauli-Hammond, the owner of Cannon Beach Bakery; Laurie Simpkins, the owner of Healthy Hub Massage & Wellness in Seaside; and Jenee Pearce-Mushen, who works for a Gearhart security company and is a member of the city’s public works committee. State House and Senate Betsy Johnson’s decision to launch an independent campaign for governor had a ripple effect in the state Senate and House districts that cover the North Coast. State Rep. Suzanne Weber, a Tillamook Republican elected in 2020, chose not to run for reelection in House District 32 so she could campaign in Johnson’s former Senate District 16. Weber, who was unopposed in the Republican primary for Senate in May, will face Melissa Busch, a home health nurse from Warren, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Cyrus Javadi, a Tillamook dentist, won the Republican primary in May to replace Weber in the House. Logan Laity, a small-business owner and community organizer in Tillamook, was unopposed in the Independent/Democratic primary. House District 32 was redrawn after the 2020 census and now covers Clatskanie to the east and all of Tillamook County to the south. At a glance CANNON BEACH Mayor • Barb Knop
n See ELECTION, Page 2
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