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North Bend Adopts Strategic Plan for Houselessness By RYAN HOOVER Country Media, Inc.
The City of North Bend City Council adopted its first strategic plan for houselessness on Tuesday, April 18. The draft plan was created by the Coos County Coordinated Office on Houselessness, a housing coordination center mandated by House Bill 4123. House Bill 4123 provided eight pilot regions
around Oregon with $1 million to use toward improving their housing services coordination. The bill also required the creation of a strategic plan to address houselessness. Rural Development Initiatives, an Oregon-based non-profit providing services to rural communities, helped the Coordinated Office on Houselessness prepare the strategic plan. Andrew Brainard – Director of Coos County Coordinated
Office on Houselessness – and Jennifer Groth – Director of Policy & Partnerships at Rural Development Initiatives – presented the plan to City Council on April 17. “The Coos County Coordinated Office of Houselessness has been created, which was part of the requirements on House Bill 4123,” Groth said. “And it has been staffed.” In preparing the strategic plan, the Coordinated Office on Houselessness spoke with
over 60 people who they defined as stakeholders, including people who are currently unhoused, people who provide services to the unhoused, and people looking at pathways to permanent housing, among others. The office also conducted two workshops and a community survey of about 200 people “to try and get some consensus,” on community priorities, Groth added. Key information from
the strategic plan includes survey data and community defined priorities around houselessness. “It took us decades to get here, and hopefully it won’t take us decades to fix this situation,” Mayor Jessica Engelke added. “But I think having a coordinated response could help. That’s where I see it.” The City Council unanimously voted to adopt Please see HOUSELESS Page A12
Coos Bay Farmer’s Market season is starting Coos Bay,
North Bend working to fill council vacancies
By BREE LAUGHLIN The World
The Coos Bay Downtown Farmers Market is turning 23 in 2023. This year, the market will be featuring longtime favorite vendors, as well as some brand new ones. The market will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Wednesday between May 3 and Oct. 25. Market vendor booths are situated along Central Avenue between 101 South and 3rd Street. “We have grown a lot. We originally started with about a dozen vendors, and last year we had 168 approved vendors,” said Coos Bay Downtown Association Farmer’s Market Manager Melissa Hasart. “We also have four brand new farmers coming to the market this year, and they are local. So not only will returning farmers be here, but also new ones,” she said. Locals and tourists are invited to wander through
The World
Photo by Bree Laughlin
Every summer the Coos Bay Downtown Association (CBDA) holds the Coos Bay Downtown Farmers Market in the heart of the Historic Downtown District. The FarmPlease see MARKET Page A3 ers Market draws in residents and tourists who make their way downtown every Wednesdays May through October.
Housing Production Strategy Adopted by City Council By RYAN HOOVER Country Media, Inc.
The Coos Bay City Council accepted the 2023 Draft Housing Production Strategy (HPS) on Tuesday, April 18, adopting the draft for future use. The plan’s adoption comes nearly a month after the city’s planning commission approved the draft. The draft was presented by both Carolyn Johnson – the Coos Bay Community Development Administrator – and Tim Wood – a Project Manager with the publicsector consultant FCS Group – at the Tuesday night meeting. Wood and FCS Group were brought in to consult on the Housing Production Strategy, which are required by the state for cities of over 10,000 people. The Housing Production Strategy is meant to address the city’s housing needs identified by the Housing Needs Analysis, a study conducted by the city in 2020 and finalized in July of last year. Key findings from the Housing Needs Analysis included that Coos Bay is projected to add 1,244 people by 2040, 26.5% of renters are severely rent burdened and spending over 50% of their income on
rent, and 369 manufactured housing units are needed over the next 20 years for Coos Bay. Council Members discuss, approve draft Wood applauded The City of Coos Bay for the recent policy actions that have been taken to address housing needs, which the Housing Production Strategy would build upon. “That set of slides that shows the recent list of accomplishments by the city is the longest list I’ve seen,” Wood said. “Very few of those are easy to accomplish, and many are quite difficult. So, it’s a testament to staff, to this Council. It’s a testament to Coos Bay.” Council Member Drew Farmer told the council he leaned towards accepting the plan but not adopting it because he was under the impression it was based on the 2020 Housing Needs Analysis, which was revised and replaced by the 2022 Housing Needs Analysis. “I lean towards accept but not adopt,” Farmer said. “My concern with the plan is that it’s based on the 2020 Housing Needs Analysis. We already know it’s based on
material that over-assumed the 400 housing units needed and overlooked the impact of vacation rentals.” Tim Wood responded by adding that the Housing Production Strategy took both the 2020 and 2022 Housing Needs Analyses into account. “We looked at both,” Farmer said. “Certainly, we are drawing from both. We emphasized 2020 since it was adopted, but the bottom line is that both played a factor, and we considered both.” Another councilmember stressed the importance of moving forward with the Housing Production Strategy as soon as possible so that housing can be available for new workers. “With 700 jobs to fill and what we’ve heard from the hospital, it’s critical that we move,” the member said. “We
can’t just kick this can down the road for a year, we’ve got a problem. Does this pave the way to help us streamline the process and get housing in production?” Mayor Joe Benetti added that the process for housing production had been started, but that the plan before them would certainly help that process. “I think we are moving forward, but this would help facilitate that further,” Mayor Benetti added. “For instance, the tax abatement and zero lot lines can be addressed through this plan.” Carolyn Johnson added that adopting the resolution would enshrine the city’s commitment to providing more housing. “I think adopting the resolution memorializes your Please see COUNCIL Page A7
Photo Courtesy of Zolnierek / Shutterstock
The Coos Bay City Council will be accepting applications and letters of interest for consideration of appointment to fill an upcoming vacancy on the City Council. To qualify, applicants must be a registered voter and have resided within the Coos Bay City limits for at least one year. The letter of interest should include a summary of the work and community experience, education, and the reason(s) for the motivation to serve on City Council. An attached resume is acceptable. Letters of interest and applications will be accepted in the City Manager’s Office until 5 p.m. Thursday June 8. Applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview with the City Council. For more information, contact City Manager Rodger Craddock or Assistant City Manager Nichole Rutherford at 269-8912. Interviews will be held Tuesday, June 20, prior to the City Council meeting. The person appointed will serve in the seat through the end of 2024 with a permanent replacement elected in the November 2024 election. In North Bend, the council is working to fill a vacancy after former Councilor Eric Gleason resigned. Gleason left the council at the last meeting in March after announcing his family was moving out of North Bend. On April 4, the council voted to declare a vacancy and decided to accept applications and fill the vacancy by a majority vote of the council. The person who is appointed will serve the remainder of Gleason’s term through the end of 2024. A permanent replacement will be elected in the November 2024 election. Applications for the open position will be accepted at the North Bend city recorder’s office.
The Coos City Council has adopted the Housing Production Strategy for Future use.
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