Astoria presentation finds limited developable land, infrastructure gaps and a 20‑year need for about 1,800 housing units

Astoria City Council and Planning Commission members heard a presentation Monday on the city’s buildable lands inventory and related housing needs that found about 300 acres classified as buildable under state rules but identified steep slopes, floodplain, utility capacity and access as major constraints to turning that “paper capacity” into housing.

The presentation by Steve Faust of 3 j Consulting, commissioned through a Clatsop County grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, also summarized the state’s 20‑year housing allocation for Astoria — about 1,800 units total, split across income tiers and concentrated at the lowest AMIs — and flagged a need for substantial capital funding and infrastructure work before much of the identified land could realistically accommodate new housing.

Why it matters: The inventory and infrastructure review are the factual building blocks the city must use for a state‑required housing capacity analysis in 2027 and a housing production strategy in 2028. Councilors and staff said the numbers show a pressing mismatch between where housing is needed (particularly rentals and subsidized units serving lower incomes) and where the city can actually build without expensive roads, sewer or water upgrades.

Key findings and context - Buildable land totals: Faust told the council the city has about 1,600 gross acres inside city limits before constraints are removed. After excluding wetlands, floodplain, right‑of‑way, small parcels and steep slopes, the inventory shows roughly 259 acres of vacant buildable land plus about 42 acres of partially vacant, for approximately 300 acres of buildable land “on paper.”…