Seaside community development outlines housing pipeline and staff growth, cites 20‑year target of 1,600 units

Community Development Director Jeff Lohrey updated the Seaside City Council on housing demand, recent permitting and department staffing, and described steps the department is taking to streamline permits and update housing codes required by state law.

Lohrey noted the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis assigns Seaside a 20‑year production target of about 1,600 units (roughly 14 units per year) and said the city’s best production year recently was 2023 when 76 units received building permits. He summarized the current pipeline: Hawkeye (55 units permitted late 2023), a 40‑unit project at the north end already under construction, Riverrun (66 market‑rate units under construction), Pacifica (the 69‑unit affordable project discussed separately) and Cross Creek (a six‑plex with infrastructure in place and plans under review).

Lohrey discussed housing costs and affordability: he cited a 2023 median household income in Seaside of about $45,807 and noted a median single‑family listing price in the region of roughly $529,000, with listing‑price square footage averages near $371 per square foot. On rents, Zillow‑based listings showed typical one‑bedroom listings near $1,000 and two‑bedrooms near $2,000; three‑bedroom listings varied widely by condition and location.

On city action, Lohrey said staff is pursuing code updates and using a DLCD grant to bring Seaside’s housing code into compliance with state law. He said staff are implementing Oregon ePermitting tools and training staff to perform inspections and plan reviews; Jordan Sprague was noted as being promoted and in training to improve internal plan‑review capacity. Lohrey said some plan review work continues to be contracted to third‑party reviewers to expedite complex projects but the department aims to reduce reliance on outside reviewers as internal capacity grows.

On short‑term rentals, Lohrey reported a stable count near 371‑375 current VRD (vacation rental dwelling) applications and said the city had received only one new application in a recent 90‑day window that the council authorized for a limited opening; he cautioned that changes to parking, density or lot‑coverage rules in the comprehensive plan could prompt a future re‑examination of the short‑term rental ordinance.

When asked about FEMA floodplain updates, Lohrey said the city had submitted notice to the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) that it will adopt an updated floodplain ordinance modeled on the state model code; he added FEMA Region 10 staffing challenges are slowing federal communications but the city will proceed with local notice and a planning commission hearing.

Lohrey told council that once staff training and procedural improvements accelerate plan reviews, the department hopes to handle more work in‑house and free staff time for code updates and records management.