The Astoria City Council on Monday approved state grant applications and asked staff to solicit market input on two city- and county-owned sites that city leaders say could yield housing.

The council voted to approve a resolution supporting a Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) grant to complete the city's required housing capacity analysis, and separately approved a letter of support for Clatsop County's housing opportunity analysis. Councilor Davis moved to approve the DLCD resolution; Councilor Lum seconded. Councilor Mozzarella moved the letter of support for the county and Councilor Adams seconded; both votes carried.

City staff and a county housing manager presented a draft request for expressions of interest (RFEI) to test market interest and feasibility for two sites: the Customs House parcel near Safeway — about one acre and home to a designated historic resource — and the county-owned Dairy Gold parcel downtown. John Roberts, community development director, said the Customs House site has been discussed for "cottage cluster" or other missing-middle housing forms, with an uncertain unit yield that the RFEI would help quantify. Alyssa Gertler, Clatsop County housing manager, described the RFEI as a nonbinding tool to "test market interests, gather ideas, and identify potential partners."

On the Dairy Gold site, staff described the property as suitable for a 4–5 story mixed-income project under existing zoning, with a noted constraint: the county currently uses roughly 33 parking spaces on the parcel. Staff said proposals should either retain county parking or propose alternate arrangements; the county said it is open to solutions, including swaps elsewhere in the city.

Council discussion focused on three themes: (1) seeking flexibility on preferred housing types for the Customs House site rather than strongly emphasizing a single form; (2) asking the RFEI to explicitly invite proposals that test parking reductions or other strategies (including use of state changes such as HB 1537 that give flexibility for affordable housing parking standards); and (3) using the RFEI to solicit proposals that prioritize underserved populations, including Latinx homeownership and workforce housing.

Staff said the RFEI draft already offers flexibility and promised to refine review procedures and public engagement based on council feedback. Roberts said staff will summarize responses and return to council with recommendations that could shape a later formal solicitation.

Public comments included a resident who urged the city to challenge census population figures before committing to required work and another who urged protections for landslide-prone properties. Several councilors and staff said the DLCD-required capacity analysis will provide data to guide future decisions.