County study finds limited buildable land in Seaside; infrastructure and affordability gaps highlighted

Seaside — Clatsop County and consulting firm 3J Consulting presented a countywide housing analysis and buildable‑land inventory to the Seaside City Council work session, concluding that physical constraints, ownership patterns and infrastructure limits sharply reduce the city’s near‑term capacity to add new housing.

The study showed roughly 83.5 acres of buildable land in Seaside after removing constraints such as wetlands, steep slopes and floodplain. “Once you remove those constraints, what was a big patch turns into more dispersed smaller patches,” Alyssa Gertler, Clatsop County housing manager, told the council. County and consultant staff warned that some parcels that appear vacant in GIS are not fully developable without substantial site work or infrastructure extensions.

The findings matter locally because Oregon now uses a state‑allocated housing capacity analysis to set unit needs. The state allocation gives Seaside a 1‑year target of 42 units and a 20‑year need of roughly 1,800 units, with the largest share designated for households at 0–30% of area median income. “Most of those units are at the lowest income level,” said Steve Foster of 3J Consulting. Foster and Gertler said the numbers are “front loaded” to address existing deficits as well as future growth.

Nut graf: The report combines a parcel‑level buildable‑land inventory with an infrastructure scan and a housing‑supply analysis. It found a mismatch between the types of units available in Seaside and the…