County continues public hearing on Goal 18 beaches and dunes mapping update to Oct. 8

Clatsop County planning staff on Sept. 24 presented Ordinance 25‑09, an update to the county comprehensive plan Goal 18 (beaches and dunes), and the Board of Commissioners continued the public hearing to Oct. 8 for a second reading.

David Cook, the county planning manager, said the two primary goals of the update are to replace outdated or paper maps with digital mapping drawn largely from the State of Oregon’s Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) 2025 report, and to update Goal 18 policies to reflect state and federal requirements adopted since the county’s last major revision in February 2003.

Cook said staff drafted several policy updates and additions, including new language addressing submarine cable‑landing locations in coordination with the Oregon Fishermen’s Cable Committee, and noted that the Planning Commission unanimously recommended adoption. Staff also held multiple public meetings and worked with a technical advisory committee that included state and federal agency staff and local stakeholders.

Planning staff asked the board to continue the public hearing to Oct. 8 to allow time for additional review and a second reading. The board voted to continue the hearing; no substantive changes were adopted on Sept. 24.

Cook told commissioners the updated maps and policies will be posted and that staff will use feedback from the continuing hearing to revise the draft before the board’s next meeting. Several commissioners praised the mapping work and said the updated materials will strengthen the county’s position for future planning and related processes, including responses to federal FEMA actions.

The public hearing will reconvene Oct. 8 for the ordinance’s second reading.