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Clatsop County continues public hearing on Economic Opportunities Analysis; staff asks for June 25 adoption vote
Summary
Planning staff presented the Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA), outlining four priority economic sectors and actions; commissioners agreed to continue the public hearing to the June 25 meeting for final action and incorporation into Goal 9 of the comprehensive plan.
Clatsop County planning staff presented the draft Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA) during a public hearing and the board agreed to continue the hearing to June 25, 2025, to allow commissioners and the public additional time to consider the document and its recommended additions to the county's Goal 9 economic development policies.
Jay Blake, the county planning manager, summarized the multi-year process that produced the EOA, describing extensive stakeholder engagement — a technical advisory committee of more than 30 participants, multiple public open houses, city-council briefings and a community questionnaire. Blake said staff broadened the usual employment-lands analysis to address the county's specific constraints — limited land for new industrial/commercial rezoning under state planning rules — and to prioritize sectors where the county can build on existing assets.
The analysis highlights four priority economic areas: a "blue marine economy" (including marine construction, repair, food processing and marine research), health care and wellness, construction and workforce development (including apprenticeships and job training), and food production (seafood processing, breweries and related industries). Blake emphasized housing and safety/resiliency as cross-cutting needs: the community repeatedly identified lack of affordable housing as the top constraint on economic growth, and the EOA recommends policy and partnership actions to support housing, infrastructure and public-safety capacity.
Blake asked the board to continue the public hearing to the June 25 meeting, at which time the board may adopt Ordinance 25-07 and incorporate the EOA findings and recommendations into the county's Goal 9 economic development chapter. Commissioners praised the staff and consultant work and confirmed the EOA's central conclusions. No members of the public signed up to speak during the evening's hearing.
The board voted to continue the hearing to the June 25 meeting for final consideration and adoption.
