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Astoria staff updates: vacation-rental ordinance moves forward; Riverwalk lighting grant closed
Summary
Staff told the Planning Commission that a vacation-rental ordinance passed first reading at council with a 50-unit cap and that staff will launch an application process; staff also reported Riverwalk lighting work was completed under grant funding and the Masonic Temple owners plan to continue event uses.
Community Development staff briefed the Planning Commission on several administrative items including a vacation-rental ordinance and recently completed Riverwalk lighting work.
Sean Roberts, the city's community development director, said the first reading of a proposed vacation-rental ordinance passed city council 3–1 and that the ordinance would build on the city's 2022 homestead lodging rules. Roberts said highlights include a cap of 50 vacation-rental units, enforcement and renewal provisions, and operational standards; staff will prepare an application process targeted to be ready by July 1 and will invite known nonconforming operators to apply by Dec. 31.
Roberts also told the commission the Riverwalk lighting segment that was funded by a grant has been closed out and that, absent new grant funding, the city has no immediate plans to expand that lighting farther along the Riverwalk. On a separate item, staff reported that the historic Masonic Temple changed ownership and that the new local owners plan to continue event uses; they are pursuing a certificate of appropriateness to meet historic aesthetic standards.
Roberts said staff will return with code amendments and implementation details for the vacation-rental program and asked the commission for input on zoning and overlay boundaries where the program should apply.
