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Astoria Council authorizes RFP for Customs House workforce housing aimed at 80–120% AMI
Summary
The council authorized staff to issue an RFP for the Customs House site to solicit middle-income workforce housing proposals (80–120% AMI), favoring Community Land Trust models; public commenters urged geotechnical review, traffic and parking analysis, and additional outreach.
The Astoria City Council on March 16 authorized staff to issue a request for proposals (RFP) seeking workforce/middle‑housing proposals for the Customs House site, a roughly 1.1‑acre assemblage near Astor East Elementary and the Best Western. Community Development Director John Roberts said the RFP is designed to solicit middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and cottage clusters) targeted to approximately 80–120% of area median income (AMI) with examples in staff materials showing unit ranges from about 12–20 depending on configuration.
Roberts explained the RFP’s preference for Community Land Trust (CLT) arrangements in which a nonprofit or community entity owns land and a homeowner owns the structure, with a resale formula to keep units affordable in perpetuity. He outlined a draft timeline: issue the RFP shortly after authorization, receive responses by mid‑May (target May 15), evaluate and present finalists in early summer, select a proposer by summer and aim to begin site entitlements and design over the following 6–12 months with potential construction as early as 2028.
During council discussion and public comment, speakers praised the CLT model and the council’s pursuit of middle‑income supply but raised concerns about the proposed location’s geology and stormwater infrastructure. Rick Colbert urged attention to slope stability and past water breaks near the toe of the bluff; Laura Parker and others flagged limited parking at the nearby baseball field and school‑pickup congestion. Residents asked for additional public forums and traffic/geotechnical analyses prior to selection of a developer.
Councilors emphasized that community engagement and site‑specific solutions are guiding principles of the RFP and that proposers should include meaningful outreach plans. Councilor Davis moved to authorize staff to issue the RFP consistent with council guiding principles; the motion passed with Councilor Adams seconding.
