Commissioners press Port of Astoria for update as $5 million sits in West Astoria urban renewal funds

Commissioners asked staff to convene a work session to clarify priorities for West Astoria urban renewal funds after members said the Port of Astoria has not reported plans for its master plan and that roughly $5,000,000 remains unspent in the district.

"There's $5,000,000 sitting in the West Astoria urban renewal funds, and the port has yet to come back with this with anything," Commissioner Hilton said, urging the commission to reach out for clarity. Commissioner Brownson agreed that the city controls how urban renewal dollars are spent and said the port would need to request city assistance if it wants to use those funds. "The money's out there for us to use as we see fit," Brownson said.

Brownson said the port has issued some requests for proposals for development on the West Moraine Basin but that specific plans and requests for city funds were not clear in the record. He said he intends to meet with the relevant director to follow up before his term ends.

City Manager Spence proposed inviting Elaine Howard—who has previously worked with the city—to a November work session to provide background on urban renewal fund use and to solicit community input prior to budget prioritization. The commission placed the item on a future work session calendar; no funding commitments or formal transfers were made during the meeting.