Vacation rental testimony Tuesday night favors license transfers and more code enforcement

May 15, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The speakers were nearly unanimous – the city of Yachats’ 2-year-old vacation rental ordinance needs some tweaks – and muscle. All but one of 20 people who testified to the Yachats City Council Tuesday night said a “pilot” vacation rental ordinance that caps the number of licenses at 125 needs some changes. There was only a little

City commission endorses outside study of Yachats’ water rates after more errors discovered

May 15, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Tom Lauritzen wants to know if the city of Yachats is going to return his $54.72. Lauritzen, a retired accountant and former finance consultant for the city, discovered an error in his water bill two months ago. Since 2016, when the city revamped water rates, it had been charging him – and maybe 850 other accounts –

Yachats council to revisit controversial regulations governing vacation rentals

May 9, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com When the Yachats City Council opens a hearing Tuesday night on its 2-year-old vacation rental ordinance most of the drama from the past will likely be gone. Some vacation rental managers and owners are expected to attend to argue against the limit of 125 licenses in the city. A few homeowners will likely be there to say

Yachats Farmers Market moves past turmoil for season opening

May 9, 2019

When the Yachats Farmers Market opens its season at 9 a.m. Sunday, the market should be full of vendors, the sun will be shining and hopefully any drama from the past two months over who will run it will be left behind. Market manager George Mazeika said there will be 36 vendors occupying 37 of the 40 available spaces Sunday.

Yachats council decides on one-way directions for Ocean View Drive

May 7, 2019

Yachats may not yet have a stoplight, but it could be getting a couple more one-way streets this summer. The City Council voted last week to make two sections of Ocean View Drive one-way after Lincoln County finishes improvements this summer and turns the street over to the city. The county wants to relinquish control of the street that runs

Man found dead Thursday near Yachats State Park was longtime local restaurant worker

May 3, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The man found dead on the beach near Yachats State Park on Thursday, May 2, was a longtime Yachats-area resident and restaurant employee who had moved to Newport about two years ago to work there, his friends said Friday. Michael S. Clift, 43, — known as Scott to his friends — was found Thursday morning on the

Yachats council reverses direction to award control of Sunday farmer’s market

May 2, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats City Council on Wednesday rejected a recommendation that a vendor-run group manage the popular farmer’s market and instead voted unanimously to let a local businesswoman operate it. The vote came after council members acknowledged a flurry of emails and telephone calls the past week in support of a proposal by Blythe Collins, owner of Bread

Yachats conservation group puts riverside property pursuit on hold

April 24, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com A local conservation group organizing an effort to buy 30 acres of undeveloped land along the Yachats River is putting the effort on hold and dropping a request to the city for $200,000 to help fund the purchase. View the Future, a 15-year-old Yachats-based nonprofit, said it could not readily raise the money to meet a $1

City commission wants museum board to step up its fundraising efforts

April 23, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com A Yachats commission tasked with oversight of the Little Log Church and Museum wants to see more information and involvement from the museum board to make it more comfortable with recommending the city spend $300,000 to replace the church. The frustration surfaced at the end of a Yachats Parks and Commons Commission meeting last week as the

Council gets push-back on one-way grid proposal for Ocean View Drive

April 18, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNew.com The Yachats City Council got some push-back Wednesday night as it sought comments on changing traffic flows on Ocean View Drive east and north of Yachats State Park. Lincoln County is in the process of planning repairs to Ocean View Drive through Yachats before turning the road over to the city. The county plans to pave the