Yachats manager says commissions should start counting visitors to defend spending decisions

August 15, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Yachats city manager Shannon Beaucaire is urging commissions that oversee public facilities to begin quantifying how many visitors use them to help fend off possible challenges to how the city spends lodging taxes. She made the suggestion Wednesday during a presentation on transient lodging taxes to the city Finance Committee. Beaucaire wants the Finance Committee – made

City commission suggests changes in “Clean Up” event — and surprised at its $6,855 cost

August 15, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Members of the city’s Public Works and Streets Commission won’t recommend that Yachats quit sponsoring its three-day “Clean Up” event each June. But they expressed surprise Tuesday that what began as a shredding event years ago is now a free-for-all trash-dumping service that cost the city $6,855 this year. “That kind of took my breath away,”

Lincoln County moves deeper into vacation rental issues, including possibility of a license limit

August 14, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Lincoln County commissioners are looking into stricter regulation of vacation rentals – including the possibility of limiting the number of licenses. Commissioners authorized their staff last week to spend the next four months digging deeper into “best practices” of regulating vacation rentals, mapping the location of existing licensed rentals, trying to discover the number of

City Council changes mind – and directions – on Ocean View Drive

August 8, 2019

The Yachats City Council on Wednesday did a U-turn on one-way directions for Ocean View Drive – for now. Lincoln County is in the process of making improvements to the longest residential street in Yachats before turning it over to the city. It plans to pave two 1,000-foot sections of the road north and south of Yachats State Park

Yachats council reaches consensus on six vacation rental issues – and not changing much in current ordinance

August 8, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats City Council is not inclined to change much of the city’s current regulations on vacation rentals, reaching consensus Wednesday on six issues and postponing discussion on a seventh. In a workshop session, the council reached a consensus – but not taking a final vote – to: Continuing to prohibit transfer of a license to

Farm tour on Saturday is an opportunity to view a different side of Yachats

August 7, 2019

By ELAINE WATKINS/YachatsNews.com People love Yachats for the beaches, but there’s another warmer, sunnier world that exists up the Yachats River past the fog line. The annual Yachats River Valley Farm Tour gives farmers a chance to show off that other face of the community. Seven farms will show off their work and wares from 10 a.m. to 4

First of three Yachats road paving projects begins Monday, Aug. 5

August 1, 2019

Yachats is going to see more new asphalt during the next two months than it has in years. On Monday, Aug. 3 workers with Devils Lake Rock Co. of Lincoln City will begin work on a $103,000 project to install a storm drain system, rebuild the road base and pave a 240-foot section of West First Street west from

Last lowest tides of the year occur each morning this weekend

July 31, 2019

The last of the series of lowest tides of the year occur each morning this weekend. The lowest low tides start Thursday, Aug. 1 with a minus tide of 1.5 feet, as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at Waldport. The low tide Friday, Aug. 2 is minus 1.6 feet at 8:44 a.m. and then minus 1.3 feet at

Three ‘Coastal Caucus’ legislators schedule Yachats meeting Saturday, Aug. 3

July 31, 2019

Three members of the Oregon Coastal Caucus – a group of eight coastal legislators– will be in Yachats from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday. Aug. 3. The informal question and answer session will be in the pavilion just west of the Yachats Commons. Attending will be Reps. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay, and Dave Gomberg, D-Lincoln City, and Sen. Arne Roblan,

Yachats council to resume vacation rental license discussion on Wednesday, Aug. 7

July 30, 2019

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The Yachats City Council will resume discussing possible changes to its 2-year-old vacation rental ordinance during a workshop meeting Wednesday, Aug. 7. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in council chambers at the Yachats Commons. The council has been trying to make headway on potential tweaks to the ordinance for months, but now faces an Oct.