YACHATS – The city of Yachats is hosting a session for the public Thursday to explain and review proposed changes to its housing codes.
Residents are encouraged to view the Housing Code update online presentation and submit comments prior to the 5:30 p.m. meeting the Yachats’ Commons.
Attendees will learn more about the proposed concepts, such as adjusted lot coverage, reduced setbacks, accessory dwelling units, multiple housing units per lot, and to share thoughts on the future of housing in the city.
“Yachats is working hard to make sure our town is a place where people can afford to live,” the city said in a news release. “We’ve teamed up with Cascadia Partners to upgrade our housing and zoning codes. This project isn’t just about following new state laws, it’s about making sure our local rules keep up with what our neighbors need today.”
The city said updating housing codes have three main goals:
- More options for middle-income housing and flexibility for duplexes and cottage clusters that can be affordable for families and local workers;
- Helping seniors stay in Yachats by allowing accessory dwelling units, which are currently not permitted. This also allows for more affordable housing; and
- Trying to make sure there is housing for the people who live and work in and around the city.
The meeting will begin with a presentation by city staff and Cascadia Partners before moving to tables to allow people to comment, which will then be summarized and shared.
“Keeping our character is important,” the city said in its news release. “What we’re looking at is what’s called ‘gentle density’ to allow more flexible use of property without losing the feel of our neighborhoods.”
— Garret Jaros/Lincoln Chronicle
Its really simple – just rezone all of those short-term rentals that are the entire problem. Force the owners of vacation rentals to pay a high permit fee and carry expensive insurance since they’re also destroying our hospitality industry.
The changes being proposed to Yachats zoning/building ordinances do not require the City to notify adjacent neighborhoods of a property owner planning to construct middle housing units like plex units. In practice an example would be a vacant lot in your neighborhood suddenly building a triplex or quadraplex. That plex unit could be immediately next door to your home but you would not receive advance notice of that construction from the city under this proposal. They are also wanting to reduce existing setback requirements so the plex unit can cover more lot square footage than is currently allowed. A reduction in required parking space is also proposed that will likely result in on-street parking of cars. It should be noted this is not restricted to unbuilt vacant lots. A developer could purchase an existing (older) home or homes, demolish it, and replace it with a plex unit Under these proposals Yachats will lose the current open rural feel that has given us the quiet residential village it is today under the current zoning ordinance.
We are full time residents and we are opposed to changing our present zoning laws. To increase housing density in our small city would dilute our present neighborhood character, reduce green spaces and affect property values. Our present infrastructure has severe limitations especially water storage and delivery during our dry periods.
We followed the zoning rules when we bought our property in 2016, now you are changing these rules to benefit those outside our city and developers.
Too often the City Council puts those not in our community at the top of the list.
Until you have had renters, not received rent for several months, had your property destroyed, and then had to try to get an eviction … you will never want to be a landlord or have a rental. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip and you are stuck cleaning and making all repairs. No way would I ever rent my home and if we own our property we should be able to use it for whatever we want.
I was at this meeting yesterday and happened to sit at the table with the current mayor and three people who sit on the planning commission. I mentioned that these zoning changes were very important to our city and would change the character of the city of Yachats to which the mayor agreed was so. I then asked because of the importance of these zoning changes shouldn’t Yachats residents and property owners be allowed to vote on this and a referendum be held. All four of these city leaders responded in unison with an emphatic “No!” With one of them adding that “this is what they elected us for”.
As for the meeting itself this was not held to try to convince people that the zoning changes were necessary or a good thing – that issue has already been decided by a handful of people and the zoning changes are happening. The purpose of the meeting was to hear relatively minor concerns about the zoning changes and sound out remedies.
I suggest anyone interested in the future of Yachats take a look at the edifice at the corner of 9th street and highway 101. This building and more like it represents the vision our leaders have of the future of our city and they have already decided that their high density housing vision is going to become our reality.