We want to wish all residents, community members, and readers a happy and great start to the new year! We also want to thank all of you who participate in and serve the City in any and all capacities, both formally and informally. Formally, our Planning Commission Chair and Vice Chair were re-elected; we had re-appointments to Planning Commission; and are currently in a selection process for our Budget Committee, appointments to occur at our Regular Session in February. We also had one new appointment to Planning Commission, Brad Berman. He introduced himself at this month’s Planning Commission meeting.
You can watch here: ci.manzanita.or.us/pc-meeting-1-13-25.
Brad is a third generation Oregonian, native Portlander, and has been a homeowner in Manzanita for 13 years. Professionally, he’s worked for Nike in global roles, but also in architecture, and commercial real estate development the last seven years, with varying project-types such as mixed use, and a significant amount of housing as of late. He will be a great asset to Planning Commission and the Comprehensive Plan and Housing Ordinance Update project! Welcome, Commissioner Berman!
We also had a Work Session focused on short-term rentals (STRs) during which the STR Committee presented.
You can watch here: ci.manzanita.or.us/city-council-work-session-1-15-25/.
The City has heard from residents and community members in a variety of ways regarding STRs, such as through the STR Committee, the 2023 Livability survey, and complaints filed with our Code Enforcement Officer.
The City is trying to make a decision about STR policies, to create more livability for those in Manzanita through policies which constrain STR growth and potentially lessen noise and congestion (i.e., parking and traffic) which may arise from renters; while also wanting to provide adequate services to the City, which are funded in large part by our transient lodging tax (TLT) revenue, as opposed to property taxes which many other cities depend on. Due to certain Oregon measures (specifically Measures 5 and 50), Manzanita derives very little from property taxes and, therefore, must fund service-provision through different means.
We would love to receive input from our community members on this issue. Please reach out to our Council members here: citycouncil@ci.manzanita.or.us.
There will be additional opportunities for the community to weigh-in on this issue at public hearings when and if any new policies are considered by City Council, so stay tuned.
Thank you so much to everyone who completed our second survey related to the Comprehensive Plan and Housing Ordinance Update. We garnered 76 responses which is huge for a city of our size!
We also still have a few 20-mile-per-hour yard signs available for free at City Hall. Come by and pick one up if you would like to show your support for Twenty is Plenty!
Lastly, the City has hired a contractor to complete some needed maintenance and repairs to the park. Parts are on order and as soon as we receive them our contractor will begin the repairs. Access to the play structure will remain closed until the repairs are complete. We are moving as quickly as we can to reopen the structure as soon as possible! Thank you for your patience during this time.
We’re off to a great 2025 thanks to all of you who serve and support our City!
