Controversy prompts two hours of testimonyCANNON BEACH – In what one councilor called one of the “most important decisions this council will make,” the City Council voted 3-2 to repeal an ordinance that would have required a smaller ratio of buildings to their lot sizes.

Under the ordinance, the area of the floor space in a residence would have been .5 instead of .6 of the area of the lot. For instance, with current provisions if a resident owns a 5,000-square-foot lot, a house may be 3,000 square feet instead of 2,500 square feet.

Councilors will draw up a new ordinance that deals with definitions on certain subsections, which they will discuss in May.

If the new ordinance is adopted, residents will may build houses that are .6 instead of .5 of the land in their lot.

“I think we are voting on one of the most important issues that will come before this council in a number of years,” said councilor Bud Kramer, who supported the lower .5 ratio.

In July, the council adopted an ordinance which included a .5 floor area ratio (F.A.R.), contingent on the outcome of state ballot Measure 7, which was mired in a court process. The city ordinance was appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals.

The ballot measure, which limited government control over private land, was rejected by the Oregon Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, councilor Tevis Dooley and Mayor Dave Rouse were elected and Carmen Swigart re-elected. All three supported the previous .6 ratio. The new council asked the land-use board of appeals to remand the ordinance to the city for further consideration.

The council heard nearly two hours of public testimony Tuesday. Seven people spoke in favor of the .6 ratio and 10 people spoke in favor of the .5.

Larry Sparks, who owns a home on Hemlock, said he would like to remodel his home. “(The .5 ratio) squelched our dreams to increase the size of our house and do the things we’d like to do with it,” he said.

Frank Little said he has a view of several large beach houses. “I think they’re exciting, he said, commending the builders. “I like the architecture. I like what they’re doing. I think it’s unfair to change those regulations.”

Other community members called for smaller houses that make Cannon Beach feel more like a village.

“Big buildings may bring in more dough,” Buzz Johnson said. “I think that’s not what this community is about.”

Architect Jay Raskin said he counsels his clients to build in balance with their surroundings. When they build houses that have high ratios, they tend to abut neighboring lots.

Another resident, John Fraser, photographed several houses that are built close together. “As the photos show, you don’t get light; you don’t get air,” Raskin said.

Kramer said he wants to limit the changes in Cannon Beach.

“You can’t stop change, but you can slow it down. Cannon Beach is going to change much more rapidly than the people want it to,” Kramer said.

Dooley said he’s owned a vacation home in Cannon Beach since the 1970s. Each year, his family came, he noticed changes. But he opposed the .5 ratio.

“I consider it an unwarranted limitation on a resident’s right to self expression, including a resident’s right to bad taste,” Dooley said.

Rouse said he believed the election was a factor in his decision and believed citizens voted for him because of his support of the .6 ratio. Other residents said that wasn’t the case.