Impressions: In Seaside, it’s ‘Back to the Future’

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, February 5, 2014

If theres one thing Seaside Mayor Don Larson likes to do, its to think ahead.

In fact, in the last City Council meeting, I felt like I had just been dropped into a rerun of the movie, Back to the Future.

But in my version, there were no time-traveling sports cars. Michael J. Fox wasnt there with his buddy, Christopher Lloyd.

Instead, I had two documents and a promise.

The first document was a report produced for the City Council that looks at Seasides land needs for the next 20 years. It says that the citys population is expected to grow by 20 percent, that 1,425 additional housing units will be needed as well as more land for commercial and industrial uses and for parks.

In all, the study, conducted by Portland-based Johnson Economics, said the city needed to grow by 201 acres.

And exactly where would that be?

Bordered on the west by a rather large ocean, on the east by forest-covered hills, on the north by Gearhart and on the south by flood-prone wetlands, theres not much room to grow. A proposed city ordinance, which incorporates the studys findings and amends the citys comprehensive plan, suggests that expansion might occur to the southeast.

Visioning

The second document I received at the City Council meeting was distributed by Jon Rahl, director of the Seaside Visitors Bureau and assistant manager of the Seaside Civic and Convention Center.

Rahl, Seaside Library director Esther Moberg and intern Jeremy Goldsmith are spearheading Seasides latest visioning project.

The three, assisted by Larson and the City Council, as well as residents, business operators and employees and even tourists, will attempt to gaze into an ethereal crystal ball and predict Seasides future for the next 20 years.

They are calling the visioning project a Bridge to the Future.

Throughout the year, surveys will be taken, events will be planned, talks will be conducted and reports will be written.

At the end of the year, Larson, the visioning team and all of Seaside could have a better idea about where Seaside is headed in 2034.

To set the stage, Rahl passed out a summary report to give us a snapshot of current life in Seaside. It says that:

More women (52 percent) than men live in Seaside.

One quarter (25.8 percent) are between 20 and 39 years old, but that group is only slightly ahead of those between 40 and 59 (21.6 percent) and between ages 60 and 99 (24.4 percent).

About 82 percent of Seasides residents are Caucasian, about 12 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Asian, less than 1 percent American Indian/Alaska Native, and the rest are listed as other.

Of households, 46 percent are married couples; of those, 35 percent have no children.

Telling stats

Single homeowners make up 39 percent of Seasides households; 10 percent of households are single parents. The rest: unmarried partners, 1 percent; group homes, 1 percent; and other, 3 percent.

Rental properties have a significant impact in Seaside, the report notes: About 2,700 units are owner occupied; 2,000 are renter occupied; 1,500 are seasonal rentals and about 600 are long-term rentals.

About 59 percent of residents are employed, 37 percent arent seeking employment, 3 percent are unemployed and 1 percent are in the Armed Forces.

While 82 percent use their vehicles to get to work, others use bikes or walk (9 percent), public transportation (1 percent) or taxis (1 percent). For those who work at home (6 percent), the only vehicle required is a comfy pair of slippers.

On average, 42 percent of Seasides working population has a travel time of nine minutes to work.

A sizeable portion of the population uses the South County Community Food Bank: Last December, 928 individuals, 339 households and 59 homeless people visited the food bank.

Key numbers

Six percent of the citys residents have graduate degrees, 20 percent have bachelors or associate degrees and 58 percent are high school graduates. About 16 percent didnt graduate from high school.

Students in grades K through 12 account for 22 percent of the population (1,395). At least 52 percent of Seasides students receive free or reduced lunches. English is a second language for 8.6 percent.

Those holding library cards: 68 percent of Seasides population. The library averages 129,000 visitors a year.

Last year, 988 people participated in the open swims offered by the Seaside Empire Park and Recreation District, 35,000 attended the Seaside Chamber of Commerces Fourth of July celebration and 30,000 either watched or participated in the chambers beach volleyball tournament.

Seasides police dispatchers answer about 8.500 calls a year, and nearly 1,000 calls are taken by the Seaside Volunteer Fire Department. Of the fire department calls, 700 are for rescue and emergency medical services, while only about 50 are for fires.

The Seaside Civic and Convention Center welcomes about 36,000 visitors a year; the Seasides Visitors Bureau greets about 20,000 tourists and mails nearly 130,000 materials to individuals and organizations.

The city collects $2.9 million in lodging taxes. At least 35 percent of all jobs in Seaside are directly involved in hospitality.

What it means

So what do all these statistics mean, besides a head full of numbers and massive confusion?

It means that theres a great base for the visioning project to work from. Peering to the future through that ethereal glass ball may not be so difficult after all.

And thats where the promise comes in.

If all of us participate in the visioning projects surveys and the events, and think carefully about how we want Seaside to grow and improve, theres a promise for a strong, well-constructed bridge to the future.

And Mayor Don Larson, who worries so much about whats to become of the city, will know its in good hands.

Nancy McCarthy is the South County reporter for The Daily Astorian and the editor of the Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach Gazette. Her column appears every other week.