Commission cool to renting vacated Yachats city offices in Commons building, says wider community discussion needed

 

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com

Members of the city’s Parks and Commons Commission on Thursday gave a cool reception to an idea to rent out much of the city’s offices to a Florence dentist when staff move to the 501 Building late this year.

Mayor John Moore said he wanted to “take the temperature” of renting out the vacated offices to Dr. Brian Holmes when the city vacates the offices. It would be the first regular commercial use of space inside the building since a community group and then the city acquired the former school building more than 30 years ago.

Commission members were not enthusiastic about the idea, raising all sorts of questions.

But it pushed them into a larger discussion of asking the community what should happen to the building’s use when city offices – and later City Council chambers – move to across the parking lot to remodeled space.

“It’s a community building,” said commission chair John Purcell. “My sense is that the Commons building means a lot to the community. I don’t see the commission anxious to lease the space.”

Moore told the commission he was approached by Holmes about available commercial space in Yachats. Moore said Holmes used to bring a mobile clinic to Yachats years ago and is considering adding a dentist to his Florence practice who could visit Yachats 1-2 days a week.

In addition to providing dental services to the area, Moore said the city should be able to gain more than $11,000 in rental income a year by renting out about 750 square feet of city offices. During a time when lodging taxes are expected to decline by 50 percent, he said, any other sources of income can help with Yachats’ budget.

“I want to sound you out on your thoughts,” Moore said.

There were many.

Commission members wondered if the space would be first be attractive to Yachats Youth & Family Activities Program now housed in cramped basement space. Or if it needed to – or should – advertise more broadly to other organizations or businesses that the space is for lease. Or, if Holmes’ practice accepted Oregon Health Plan patients, who have the most trouble getting dental care on the coast.

And just what is the schedule for the 501 Building remodel and move?

City Manager Shannon Beaucaire told the commission that because the city got no response from its request for someone to handle remodeling of the former bank building, the city is allowed to serve as its own general contractor on the project. Facilities director Heather Hoen said she is already getting bids for interior work and hopes to have the office space ready for occupancy by city staff in the fall.

While that will open up room in the southwest corner of the Commons building, Moore said the City Council will likely use the much larger council chamber space into early next year.

But mostly commission members said they needed to get the word out to the community that space is opening up in the Commons and to see what residents think could or should be done with it.

“I don’t think we’re ready to do this yet,” said commission member Dawn Keller. “We should be thinking what we want to do for the Commons building … we need a strategic plan for inside the building as well as outside.”

Beaucaire reminded the commission, however, that the uncertainties of public gatherings in a coronavirus pandemic will limit many uses of the Commons well into next year. Under state guidelines all large public gatherings will not be allowed through the summer and most events scheduled for the fall in the Commons have already cancelled.

“Use of indoor spaces is evolving … ,” Beaucaire said.

Commissioner member Dean Schrock said he was intrigued what could happen if the city offices and council chambers were opened up into a single, larger space.

“It’s premature to consider this … while the greater space would be more interesting to some groups for larger uses,” he said.

Keller agreed.

“We need to hear what people want to see for the Commons,” she said. “That has to happen first.”