The two small residential building lots along Aqua Vista Loop and Marine Drive have been sitting empty for decades.
The lots are owned by Lincoln County, which acquired them years ago as part of the legal settlement that re-established the 804 Trail through Yachats. The lots contain a 10-foot easement to allow the trail to cut directly north from Aqua Vista to Marine Drive.
But they would be large enough for two houses – and Mayor John Moore is encouraging the city to acquire them from the county or have the county sell or donate them to a nonprofit to build work-force housing for Yachats-area hospitality workers.
“We know we need to do something about workforce housing,” Moore told the council last week. “Most of the people who work in Yachats can’t afford to live in Yachats.”
Moore said if the county wants to sell or donate the land “there are nonprofits in Lincoln and Lane counties to develop housing.”
The idea is not unprecedented.
Yachats has waived or reduced fees to help two large low-income housing projects on the north edge of the city. Last month the county donated three tax-foreclosed residential lots in Lincoln City to Habitat for Humanity and Northwest Coastal Housing to build affordable housing.
The county is trying to develop an overall housing plan for itself and the many cities in it. Moore said County Counsel Wayne Belmont is open to discussing a way to better use the two building lots.
The lot facing Marine Drive is 50 by 120 feet; the lot off Aqua Vista is 70 by 100 feet.
Councilor Jim Tooke, who lives on Aqua Vista, said whatever is done it is important to keep property owners in the area aware of any proposals. Councilor James Kerti wondered if one of the small parcels might be used as a park, but said finding a better use for the vacant lots “is definitely something we should do.”
Moore said he would contact Belmont again to show the city’s interest in doing something with the properties and reach out to nonprofit housing organizations to see if they would be interested in a project in Yachats.
What a bad idea! We already have to put up with all the vacation rentals in our areas and NOW the city is pushing mini-houses. Fisterra Apartments have been supported by the city, we don’t need more low income housing areas anywhere in the city. We would never have moved to our village had we imagined that this problem would have been thrust upon us. I believe my wife and I could support a Habitat for Humanity project since the owners would have a permanent stake in our community. So our position is no min-houses in our established neighborhood. Since the City of Yachats does not enforce R-1 zoning in our neighborhood we feel this would be unenforced by the city also, leading to a negative effect to our neighborhood’s property values.
We are absolutely against any mini-houses in Yachats, bigger cities have more resources to support such a living arrangement, Yachats does not.