By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
The Yachats Planning Commission on Tuesday approved recommending a zone change for the former fire station in downtown, paving the way for the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District to get the building ready for sale.
The recommendation to zone the fire district property on West Second Street for commercial use now goes to the City Council for approval in March.
The fire district moved out of its 69-year-old station in November and into an $8.3 million station just outside the north city limits. The district’s downtown property consists of four tax lots holding the former station, an old house and a small garage. The lots were zone for public use and multifamily/residential. The rezoning to commercial would allow everything from a retail business to multifamily to single-family residential, city planners told the commission.
The original station – a small building and single bay for a fire truck — dates back to 1949 shortly after the formation of the fire district and before Yachats enacted zoning ordinances. The district added two equipment bays 1973. In 1983 it attached an office, kitchen, meeting room and another bay.
In his staff report, city planner Dave Mattison said the zoning request meets all requirements by the city related to public facilities, potential for housing and commercial use.
Fire district board chair Katherine Guenther told the Planning Commission that there is a misconception in the community that the city owns the building and some sentiment that the city should hold onto it for some kind of public use.
“But unless you want something ever to be there again, you need a zoning change,” Guenther said. She said the district requested the change to commercial zoning because it is adjacent to the C&K Market and that type zoning “gives someone more flexibility” in what to do with the property.
Two neighbors expressed concern for maintaining easements allowing access to apartments on the west and a house to the north. District officials said that would be no problem and would be written into any sales agreement and deeds.
Commissioner Jacqueline Danos initially expressed hesitancy over the zone change, wondering if there should be a wider community discussion of possibilities for the property, especially with upcoming changes in the Yachats Commons, moving City Hall to the 501 Building and a possible new home for Yachats Youth and Family Activities Program.
“There’s people in the community who’d like to have more to say on the zoning … more than those” neighbors who got official notice of the zoning change,” Danos said.
But commission chair Helen Anderson said the change to commercial would actually widen the possible uses for the building.
“You’re driving at use,” she said. “What they’re proposing would make it more useable.”
The fire district has no interest in keeping the property. Board members have previously said the district needs proceeds from any sale to put into reserve for yearly operating expenses and for when it needs to purchase an expensive new engine.
“We’re not going to be your typical sellers,” Guenther told the commission. “Yes, we have to maximize our return … but express your comments and concerns to the fire board. There is another venue.”
The commission then voted 5-0 to recommend the zone change to the City Council.
The rezoning is only the first step in getting the station on the market. The building still contains lots of stuff that to be moved to one of the district’s three other stations, returned to volunteers or others, or simply thrown away. The district still has to determine who will list it the property and figure out what the asking price might be. The Lincoln County assessor has the four lots and building valued at $450,000.
In other business the commission:
- Recommended the City Council approve a conditional use permit for a bed and breakfast business at 610 Lemwick Lane. Applicant Jana Kelly of Yachats wants to purchase the six-bedroom licensed vacation rental and convert it into a five-bedroom bed and breakfast, which would require she live there. After hearing concerns from neighbors about parking issues, the commission voted 5-0 to approve the permit contingent on a revised parking and landscaping plan.
- Discussed the deteriorating state of the reader board outside the Yachats Commons and what type of sign would be allowed to replace it under a new city sign code it approved late last year.