Astoria moving forward with controversial new housing proposal

By Elizabeth Castillo (OPB)
March 9, 2022 12:52 a.m.
Astoria, Oregon.

Astoria, Oregon.

bowers8554/Flickr

Last month, the Astoria City Council narrowly approved a plan to develop a vacant block in its downtown corridor. The plan calls for building workforce housing for low-income renters and supportive housing for people in mental health treatment.

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Joan Herman is an Astoria city councilor. She told OPB’s “Think Out Loud” that the need for housing is a top priority in the city and the location for the development remains unused.

There’s a “dire need for affordable housing in our community,” she said. “Especially because we rely to a great extent on the tourism industry, which means generally speaking lower wage workers.”

But some community members claim that the housing being proposed could have a negative impact on downtown businesses.

The city will collect public input on the housing development plan at a meeting scheduled for Monday.

Listen to the entire conversation:

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