Astoria City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session - September 29, 2026

The Astoria City Council and Planning Commission held a joint work session on September 29, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:49 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations on the Housing Capacity Analysis (HCA) and the 2027-28 Community Development Department (CDD) Work Plan. Discussions highlighted significant concerns over the balance of housing needs, severe constraints on buildable land, and critical staffing capacity limitations. Note: The agenda and transcript list the date as Monday, September 28, 2026, but this summary is required to use the date September 29, 2026.

Agenda Setting

• City Manager Scott Spence reviewed the upcoming work sessions for the remainder of the year, covering a development review audit update, municipal code modernization, a council handbook review, and regional board assignments.
• Councilor Adams requested information on the upcoming Doboy and Veterans Awareness event.

Housing Capacity Analysis and Contextualized Housing Need

• Consultant Steve Faust (3J Consulting) and Violet Brown presented the Housing Capacity Analysis (HCA), a state requirement for cities over 10,000 in population. The HCA will determine if Astoria has enough land to meet state-assigned housing production targets over the next 20 years.
• Violet Brown presented the Contextualized Housing Need (CHN). She reported that the state Department of Administrative Services (DAS) allocation identifies that approximately 60% of required new units are targeted for households earning less than 60% of Area Median Income (AMI), with 36% for those under 30% of AMI. Demographics showed a median age of 40, 19% of the population living with a disability, and 17% living in poverty. The median home price was cited as $535,000 (May 2026), requiring an income of roughly $160,000 per year to afford.
• Mayor Fitzpatrick expressed significant concerns about a perceived over-emphasis on subsidized housing in the report. He argued Astoria has added 196 income-restricted housing units while the population grew by only 400, and that the city must focus on workforce housing for healthcare workers and other essential staff. He requested data on foreclosures and evictions.
• Violet Brown clarified that the CHN is a legally required section focused on vulnerable populations, stating it is only one component of the larger HCA which will examine the full housing market.
• Commissioner Corcoran questioned the relevance of the selected peer cities (e.g., Pendleton) and asked for analysis to consider the local geography and the regional housing shed.
• Councilor Adams asked about the public engagement plan. Staff confirmed a public meeting is scheduled for October 27, along with stakeholder focus groups and an online survey.
• Consultant Steve Faust presented the preliminary Buildable Lands Inventory (BLI). Of 2,285 gross acres zoned for residential, roughly 58% are environmentally constrained by steep slopes, flood hazards, or landslide susceptibility. A separate Development Ready Lands Inventory will represent an even stricter subset of land for near-term development.
• Councilor Davis questioned the methodology of the state population projections and how second homes and vacation rentals are weighted. The consultant noted that clarification is pending a state webinar.
• Commissioner Hafker asked whether home cost figures would be updated from the May 2026 snapshot to reflect current market drops and interest rate changes.

Community Development Department 2027–28 Work Plan

• Director John Roberts presented a stark overview of department capacity. The CDD has 7 Full-Time Employees (FTE) but Director Roberts estimated the current workload could justify 13-14 FTE. He reported the department is processing over 200 planning applications annually and issued $85 million in building permits in 2025 alone.
• A significant workload is driven by unfunded state mandates. Discretionary priorities for staff effort include modernizing the development code, implementing the housing action plan, finalizing short-term rental (STR) amendments, and historic preservation.
• Director Roberts asked the council and commission for direction on how to sequence the department's discretionary capacity.
• Mayor Fitzpatrick requested that staff return with a breakdown of work into three categories: projects best suited for external consultants, projects for internal focus requiring deep local knowledge, and projects that can be deferred or tabled.
• Councilor Mazzarella and Councilor Davis expressed a strong preference for hiring an additional full-time employee over contracting out work, arguing it would build institutional knowledge and provide a local employment opportunity.
• Councilor Adams requested a detailed cost comparison between using contract staff for the STR program and the cost of a full-time position.
• President Corcoran noted that the planning burden is exacerbated by the high density of non-profits in Astoria (e.g., CMH, Library) who require extensive planning services but pay no property taxes.
• Director Roberts made a point to commend his current team (Tiffany, Sam, Denise, Teresa, Carrie, Ed) for their resilience and competence.

Key Outcomes

• Staff will return to a future meeting with a prioritized breakdown of the CDD work plan, categorizing projects for consultant outsourcing, internal staff focus, and deferral.
• The council broadly supported prioritizing the addition of a new FTE over regular consultant use, pending the requested cost-benefit analysis.
• The HCA process will continue with a public meeting on October 27, 2026.
• Council and commission leadership affirmed a goal of holding a joint work session at least annually to align on priorities.