Aerial photo of the Palmberg property.

A proposed zone change for 29.5 acres at 498 McCormick Gardens Road went before the Gearhart Planning Commission on Sept. 13.

The zone change, from Rural Agricultural to Residential-2, could lead to the development of 10 lots, with single and multifamily housing.

Owner John Palmberg of Palmberg Paving Co. said a development would be “good for the community.”

“We’d be happy to see something developed there, some nice housing, because Gearhart certainly needs it,” Palmberg said at the meeting. “We’d like to see something built there that we can be proud of.”

But neighbors on Pacific Way and McCormick Gardens Road turned out to express concerns over potential flooding, wildlife impacts, traffic and livability.

The process to develop the property started about 18 months ago, City Planner Carole Connell said at the commission meeting.

Owners are interested in a zone change to make the property marketable for sale, she said.

Consultants provided details on impacts on traffic, wetlands and other resources, including the geology of the property and environmental impacts from the Department of Environmental Quality.

If rezoned, OTAK consultant Li Alligood said on behalf of the owners, the property could offer 10 parcels.

With rezoning, a flood plain and wetlands on the property would limit houses to about 7.5 acres or 20 percent of the site. With six units per acre, 42 units could be added.

Neighbors in opposition to the plan pointed to traffic concerns, wildlife use and high water on the road in heavy rains.

Kathy Hebert of McCormick Gardens Road said there are “already too many people back there using the road.”

Residents chose to live nearby for the “freedom with nobody around us to do what we wanted to do.”

Hebert said 1-acre zoning remained appropriate for the site, and at a potential $300,000 or more price per home — a number presented by owners — that the plan would fail to meet the need for affordable housing.

Hebert asked that the property remain rural agricultural as it had been originally zoned. “I abide by the rules, others (should) abide by the rules,” Hebert said.

Susan Lemas of Pacific Way said the site often flooded during rains, and she was concerned adding more houses “would make flooding worse.”

Added traffic was also a concern. “The roads aren’t built for that,” Lemas said.

Property owner Gloria Edler asked that the property retain its agricultural zoning. “We’re agricultural out here. We don’t need high density. It’s not made for that.”

“I want it to stay the way it was when I moved there,” she added. “This is what we moved here for 50 years ago.”

Criteria for a decision are based on the city’s comprehensive plan, neighborhood housing types and cooperation with the county’s Regional Housing Authority to ensure affordable housing in the Gearhart area.

The commission would refer a recommendation to the City Council, which could approve or reject the zone change.

If a development is proposed, it will again go before the commission for review.

Future approvals will require a look at roads, fire access approval and other permits, Connell said. “These issues will come later with a development proposal.”

In a submission to the Planning Commission, the Fair Housing Council said the plan will need a revision of the city’s buildable lands inventory or housing needs analysis, last updated in 1990.

The Oregon Coast Alliance, in a letter from executive director Cameron La Follette, asked the commission to deny the rezone request and enter negotiations with the owners for purchase of the entire 27 acres as a regional park.

“That would protect the wetlands, prevent any further spread of contaminated soils, buffer the low-density zoning on county-zoned lands to the east, and protect Gearhart’s integrity by not allowing yet more unnecessary high-end housing at the edge of town,” La Follette wrote.

The Planning Commission voted to continue the hearing until Oct. 11.