Conceptual site plan for a firehouse and police station on land north of Gearhart.

Gearhart presented details of a $13 million bond measure last Thursday, designed to meet the needs of a firehouse project near Highlands Lane and U.S. Highway 101. If the 20-year bond is approved by voters, the firehouse could see a four- to six-month design process in 2022 with construction starting in 2023.

In a special meeting earlier this month, the City Council voted unanimously to put bond Measure 964 on the Nov. 2 ballot. Bonds would cost property owners an estimated maximum of $1.052 per $1,000 of assessed value per year.

On a home assessed at $300,000, the estimated property tax increase would be about $316, and on a home assessed at $500,000, $526. The city will pursue any outside funding that comes available, staff said in announcing the measure.

Costs, considerations

A geotechnical report delivered in July from Foundation Engineering Inc. said that while there are hazards building on the Oregon Coast, these hazards do not necessarily preclude building at the proposed site. The property, owned by Cottages at Gearhart LLC, is considered able to survive an extra-large tsunami, as measured by the state’s Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

“Risks from these hazards will need to be accepted for the construction of the proposed facilities,” the engineering company wrote.

They recommended additional drilling, engineering analysis and seismic hazards study.

While construction costs are estimated at $10.2 million, the city is seeking voter authorization based on the building cost and a contingency of approximately 20%, City Attorney Peter Watts said at the special City Council meeting earlier this month to approve authorization of the bond measure.

“Like everything else, construction costs have been pretty volatile,” Watts said. “We want to make sure that we’re covered.”

The project budget worksheet from PIVOT Architecture presents a design fee of $1.5 million. Building and site construction is estimated at $6.4 million, which includes the 13,200-square-foot fire station, access roads, sidewalks, sewer system and other elements. The project has a $1.3 million estimated contingency.

“This isn’t going to be a Taj Mahal at all,” City Administrator Chad Sweet said. “It’s going to be a basic fire station with the basic needs of the fire department, nothing fancy inside of it.”

The city intends to use a portion of the property for a city park.

A southwest vehicle access road could add an additional $500,000 to the project.

Boundary change

The city is working with planners to bring the 30-acre Cottages at Gearhart subdivision off Highlands Lane into the city’s urban growth boundary.

To that end, conversations with the state’s Department of Land Conservation and Development have been “very positive,” Watts said.

“It’s our intent for the city to get the property whether the bond passes or not,” Watts said. “That way we would have a place to put a fire station if funding became available in the future.”

If the city is unable to bring the property into the urban growth boundary within a year, the purchase agreement would terminate unless both parties agree to an extension.

The developers, Cottages at Gearhart LLC, must also receive city approval for a subdivision containing four units per acre, twice as many as an outright use permitted by the county.

Any city voter who believes the ballot title is insufficient or unfair may file a petition for judicial review with Clatsop County by Aug. 30.