Caretaker quarters proposed for the Gearhart Community Center.

Owners of the former elementary school have pulled an application for a caretaker dwelling in the building.

Prior to this month’s Planning Commission meeting, Scofi Gearhart LLC withdrew its conditional use permit application after owners disputed comments presented in a staff report prior to this month’s Planning Commission meeting, including the need for a property zone change to add the proposed caretaker apartments in the building, now known as the Gearhart Recreation Center.

“After careful review of the staff report, it is clear to us that the nature and scope of our goals for the school site and need for a caretaker dwelling are misunderstood,” wrote Bob and Timi Morey of Scofi Gearhart LLC to the Planning Commission. “Consequently, we are going to take a step back and try to better frame our narrative about what we hope to accomplish on the site in collaboration with the city and broader public. That said, we will continue our efforts to work with the city administration to create almost 3 acres of publicly accessible park land.”

A prime example, he said, was a member of the Planning Commission who suggested that the developer’s conversations with the city regarding a lease of land for a park was somehow a “backdoor” plan to get consent for 45 to 50 apartment units, Morey said.

“The general confusion in the community about what we are thinking about and some inaccuracies in the staff report raised concern that the narrow focus of our CUP application would morph into unrelated territory,” Bob Morey said.

“To suggest at the caretaker dwelling phase we are trying to ‘backdoor’ our way into 45 to 50 apartment units is to spin fantasy rather than fact. We have no intent to backdoor any required consent let alone one for 45 to 50 apartment units on a site that our preliminary septic and hydrology work indicates has a maximum capacity of 18 to 22 units.”

If owners elect to include housing in their final plan, they envision it being single-story one- and two-bedroom long-term rental cottages that will be designed to be in keeping with the character of Gearhart.

The original school building was constructed in 1948 and added on to in 1968. The Moreys purchased the 8.5-acre property in 2020. The school is zoned public/semi-public, with outright uses as government facility, public meeting space or school.

“We bought the elementary school understanding the rezoning risk,” Bob Morey said. “Nonetheless we proceeded with the purchase because we did not want to see the entrance to our city continue to be one of poorly maintained and deteriorating public buildings. We are pleased with what we have accomplished to date in preserving and protecting the former school building and while removing four no longer functional portable classrooms.”

The Department of Environmental Quality evaluated 10 test pits on the school site early this month. The owners will be monitoring groundwater conditions throughout from Nov. 1 to April 30. A dryer winter could bring another year of monitoring.

“Only after we have DEQ’s next report based upon acceptable winter groundwater testing results will be able to start finalizing how we envision the property being used,” Bob Morey said. “Facts will guide our site plans.”

In the best case scenario, the Moreys hope to process a zone change and start construction by summer 2023. They intend to refile for a conditional use permit for a caretaker dwelling at a later date.