Project leaders heard public support and enthusiasm this week after presenting initial design concepts for the redevelopment of the former elementary school and NeCus’ Park site.

The city and its Portland-based design architect, CIDA Inc., are in the beginning stages of the design phase to redevelop the city-owned property on Beaver Street into a tourist destination honoring the history of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes.

The City Council gave CIDA the green light to move forward with the design process in July after two months of public engagement.

The budget for the project is $5.5 million, which will be paid for using lodging taxes.

During a work session Wednesday, Dustin Johnson, the principal architect with CIDA, presented different options and outlined the process for the design phase.

Prior to presenting the concepts to City Council, Johnson said they were reviewed by city staff and the tribe. He said revisions will be made based on all the feedback and go back before the council for a milestone approval.

Johnson said that process will happen three times during the design phase.

“And with each time we come to you, the idea is that the number of design options that we’re showing you become more finalized and fewer of them as we try to get to that single, final schematic design at the end of this design phase,” he said.

There are three buildings on the property, including a 7,000 square-foot gymnasium, a 4,500 square-foot one-story building with classrooms and a 3,300 square-foot building used by the Cannon Beach Food Pantry. The gymnasium and classroom buildings have been vacant since 2013 and are in poor condition.

The property will also feature a plaza and bus stop, a garden area, patio, recreational field, amphitheater and fire pit, riparian corridor and estuary beach.

The classroom building, which has four classrooms and office space, is envisioned to house flexible education spaces for workshops, meetings or exhibits. The building could feature a welcome center that can offer information about the site, the city and surrounding area.

The gymnasium building could be used as an event space and public recreation center. It could be stripped to accommodate basketball, pickleball and volleyball courts. A welcome center could also be built as an addition off of the gymnasium building, but Johnson noted that option would be more expensive.

A catering or commercial kitchen could be added to the classroom building or gymnasium.

The patio to the north of the classroom building could be used for farmers markets or additional parking and include a covered canopy.

A plaza and bus stop on the southeast corner of the property could serve as a space for people to congregate and to introduce the cultural and historical significance of the site.

A community garden or cultural heritage garden with native plants could be placed next to the plaza.

The amphitheater on the opposite side of the site could feature concrete and grass with fire pits for bonfires.

The recreational field could be used as an outdoor play area and for outdoor exhibits and events.

Pedestrian trails and a foot bridge could connect the site to Ecola Creek Park and Les Shirley Park.

Todd Lawson, who spoke on behalf of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes, said the tribe is in favor of incorporating the food pantry into the project and using the garden as an opportunity to restore native plants.

He said the heritage garden could help educate people about native plants and live in harmony with the elk more easily than a community garden.

“I’m really looking forward to sort of figuring out how we can all work together and develop this moving forward in a vocabulary that is both about Cannon Beach and also about the tribe because we don’t see them as separate,” Lawson said. “We think they’re a continuum and I think it could be really just a world-class place to visit.”

Several residents who shared feedback on Wednesday also spoke in favor of a heritage garden and expressed enthusiasm for the project as a whole.

Many also supported going all out with the project, noting that it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Margo Lalich, a resident who served as Clatsop County’s interim public health director, echoed those comments.

“We want to do it well. We want to do it right and honor everything that we’ve heard,” she said. “And I think we need to optimize the gym because Cannon Beach lacks indoor recreational opportunities for all ages. And it’s so important from a public health perspective, (and) just for our mental and physical well-being.”