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Nine Oregon properties in contention for listing on the National Register of Historic Places could be approved at the state level in Astoria on Friday.

Approval by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation is necessary before the properties can be approved at the national level.

A property’s inclusion on the national register qualifies the owner for various federal grants and programs to help preserve the historic character. It also assures that the property’s history will be taken into account before surface mining permits are issued for nearby land.

Beyond that, owners can do what they want with their properties – provided no federal money is involved, and they are not running afoul of local historic preservation laws.

Such laws will definitely not affect the Astoria Marine Construction Historic District, one of the largest pieces of property that will be discussed at Friday’s meeting.

“The county doesn’t have any historic districts, but I wouldn’t expect listing this property to affect development in that area,” Clatsop County Development Director Hiller West said. “It wouldn’t affect our current zoning laws.”

The Astoria Marine Construction Company, still in operation, started in 1924. The property is four miles south of Astoria on Front Road, and last week was named one of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places by the Historic Preservation League of Oregon.

Contaminants discovered on the 7.2-acre site also made it eligible for the Environmental Protection Agency‘s National Priorities List. Agents at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are investigating to learn the full extent of the contamination.

Peggy Moretti, executive director of the Historic Preservation League, said increased public visibility will help focus cleanup efforts and protect the historic site.

Rosemary Johnson, assistant planner for the city of Astoria, said that is good news for city officials. Although the site is not in the city limits, city officials have written letters supporting its inclusion on the national register.

“It’s a big development,” she added. “We totally support anything positive that can be done with a complex that size. Obviously, it will have a huge economic impact on the rest of the county.”

Johnson agreed with West that a listing on the national register would not hinder the prospect of development near the property.

“Once you get on the register, local historic preservation laws kick in, and the county doesn’t have those sorts of regulations,” she said.

Ian Johnson, who oversees the national listing process for the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, said state officials have a 90-day deadline following Friday’s meeting to make recommendations to National Park Service officials (who are in charge of the national register).

Federal officials then have 45 days to make a final determination.

“The speed of the process really depends on the nature of the individual property,” Johnson said.

Friday’s meeting starts at 9 a.m. at Astoria City Hall, 1095 Duane St. in Astoria. Other sites being considered for the national register include the:

• Ernest Haycox estate in Portland

• North Palestine Baptist Church in Adair Village

• Petersen Rock Garden in Redmond

• Fish Lake Guard Station in Detroit

• Odd Fellows Rural Cemetery in Salem

• Andrew and Minnie Brooks house in Portland

• Harry Green house in Portland

• Enterprise Public Library in Enterprise