An effort is under way to redevelop a portion of Astoria’s waterfront into a destination. The framework includes mixed-use buildings, a new hotel and a market space.

Walker Macy is designing the master plan for the site that stretches west from the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Pier 1. It includes the iconic Red Building, the West Mooring Basin, the strip of land behind the basin, and the pier.

Members of the Port of Astoria, the city and Walker Macy presented master plan updates – including the preferred development schematic – to the public on Tuesday night.

Unlike other waterfronts around Oregon, Astoria’s has limited space. The site’s back end has the Riverwalk trail and trolley tracks with a 50-foot right of way on both sides. That divides the land into “skinny zones” too small for large-scale development and industrial uses, Walker Macy project manager Calder Gillin said.

Plans call for turning the strip of land behind the basin into a boardwalk topped by a “fishing village” with small buildings for vendors selling food, drink and seasonal retail items.

Due to site constraints, the best spot for large-scale development, Gillin said, is at the end of Pier 1 because of its size and water access. The master plan framework suggests that portion of the property would be used for manufacturing, seafood processing, shipping, or another industrial use.

The other side of the pier would be dedicated to attracting cruise line visitors via tour buses, taxis, rideshare vehicles and rental bicycles. Plans also call for a viewpoint tower at the tip of Pier 1.

Only two existing buildings – the Chinook Building and Astoria Riverwalk Inn – would not remain as they are, according to the master plan, because of their conditions and repair cost estimates, Gillin said. Proposed reuse of those spaces would be as a hotel and a market hall.

After talking with hotel planners, Walker Macy principal and landscape architect Mike Zilis said the new hotel would likely have 60-90 rooms and a restaurant. However, in order to accommodate such a structure, the current zoning code would need to change.

The target, Gillin said, is for Walker Macy to complete its work – including updates that account for community input – by early February. Then the plan will go to the port and the city for adoption.

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ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — The cash-strapped Port of Astoria is considering charging fees to passing ships to raise money to maintain its aging infrastructure despite objections from the shipping industry.

The fees would help pay for maintenance at Pier 1, which is the only structure at the mouth of the Columbia River large enough for ships to tie up in in case of emergency, The Daily Astorian reported this week.

Pier 1 is often host to large ships that have been ordered to get repairs by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Port staff last month opened the possibility of charging landing fees on seafood processors and fees for passing ships, contracting Haglund to explore the possibilities. Haglund reported back that the Port has broad authority to charge fees in its jurisdiction, which stretches to the Washington state side of the Columbia River.

The shipping industry has mobilized against the plan, however, and says the port can’t impose a tax and is citing a U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down a property tax imposed on oil tankers by Valdez, Alaska.

The ruling found that such a tax wasn’t OK because the Constitution bars states from enacting tonnage fees without an act of Congress, said Kate Mickelson, executive director of the Columbia River Steamship Operators’ Association, which represents oceangoing vessels.

The Port has talked about limiting fees to passing vessels 250 feet or longer, capturing oceangoing ships and leaving out fishing, sailing and other smaller boats.

Vessels transiting the Columbia receive invoices for services from the Merchants Exchange in Portland, said Jim Knight, the Port’s executive director.

“They would send the bills to the ships’ agents, and once a month the Port would receive a statement of how many vessels were charged and how much money was collected,” he said.

Port staff will analyze how much dredging and maintenance on and around Pier 1 costs before coming up with a proposed fee.

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