Pedestrian Killed
At approximately 5:18 yesterday evening emergency responders were called to highway 101 south of the Siuslaw River bridge near east Glenada Road after reports of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian. Oregon State Police were on scene of the accident. 28 year old Heather Marie Sanford of Eugene was walking in the travel portion of the southbound lane of Highway 101 when she was struck by a 2017 GMC Sierra Pickup driven by 70 year old William Arthur Brown. Sanford was declared deceased at the scene by medical personell. Immediately prior to the accident a motorist had reported Sanford to the police as a hazard. Coast Radio had received a call later in the evening from a man claiming to be the victim’s father and was looking for police department phone numbers. OSP is continuing the investigation. Mr. Brown, the driver of the vehicle is cooperating with police and is not suspected of any wrong doing. Hwy 101 was reduced to one lane of traffic for about two hours as police secured the scene. Oregon State Police was assisted by ODOT Incident Response, Florence Police Department, and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue.
City Moves to Comply with State
The City Council voted to move forward on investigating code changes that will be required by Senate Bill 1051. Last night council received a briefing from the city’s Planning Associate Glen Sutherland on how the new law effects the City of Florence. One of the issues is the quicker approval required for land use issues. The state has shortened the response time for cities that are larger than 5000 residents from 120 days to 100 days. Southerland says that the city is already operating within the new limitations for most of its applications.
“Usually we are a lot better than 120 days and even 100 days but this will mandate that we review and approve those applications within 100 days.”
The new law also requires reporting to the state Department of land conservation and development all applications submitted to the city for needed housing. According to Southerland the city, under the new law, is also banned from prohibiting accessory dwelling units from properties. These units can be attached, detached, or within the confines of a current structure.
“So any single family home can have an accessory dwelling unit according to this senate bill.”
Southerland added that in order for this to apply the property must be zoned for single family dwellings. The city also moved forward on entering into an agreement to begin asbestos removal from the city hall. Initial estimates were expected near $57,000 dollars, but final bids came in around the $37,000 mark.
Honeyman Closes Its Gates
Honeyman State Park has revert to standard daylight business hours, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. the move comes after repeated incidents of vandalism and unauthorized driving. Park Manager Justin Helberg said that the natural grassy area had been damaged beyond routine repair in the East Woahink area of the park and was concerned that problems could spread to other areas. Helberg also added the frequency of the incidents has him concerned for public safety due to the somewhat isolated area. And that by the time reports of problems come in it is often too late for staff or law enforcement to intervene. Access from Canary Road will be gated overnight, and opened daily, as posted. Visitors can check the state park website at www.oregonstateparks.org.
