Planning Commission
The Florence Planning Commission will meet tomorrow evening in a work session to discuss proposed changes to the Housing Code. They will be reviewing several items including Housing Cluster Standards, proposed changes in building height and lot types. City Housing codes have not had significant upgrades for almost 40 years and the city is looking to make these changes in order to address the housing shortage in Florence. Existing lots and buildable acreage will benefit from the changes making it easier for builders to obtain permits. The city is currently working on extending water and sewer services on the north end of Florence which will make additional properties available for housing and business. One of the issues with respect to meeting the housing goals of the city is getting the skilled workers to carry the workload. It is a problem that the planning department is addressing with the updates according to Wendy Farley Campbell.
“With this housing code update we are trying to provide the opportunity to create some temporary housing for construction workers. That is something that we have heard from developers, there is not enough local talent.”
Farley-Campbell did not say where the temporary housing would be located, just that they are looking into providing it. According to city manager Erin Reynolds we need 1600 new permanent housing units currently.
“The pace we’re at right now, we’d be building about 760 units so if we continue to do exactly what we do today we will not meet half the demand of what are community is anticipating.”
The meeting will be at 5:30 tomorrow evening at city hall.
Wings and Wheels
Fast planes and pristine classic cars were the focus on Saturday for the 10th annual Wings and Wheels. Thousands flocked to the Florence Municipal Airport to catch a glimpse of two World War II aircraft and over 100 classic cars. The Grumman Hellcat was almost a no show after it experienced mechanical trouble in Medford, but the plane was repaired in time to astound the crowd. Several high-speed passes and low approaches over the field brought to life the sound of vintage power. The Florence Lions Club was there selling burgers and hot dogs and the event was in honor of long-time Lions Club Member Mike Groshong who passed away in January. The Oregon Coast Military Museum also celebrated its fourth anniversary during the event.
Kiwanis Golf Tournament
The Florence Kiwanis Club announced that they rose over $27,000 for charitable causes in just their second annual Golf Tournament. This year the club used an online auction site for bidding on many of the donated items which raised almost $5000.00 for charity. The golf tournament has replaced the annual Sees Candy sales that the club had sponsored for years.