Prevent Road Vacations in Tillamook County

The Pacific City area, including Tierra Del Mar, holds enormous recreational value. The Eloise and Guardenia Avenues have been used by recreational users, visitors and locals for decades to birdwatch, view and access the beach and ocean shore. It is essential to preserve as much public land and dune as possible. Vacations of these roads are not in the public interest and actually takes public property solely for private interest. Given the uncertain impacts of climate change on our coast, there could be unforeseen needs for coastal public property. 

Access to the public’s beach is protected under the Beach Bill, Goal 17, Goal 18, and their implementing regulations. County land use planning within beach and dune areas must carefully consider impacts to the public’s use and access of the beach. Land Use Goal 17 dictates that “local government in coordination with the Parks and Recreation Division shall develop and implement a program to provide increased public access. Existing public ownerships, rights of way, and similar public easements in coastal shorelands which provide access to or along coastal waters shall be retained or replaced if sold, exchanged or transferred.”

Vacating these roads will limit potential improvements to these beach accesses, including the opportunity to improve ADA access.  Further, diminishing the access to 10’ could eliminate the ability to use these platted roads as emergency access points. With a known vacation on Holly avenue, there are few options for access over 10 feet on the north end of Tierra Del Mar. The dune (mostly due to shoreline armoring) begins to rise dramatically on Pier avenue, leaving steep entries and exits on Pier and Pollock. Roma currently does not have public beach access. Thus, the most northerly intact and manageable 40 feet access point is Guardenia. 

Once these roads are vacated, the option for improvement and emergency access is taken away forever.