The City of Astoria, Oregon is a rural community with a current population of approximately 10,000 residents. Astoria is comprised of about six square miles of land located on a hilly peninsula along the Columbia River, near its mouth with the Pacific Ocean. It is the oldest American city west of the Rocky Mountains and will be celebrating its bicentennial in 2011. There are three National Register Historic Districts which encompass the City’s downtown and residential areas. Over its 200-year history, development has occurred in a series of neighborhoods which followed topographic boundaries and cultural associations; however, the Columbia River itself is the common thread which ties them together.

Astoria’s urban form has changed significantly over the last thirty years. Tourism has begun to replace the historical extraction  industries of fishing and logging, and the waterfront, once lined with canneries and net lofts, is being redeveloped as hotels and private, upscale residential buildings. Concurrently, local business and services have been threatened by big box retailers who have moved into the nearby town of Warrenton. The “shifting sands” dynamic in Astoria is characterized by real estate appreciation, redevelopment of existing buildings, new development activity and changing demographics which have begun to outpace the community’s comfort level and resources.

The City of Astoria is poised to undergo significant changes over the next decade. Like many other small cities throughout the United States, Astoria is currently going through a process of identifying and prioritizing issues related to its future growth and identity. The Waterfront Vision Plan is a process address issues surrounding the physical identity of the Columbia River waterfront. Upon completion of the planning process, modifications to the City’s development code may be needed to implement the Vision. These code amendments should be initiated quickly following completion of the plan to guide development in the future