Officials in Warrenton, Ore., will assemble a task force charged with making recommendations on how the city should proceed with self-storage development. The group will be comprised of city and planning commissioners who’ll present their findings during a joint meeting. Issues the task force will examine include requirements for landscaping, setbacks, sidewalks, and retail space along some frontage roads, according to the source.

The city commission approved the task force on Tuesday. The move comes after the planning commission rejected a zoning amendment last month that would have restricted self-storage development to the east side of U.S. Highway 101.

In discussing why planners determined the proposed amendment was too broad, city commissioner Mark Baldwin indicated it would have sent a signal to developers that the city was “closed for this business.”

The city’s examination of self-storage development requirements has been driven in part by Mayor Henry Balensifer, who clarified his stance on Tuesday. He indicated he’s primarily concerned about the appearance of self-storage along frontage road areas that serve as gateways to downtown, not the entire stretch of Highway 101, the source reported.

“I think we need to look at the 20-year vision of what we want our town to look like,” Balensifer said.

Any task-force recommendation ultimately adopted by the city commission would apply only to new self-storage projects, though it’s unclear if that would include any developments already in the application or planning phases.

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