By David Dillon, North County News
A Carlton, Oregon-based developer with ties to north Tillamook County is proposing to build a new residential community of between 280 and 320 cabins, cottages, or custom homes on a 70-acre site in Manzanita in the next decade or so.
“The Village at Manzanita” would be created on the site of what would have been the second nine holes of the Manzanita Golf Course. The area is generally northwest of the intersection of Necarney Road and Classic Street, and includes the current golf course driving range.
Encore Investments LLC, owned by partners Jim Pentz and Rick Hinkes, says the project would provide “distinct neighborhoods, designed and positioned to appeal to a variety of second-home buyers, working families, and retirement oriented buyers.” Mr. Pentz developed the Classic Street Cottages property in Manzanita.
A small, commercial “Village Center” would feature a fine dining and a casual restaurant, a coffee shop/bakery/deli, and a general store, plus, for owners and guests, a retreat center, a family “Activity Barn,” and a fitness center.
The current Manzanita nine-hole golf course would be retained, but the clubhouse would be replaced with a new 2,500 sq. ft. facility located closer to Village. A few of the current holes would be reoriented.
The western half of the site (37.02 acres) lies within the city limits and is zoned Special Recreational/Residential (SR-R). The eastern half of the site (33.70 acres) is in Tillamook County and Manzanita’s Urban Growth Area and is zoned Medium Density Residential, R-2. Under Encore’s proposal, the western half would be rezoned SR/R-PD, and the eastern portion would be rezoned R2-PD and could be annexed into the city.
Encore is proposing to develop the project under the provisions of the city’s Planned Unit Development (PD) ordinance. Completion could be expected to take up to eight or ten years.
According to Encore, under the existing R2 and SRR zoning the overall site could accommodate about 450 housing units, but the company is proposing fewer. Approximately 42% of the site would be maintained as open space. The Village would not be gated and would feature two miles of paths through the area.
The Village at Manzanita proposal will be formally presented to the Manzanita Planning Commission at 4 p.m. Monday, June 5 at the Pine Grove Community House. The city opted to hold the meeting there, due to expected increased public interest in the project.