New two-building restaurant, arcade and hotel development coming to Manzanita

Following the approval, City Manager Leila Aman said that she has received calls from residents concerned about the development’s impact on downtown parking.

“It’s clearly evoking some intense feelings from community members,” Aman said.

However, she said that as city manager and planning manager she can only require the development include parking spaces called for by the city code.

The new building will take the spot of a house that has long sat abandoned on Laneda, being used for a burn exercise by the fire department at one point.

Steeplejack Brewing was started by college roommates Brody Day and Dustin Harder in 2019. 

Their first location opened in a converted church in Northeast Portland. They have since opened another in West Portland and a production facility in Hillsboro whence they distribute beer across Oregon and Washington.

“Dustin and I love Manzanita and we’re committed to preserving it just as it is,” Day said. “Our project is specifically designed to enhance the community feel and small-town charm that Manzanita has.”

The Manzanita location, which Steeplejack is developing in conjunction with Harder, will not be home to any production facilities, only food and beverage service. 

The other half of the project will contain an arcade below three hotel rooms in a separate building.

Day and Harder envision the arcade housing several pinball machines and standup video game cabinets as well as frozen yogurt or ice cream with a toppings bar.

Day said that they hope to offer a gathering place for the community and said they want to be good neighbors.

“If you look at our projects, we have a long track record of developing with community in mind,” Day said. 

While three on-site spaces are included for the hotel, with two more designated for its use nearby, the arcade and restaurant will rely on street parking, raising concerns from some in the community.

However, the plan is in compliance with the city’s code which only requires commercial developments add off-street parking if they exceed 5,000 square-feet in size, which this one does not.

“Our job is to evaluate applications based on the code we have,” Aman said, “and that’s what we did.” 

She said that she was happy to discuss residents’ concerns about downtown parking but that she could not set policy for the city.

Aman pointed out that the city government along with those of Wheeler and Nehalem is in the process of developing a new, combined Transportation System Plan that will address the needs of the three in conjunction.

The new TSP has been in development by Fehr and Peers and will be submitted to the cities’ governments before the end of the year. It will then be brought before the three city councils in January to begin final review and adoption, which should take around six months.

Aman said that increasing signs to help visitors find currently underutilized lots, adding time restrictions or paid parking in downtown, and increasing bike parking are several potential solutions to help alleviate residents’ parking concerns.

She reiterated that as city manager she was not in charge of making those decisions or setting priorities and that she follows the city council’s guidance when implementing policy.

“If the city council sees this as being a priority and concern, we can address it,” Aman said.

For their part, Day and Harder remain focused on bringing a new space to Manzanita for residents to enjoy. Harder has a home in town and Day said that he was looking forward to having a place to hang out at his favorite place on the coast.

Steeplejack hopes to break ground in the spring of 2023 with an opening date in 2024.

“We’re really excited about being part of the community,” Day said.

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