Condo clamor.

Byline: The Register-Guard

If Florence residents outraged over the construction of a view-blocking construction project in Old Town need a rallying cry, they might consider "Clip the Condos."

Developers of the controversial Stillwater Condominiums project proposed doing just that on Monday - lowering a section of the three-story, 11-unit project that blocks the view of the Siuslaw River and the Glenada Dune from a portion of the Siuslaw River Bridge.

The proposal by developers Andy Johnson and Jack Butler failed to assuage the many local residents who are livid over the project. That's hardly surprising - it would leave most of the new complex still standing 6 feet above the bridge railing.

The project's excessive height is the result of a perfect storm of screw-ups by the developers and city officials.

The best place to start might be the city's previous decision to allow three-story condominiums on Bay Street and in Old Town. Next came the developers' miscalculation of the height of the bridge and the city's lapse in not catching that critical mistake. Then there was the Planning Commission's failure to specify that the condo project not exceed the height of the bridge railing and its approval of a building that is in parts as high as 36 feet - 6 feet higher than the bridge railing even if it had been correctly measured.

Not exactly a cracker-jack job of urban planning. And if corrective measures aren't taken, then coastal residents - and the thousands of tourists who stream over this bridge every year - will find their view of the river and dunes impeded by the hulking Stillwater project.

It doesn't help for the developers to downplay residents' concerns. Johnson euphemistically calls his complex "a partial obstruction," adding, "If you do the math, it's a 2 percent obstruction for southbound travelers on the passenger side. The river is still there. The dune is still there. There are a lot of other places to view it besides our lot."

Well, there's another way to do the math. A 2 percent obstruction of a beloved local viewshed is 100 percent more than should have been added.

Nor does it help for city officials to be critical of citizens who have become involved in the debate. City Manager Bob Willoughby assumed the additional title of municipal scold Monday night, calling public participation in the debate "disappointing." He was referring to pickets in front of the developers' businesses; demands for the mayor and a council to recuse themselves because of alleged conflicts of interest; and phone calls demanding the resignation of the city's planning staff.

Last time we checked, the good citizens of Florence haven't surrendered their right to raise a ruckus over developments they deem damaging to the city they have chosen to call home - just as they have done in the past over issues ranging from the construction of an off-reservation casino to Lane County's proposed sale of an iconic dune.

The City Council, however, responded more appropriately. By not acting on the developer's proposed compromise, it left open the door to more negotiations. Meanwhile, the developers must now apply for a revised building permit, which will be subject to both Planning Commission and City Council approval.

There's no reason this controversy can't be resolved with an infusion of patience, creativity and flexibility by all involved. Since the bridge can't be raised, it seems obvious the condo project must be lowered - and lowered by more than the developers have proposed. Given the city's complicity in this mess, officials should look for ways to help the developers cope with the cost and other consequences of that change. The city might have buildable property elsewhere that it could make available to the developers at a reduced price. Or a financial settlement might be reached.

Until the problem is solved, city officials and developers should brace themselves for the battle cry of "Clip the Condo." Or "Stunt the Stillwater." Or, yet another possibility: "Hey, where'd the dune go?"