Community Concerns Regarding The Nest Bakery Permit Process in Sunset Beach
Many residents of Sunset Beach, Surf Pines, Cullaby Lake, and the surrounding neighborhoods may not be aware that The Nest Bakery is currently facing a major challenge involving its ability to continue limited indoor seating for customers. Although this location has operated as a neighborhood store and bakery since the 1940s — and historically maintained a Conditional Use Permit for indoor seating for decades — that permit was allowed to lapse by a prior owner years before the Hoffmans purchased the property and reopened it as The Nest Bakery.
The Hoffmans have already spent years working with Clatsop County Community Development and have incurred significant costs attempting to restore this longstanding historical use. The appeal meeting between the Hoffmans and the Planning Department is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026. If you believe The Nest Bakery is an important community asset and gathering place, now is the time to respectfully share your thoughts with the Clatsop County Commissioners, Gail Henrikson, and David Cook. Community input can make a difference. Their emails are at the end of the letter:
Copy of letter to Clatsop County:
Letter emailed on May 22, 2026 3:05 PM
Dear Commissioners and Ms. Hendrickson,
The purpose of this letter is to strongly support the issuance and reinstatement of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) allowing customers of The Nest Bakery, located at 33223 Sunset Beach Lane, Warrenton, Oregon, to continue limited seated dining, as had existed at this location for decades prior to the permit lapsing under a previous owner.
This business location has operated as a neighborhood convenience store or bakery since approximately 1945. In 1999, my wife Annie and I purchased the business from the Arndt family, who operated it as the Cabbage Rose Market. Based on the popularity of the Arndts’ baked goods with the local community, we transformed the business into the Sunset Beach Bakery and Deli.
At that time, we operated under an existing Conditional Use Permit that had historically allowed limited on-site dining along with beer and wine service. During our ownership, the bakery became a valued gathering place for residents of Sunset Beach, Surf Pines, Cullaby Lake, and surrounding neighborhoods. The actual available seating area is extremely small — less than 200 square feet — with a maximum seating capacity of approximately 10 people. In reality, the bakery rarely operated at full seating capacity and generated minimal parking or neighborhood impacts.
When we later sold the bakery, the Conditional Use Permit remained in place for subsequent owners for many years. The permit eventually lapsed only after a later owner closed the business due to management and operational issues unrelated to neighborhood compatibility or community concerns.
The Hoffmans purchased the property in 2020 and reopened it as The Nest Bakery, continuing the long-established tradition of serving the surrounding communities. Shortly after reopening, they approached Clatsop County Community Development to reinstate the historical Conditional Use Permit that had existed at this location for decades.
Importantly, as part of the current permit process, the Hoffmans stipulated that they would not expand the existing footprint of the bakery as a condition of reinstating the permit. This clearly demonstrates that the application is not about intensifying or expanding the use, but simply preserving the historical neighborhood-scale operation that has existed compatibly at this location for generations.
Initially, the County indicated that up to 16 off-street parking spaces would be required to support the permit. Given the very limited seating area and the historical operation of the bakery, this requirement appeared excessive and inconsistent with both the scale of the business and its longstanding historical use.
In addition, the County initially refused to recognize parking located across the street in the Sunset Beach community park because the property is not owned by the Hoffmans. However, this park is not owned or maintained by Clatsop County. It is privately owned and maintained collectively by the residents of the Sunset Beach neighborhood. Historically, the owners of the bakery/store have also played a leadership role in maintaining and supporting this community park, and customers of the store and bakery have parked there for decades without significant neighborhood impact or controversy.
After several years of discussions, the County ultimately reduced the parking requirement to 10 spaces and appeared willing to allow use of the adjacent community park parking area. However, we now understand that the Hoffmans’ Conditional Use Permit application has effectively been denied because the County Commissioners are unwilling to authorize use of parking associated with adjacent public property. We further understand that after already paying approximately $1,300 in application costs — funds that were substantially supported by local neighbors — the Hoffmans are now being told their only remaining option is to apply for a Variance at an additional cost of approximately $2,000, which is a huge burden for a small business.
Respectfully, this outcome appears fundamentally unfair given the historical circumstances surrounding this property and business. The bakery has operated in this neighborhood for decades with extremely limited seating, minimal impacts, and longstanding community support. The adjacent park parking area has historically accommodated customer parking for generations without creating material problems for the surrounding neighborhood. To now require a small locally owned bakery to undergo multiple expensive land-use processes simply to restore a historically compatible use seems contrary to the County’s stated goals of supporting local business and preserving community character.
We understand that during the recent public comment process, the County received substantial community support for reinstating the permit, although a small number of objections were also submitted. Respectfully, no community project or neighborhood issue ever receives unanimous support. Even heavily regulated homeowners associations do not require 100% approval of all members for changes to governing documents that directly impact their communities. It would be unfortunate if a longstanding community asset serving hundreds of residents were jeopardized because of the objections of a very small minority despite decades of demonstrated compatibility with the neighborhood.
The Nest Bakery is far more than simply a retail business. It is an important community gathering place and a longstanding neighborhood institution that has served Sunset Beach, Surf Pines, Cullaby Lake, and surrounding areas for generations. The County and its Community Development Department should be supporting the continuation of this type of small local business rather than creating unnecessary barriers to preserving a historically compatible use.
We respectfully request that the Planning Department and County Commissioners recognize the longstanding historical nature of this use, the overwhelming community benefit it provides, and the minimal impacts it has demonstrated over decades of operation, and approve reinstatement of the Conditional Use Permit or otherwise work collaboratively toward a reasonable administrative solution without imposing additional unnecessary financial burdens on the Hoffmans.
Respectfully yours,
Tom and Annie Smith
CC:
Courtney Bangs, Chair
Mark Kujala, Commissioner
Pam Wev, Commissioner
Diane Brimblecom, Commissioner
Lianne Thompson, Commissioner
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners
commissioners@clatsopcounty.gov
Gail Henrikson
Community Development Director
Clatsop County Community Development Department
David Cook
Planning Manager
Clatsop County Community Development Department
Community Development Department
