Astoria to declare shopping carts a public nuisance

Mar. 8—The Astoria City Council is expected to approve an ordinance in the coming weeks to address stolen and abandoned shopping carts.

Police have received a growing number of calls about abandoned shopping carts blocking sidewalks and left on private property.

The ordinance would declare shopping carts a public nuisance. The city's two biggest grocery stores — Safeway and the Astoria Co+op — would be required to pick them up within a few days. The businesses could be subject to a $50 fee after the first courtesy notice if the carts are not picked up.

Police Chief Geoff Spalding said police met with the management at Safeway and the Astoria Co+op to craft the ordinance with the goal of reducing the number of abandoned shopping carts and theft of the carts. He said store managers were supportive of the ordinance.

"One thing that we wanted to stress is, this is not about punishing the store owners," Spalding said during a City Council meeting Monday night. "This is not a revenue generator. We're not trying to make money on this. We want to work with them, and we will continue to work with them.

"We're just trying to gain compliance and incentivize the return of these carts."

The action is one of many the City Council is expected to take to respond to quality of life concerns tied to homelessness.

City councilors are expected to review an ordinance covering RVs in the coming weeks. The council will also discuss updating the city's camping ordinance and creating an expulsion zone ordinance, which would temporarily expel repeat offenders from specific areas.

A community discussion on homelessness and livability is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 23 at the Liberty Theatre, where the city will provide more information and hear from the public.

The city will be joined by representatives from Clatsop Economic Development Resources, the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association.