Astoria looks at denser housing By Edward Stratton, The Daily Astorian, Ore. Published: February 21, 2021, 1:19pm Share: The Astoria City Council and the Planning Commission appear supportive of a suite of measures from a countywide housing study to encourage denser and more affordable housing, with several caveats to preserve livability and historic character. The council and commission met Thursday to find commonality on which policy and development code strategies in the 2019 housing study to pursue. The meeting came shortly after the two boards approved new state-mandated development code amendments to expand the use of accessory dwelling units for increased density. Astoria, at around 9,700 people with several large apartment complexes in the works, is also nudging up against state requirements for cities of at least 10,000 to add more middle housing — everything between single-family homes and mid- or high-rise apartment buildings.