Hearing set Wednesday on Metolius

Last updated 2/10/2009 at Noon

The debate over resort development in and around the Metolius Basin will come to Sisters High School Wednesday, February 11, at 5 p.m.

The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) announced last Tuesday a series of public hearings on the potential designation of the Metolius Basin as an "Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC)." The first hearing was scheduled in Sisters; other hearings will be held in Madras.

Such an ACSC designation would likely ban destination resort development within the basin, the outcome sought by Governor Ted Kulongoski, who asked the department to propose the designation.

"The governor feels that this is a special area that, if lost to development, is irreplaceable," Kulongoski's spokesperson Jillian Schoene told The Nugget last month.

According to DLCD, the designation would "develop a proposed management plan designed to protect the Basin and to explore opportunities for Jefferson County to continue with its resort planning efforts."

The recommendations of DLCD must be implemented by legislation.

On a separate but related track, House Bill 2226 has been introduced, which would ban resorts in the Metolius Basin. That bill, however, appears to face opposition even from opponents of destination resorts because it would not ban development of a large resort adjacent to the basin.

And other legislation is being proposed by lobbyists that might allow for the development of an "eco-resort" in the basin.

The two sites in question are the Ponderosa Land and Cattle Company resort (The Ponderosa) built on approximately 3,000 to 3,500 of 10,000 available acres along Green Ridge. It is proposed to have 2,500 residences and 1,000 overnight lodging units and at least one golf course. Some 40 percent of the proposed development lies outside the Metolius Basin and it would draw its water from the Deschutes water system.

The Metolian, owned by Dutch Pacific LLC, is located within the Metolius Basin on some 628 acres. It is proposed to feature approximately 180 overnight lodging units and 450 residences.

The Metolian is billed as an "eco-resort." It would not have a golf course; instead recreational amenities are proposed to center around educational and recreational activities such as hiking and horseback riding and would serve as a "base camp" for people interested in exploring the natural world of the region at large.

Critics of the resorts argue that such development and the influx of people they will create is inappropriate for the Metolius Basin.

Groups including Central Oregon LandWatch and Friends of the Metolius and several individual activists argue that heavy water usage by The Ponderosa (well production of 2,442 acre-feet per year) will impact the groundwater system of the entire area and that the construction and use of either resort will threaten fish populations and other wildlife.

In the 2007 Legislature, Senate Bill 30 was introduced to ban destination resort development both within the basin and within a three-mile ring around the basin. That bill passed the Senate, but died in the House in the face of a promised veto by Kulongoski, who argued then that it circumvented the land use process.

The Governor asked state agencies to review whether existing state laws were adequate to protect the basin from large-scale development.

After receiving reviews from state agencies, the Governor asked DLCD to draft legislation to prevent resorts within the basin but also to leave open the possibility of resort development outside of the basin, and to provide some means of relief to landowners who are not able to proceed with their plans.

The Governor also asked Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to work with Jefferson County, other key stakeholders in the area, and the public to designate the basin as an Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC) and to develop a proposed management plan designed to protect the basin and to explore opportunities for Jefferson County to continue with its resort planning efforts.

DLCD says that the ACSC process has three objectives:

1. To determine whether destination resorts and other large-scale uses should be prohibited, and if so, within what specific area. In addition, the ACSC could include a buffer or transitional area where resorts are allowed, but only if they meet standards that protect resources within the basin and that avoid significant effects on surrounding areas.

2. To provide some means for resort development to move forward in Jefferson County, recognizing that Jefferson County has not benefitted from resorts (in terms of jobs and tax base) in the way that neighboring counties have; and

3. To provide some relief for the owners of the two sites that have been identified as eligible for resort siting, to the extent that they are not allowed to proceed.

For more information from DLCD, visit http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/metolius_river_basin_acsc.shtml.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.