News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The Sisters City Council, in a workshop held Tuesday, November 28, directed City Planner Neil Thompson to rewrite Element 15, the "traditional neighborhood district," so that it no longer applies only to 62 acres of Pine Meadow Ranch.
The council also wants Thompson to delete much of the specific detail in the element so that it encompasses only a general acceptance of the concept of "mixed use" development on properties that can meet certain criteria.
Mixed use has come into vogue as a planning concept that mixes residential and commercial uses in a zone that recreates "traditional neighborhoods," common in cities before the post-World War II suburbanization boom.
The mixed use element has been the most controversial part of the updated comprehensive plan. Part of the controversy stemmed from the fact that the element was written to apply only to 62 acres of Pine Meadow Ranch which the Sokol family of Sisters plans to develop.
"I think a lot of the confusion has been that people think this (mixed use) is just for this development and I don't think that's true," said Councilor Kathy Pittman. "I think in 20 years there could be two or three developments like this."
According to Thompson, if mixed use is ultimately allowed in the comprehensive plan, a new zone will be written into the city's zoning ordinance listing the requirements that must be met to have a site approved. Developers would then have to apply to have their projects considered for mixed use zoning.
Sisters resident Gordon Petrie, a leading critic of Element 15 and other aspects of the plan, said he was happy to see that the site-specific language is to be taken out. But he still opposes the concept of mixed use zoning for Sisters, "because we already have it," he said.
"Why have another set of rules and have half the town operating under one set of rules and the other half operating under the old rules?" Petrie said.
Petrie also fears that allowing outright a mix of commercial and residential uses in a special zone could hurt the city's ability to control development.
He believes that Sisters should allow residential uses in commercial zones and some commercial uses in residential areas, but only as a variance from established zoning.
"If you establish mixed use as a right, you have to continually try to close the door as far as control is concerned," Petrie said.
Steve McGhehey, who is developing the Pine Meadow Ranch property with the Sokol family, said that removing the site specific language from the element is fine with him and his colleagues.
"I think going away from site-specific language is good as long as they direct the city to write a zone," McGhehey said.
Architect Brad Stangeland, who works with McGhehey, said that the Pine Meadow Ranch Development Corporation never sought a mixed use element specifically for that property. He said the comprehensive plan should generally endorse mixed use and specific issues and concerns about the concept should be worked out in the zoning ordinance.
McGhehey said that he expects any mixed use zoning ordinance to be tightly restrictive.
The city council will hold at least one more workshop on the comprehensive plan before a public hearing is held January 25.
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.
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