News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
P.M.R. Dev. Co., Ltd. has requested a zone change from Deschutes County to allow standard residential and high density residential zoning on part of the property that they seek to develop. Another 12-acre portion is currently zoned for commercial use.
Mixed use would allow a blending of commercial and residential uses in what proponents call a "traditional neighborhood" design.
Opponents of mixed use, many of whom live on Pine Street across from the proposed development, have criticized the proposed mixed use zone, arguing that it could mean "anything, anywhere, anytime." They have requested that the new comprehensive plan restrict development on the property to standard residential density.
According to county planner Brian Harrington, the proposed new zoning is "within the parameters of what zoning currently exits" in the comprehensive plan under which Sisters now operates.
Harrington said the proposed standard residential and high density residential zoning were what the current comprehensive plan foresaw for the Pine Meadow Ranch property.
"That's what was contemplated," Harrington said.
A public hearing on the zoning application will be held March 5 in Bend.
Harrington said that the application will be reviewed and a staff report will be prepared for the meeting.
"It's actually pretty straightforward," Harrington observed. "Politically it might not be, but in terms of planning law it's about as straightforward as you can get."
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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