News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters planners have scuttled plans to put up to 23 "park model" RVs at Mountain Shadows RV park.
The Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission, in their June 18 meeting, denied a variance to the city zoning ordinance that would have exempted the semi-permanent park models -- which are essentially small mobile home trailers -- from being required to move every 90 days.
Bill Berman, a sales representative for Salem RV, testified that park models can only be sited in RV parks and are common throughout the country.
The units, which sell for around $50,000, are moved into a park, the axles are dropped off, and a deck is built around the trailer.
Berman testified that the Sisters 90-day restriction on RV parking would make it impossible to site the units at Mountain Shadows.
"It doesn't tow with a pick-up truck," Berman said. "It's a commercial move."
Berman argued that if planners denied the variance, "what the City of Sisters is doing is banning an entire commercial product that is available to people throughout the United States."
That argument wasn't compelling enough to move the planning commission, who denied the request by a 4-1 vote, with Dayton Hyde the sole vote in favor.
To grant the variance, planners would have had to find that the restriction deprived Mountain Shadows owner Wayne Scott of rights enjoyed by other property owners in the same zone.
The planning commission ruled that the request didn't meet that criteria.
The commissioners were also concerned that the park models would become permanent residences.
Scott and Berman had previously assured the commission that strict lease requirements would not allow park model owners to reside permanently at the park.
But commissioners were skeptical that those restrictions could be enforced.
That concern was illustrated in testimony from Crossroads resident Gordon Parkhurst, who argued against the proposal. Parkhurst cited his experience in California seeing RV parks with park models turn into full-time trailer parks.
"Generally park models invite people who will be permanent residents," Parkhurst said.
He noted that it is difficult to tell an owner he can't stay beyond a certain time.
"The owners said 'this is my money, this is my park model,'" Parkhurst said.
Commissioner Wayne Kimball expressed doubts that Scott could or would enforce residency restrictions and maintenance requirements.
"I think we have to consider the track record of Mountain Shadows in terms of enforcing other areas of his (Scott's) site plan," Kimball said. "In my opinion, his track record is not very good."
Scott has had run-ins with the city over the white vinyl fence around the property and the large enclosed pavilion on the site. Both structures deviated significantly from what the city had approved for the Mountain Shadows owner.
City planning director Neil Thompson told The Nugget that Scott and Salem RV will probably appeal the decision to the Sisters City Council.
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.
Reader Comments(0)