News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Jerry Taylor believes his Les Schwab-affiliated tire store fills a need in the Sisters community, and he promises that the store he intends to build at the western edge of Sisters will be "a class act."
Taylor presented his plans for the proposed 60,000-square-foot Taylor Tire Center to the Sisters City Council on Thursday, August 28.
The council has no direct say about the planned store, since it is outside the city limits under county jurisdiction. But because it is inside Sisters' Urban Growth Boundary, the city's comments will be taken into consideration by county planners.
Three city councilors said they approved of the project; two said they disapproved. The Sisters planning commission gave their blessing to the project last January. A county public hearing on Taylor's site plan is set for September 16.
Taylor's presentation did not sway councilors Gordon Petrie and Tim Clasen, who have consistently voiced opposition to siting a tire store at that location.
"I've had a lot of people be totally flabbergasted that the tire store was going to be there," Clasen said.
The Taylor Tire Center site is a general commercial-zoned parcel between the Sisters Motor Lodge and Patterson Ranch. While the Taylor site is not part of the proposed Pine Meadow Ranch development, it is on the north edge of a 12-acre area zoned for commercial development that will extend behind Sisters Motor Lodge and Space Age Gas.
The Taylors own their store independently, but their products and marketing are affiliated with Les Schwab. They currently operate their business on leased property in the Sisters Industrial Park.
Petrie and Clasen think they should stay there.
Petrie believes that Sisters' zoning ordinances place tire stores in the industrial park and that, according to city/county land-use agreements, Sisters' ordinances should hold sway.
Taylor said the industrial park site was a temporary arrangement and doesn't have enough space for the scale of their operations. And, according to Taylor, the Schwab store belongs on the highway, where travelers can find it. The store sells a variety of automobile accessories ranging from batteries to tire chains.
"We're a retail service center," Taylor said. "Only 35 percent of our business is tire sales."
According to Sisters' zoning ordinances, a "service station" is a conditional use on the Taylors' general commercial parcel.
Petrie objects to the characterization of the Schwab store as a "service station," since they don't sell gas.
In a previous meeting, Petrie said, "I am heartily against Les Schwab being in that location because there is no provision for a tire store. Trying to call that a service station is a charade and a fraud."
Petrie emphasized that he has nothing against the Taylors or Les Schwab, noting that he owns 28 Les Schwab tires on various vehicles.
"I have no quarrel with Mr. Taylor and family," Petrie said. "However, I do question our planning commission's interpretation of just what is a tire store in this case."
Taylor told the council that he and his sons Terry and Jeff have gone to extra effort and expense to make sure their store fits in with the Sisters community.
"I wanted to create a class act for my sons to have for the next 20 or 30 years," Taylor said.
Taylor testified that he changed the design of the building to accommodate the concerns of Mary Fowler, who owns the adjacent Sisters Motor Lodge. The design maintains a setback of more than 60 feet from the property line, and truck bays and tire changing operations are to be conducted on the opposite side of the building from the motel.
Taylor noted that Fowler told him the design was "beautiful," but she still didn't want it next door.
Taylor pledged to meet city zoning requirements that all work occur inside, within a "wholly enclosed" building, though he acknowledged that the bay doors would not always be closed. Used parts such as tires would be removed from the site each day as regulations require, Taylor said.
He further noted that he contracted for a noise study after citizens expressed concern.
According to Taylor, that noise study, which included open-bay operations in Portland, "concluded that Highway 242 was going to make more noise than our tire store."
Clasen acknowledged Taylor's intent to transport daily waste off-site, but he maintained his position that the store couldn't operate in a "wholly enclosed" building.
"I guess I still have a problem with 'wholly,'" Clasen said. "To me, 'wholly' means the doors being down, and I just don't see how they can run a tire store with that much traffic going in and out."
Councilor Kathy Pittman and Mayor Steve Wilson came out strongly in favor of the Taylor's plans, and Sheryl Whent, who was absent due to a family emergency, sent a written statement of support for the project.
"The Taylors have demonstrated that they have the ability to meet that 'laundry list' of requirements to be there," Wilson said.
He said he believes that, if businesses can rise to the criteria imposed by the city and act as "good neighbors," the city is duty-bound to accept them.
Wilson directed city planner Neil Thompson to communicate the councilors' positions to county planners and to note the planning commission's prior approval of the Taylor's plan.
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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