PMR moves toward sale of commercial lots

Work continues at Pine Meadow Ranch. Developer Steve McGhehey said he would be listing and promoting nine of 10 lots in the commercial zone between Hood and Cascade avenues in about a week.

"The work on Hood is at a point where potential buyers can see what it's going to look like," said McGhehey.

The 10th lot is already under construction for the Les Schwab tire store.

The commercial property is separate from the 50-acre residential and mixed-use zone which lies to the south. Development of that property has been appealed by the Alliance for Responsible Land Use Deschutes County (ARLU-DeCo) to the Oregon Supreme Court.

ARLU-DeCo. claims that Deschutes County was wrong to accept PMR Development Co.'s evidence that the city had reached the required 75 percent level of development according to the city's 1979 boundaries.

The opponents argue that PMR's interpretation of the 1979 size of the city doesn't match the area listed in the city's comprehensive plan, and that the plan's numbers must be used.

The state Land Use Board of Appeals and the Oregon Court of Appeals did not challenge the county decision.

McGhehey said PMR Development intended to file a brief to the appeal next week.

"I feel fine about the end result," he said. "We are confident with all we have done."

McGhehey indicated that the issues under appeal were narrow enough that "win, lose or draw" at the Supreme Court, the development would proceed.

"The county has agreed to accept our application. If we lose at the Supreme Court, we will take whatever steps we have to take to fix the application. If we win, we will have to do nothing," said McGhehey.

He expected that the mixed-use zone would begin to see development "about this time next year. We will be turning in our application in May. The county has agreed to accept the application. By this time next year we should have the approvals."

As to the hotel proposed for the property, McGhehey said there are two parties interested.

"They want to see our plans for the RH zone," he said. "This will be a $5 million investment for them and they want the village, the mountain view and the development around it."