News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Tenants of The Pines at the western edge of Sisters have been given notice that they must move out by November 30. The property, which houses 24 families, is slated for re-development.
According to letters received on October 15 from their landlord, The Pines of Sisters, L.L.C., the tenants are to receive free rent for the month of November, provided they are current with the previous months' rent.
Barbara Nason, who lives at The Pines with her husband and daughter, said the notice caught her by surprise. She said she knew the property was to be developed within the next two years, but she said tenants thought they'd have more notice before having to leave.
Nason said her family is looking for a new place to live in Sisters, even though the housing market is tight.
"Our daughter's in school here; we don't want to move to Bend or Redmond, which some people have suggested," she said. "We both work here in town."
Evelyn Dolan, who also works in Sisters, said lack of availability and high rents might force her to move out of town.
"I've looked at some places in Redmond, which would be a real hardship for me if I had to commute, because my car is so old," she said.
Eldon Howard, owner of The Pines, and his wife Cheresse, said they realize that there are not a lot of housing options in Sisters.
They said they decided to send out the termination notices now because they believe fall is a better time than spring to find housing in a competitive Sisters market. According to the Howards, traditionally about 25 percent of their tenants leave in the fall when service jobs dry up at the end of the tourist season.
Housing fills up quickly in the spring, as tourist season heats up again. "Usually, this is a good time," Nason agreed. "But not with that many people looking."
No site plan has been submitted for The Pines of Sisters' 25-acre parcel, which lies on county land outside Sisters' city limits. Howard plans to build a maximum of 75 houses in a "planned unit development." The county recently allowed single-family dwellings as a conditional use in the property's Urban High Density zone.
The housing is to be "affordable - not cheap," according to Howard.
"It's the type of housing that a husband and wife, a retired couple can afford to live in," Cheresse Howard, Eldon's wife, told The Nugget.
Eldon Howard, who owns Barclay Contractors, said his crews will "work on (the property) all winter just to clean it up."
He has not set a target date for breaking ground on the new development.
The Pines was originally established in the late 1930s by Brooks Scanlon Lumber Company to house logging crews and their families. Housing was brought in by rail from the company's other operations. The "temporary" housing that is still there is now about 60 years old.
According to Howard, "there is absolutely nothing salvageable," on the property except a couple of railroad camp cars that are already spoken for.
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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