News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Several local residents fear that adding new indus- trial land will seriously snarl traffic in Sisters, so they decided to formally oppose rezon-ing property along Camp Polk Road.
The owners of Barclay Meadows are seeking inclusion of approximately 35 acres into the Sisters Urban Growth Boundary and a rezoning of the land to light industrial use. The Sisters School District is seeking the same changes to 30 acres the district owns at the north end of Pine Street.
Both property owners argue that rezoning the parcels would fill a critical need for industrial land in Sisters.
Some of the opposed residents submitted written testimony against the land use changes, while others testified before the Des- chutes County hearings officer on Tuesday, August 28.
Leonard Sundvall,, who lives in Trapper Point, near the proposed Barclay Meadows Business Park, argued that the county should place a moratorium on development until traffic and safety issues on Highway 20 are resolved.
"Before the county allows any more development, the state needs to do something about the safety hazard in our town," Sundvall testified.
Howard Paine of the Alliance for Responsible Land Use in Deschutes County noted that an estimated 617 developed residential lots and 761 undeveloped lots could eventually generate enough car trips to put Camp Polk Road over its rated capacity.
"It will soon look like Third Street in Bend," Paine argued in a letter to the hearings officer. "The problem will be compounded if industrial traffic is added to the mix. This application should be denied for traffic reasons alone."
(Paine submitted virtually identical testimony on both the Barclay Meadows and the school district plans).
Even the applicants acknowledged the traffic problem.
The Barclay Meadows traffic study notes that "there will be continued growth in congestion on Highway 20 with or without the proposed rezone."
In fact, the study indicates that the intersections at Pine Street and Cascade Avenue and at Locust Street and Cascade Avenue operate below acceptable "levels of service" now.
The study also acknowledges that "if the study site is rezoned (light industrial) ... traffic operations at the already deficient locations on Highway 20 would degrade further."
The school district's traffic engineer, David Knitowski of Bend's David Evans and Associates, proposes the development of a new arterial road north of Barclay Drive that would link up with Highway 20 between Pine Street and Forest Service Road 100.
Developers would be required to contribute to the road, but Knitowski noted that "no jurisdiction has stepped up to the plate to build it.
"It's not really a good assumption that will be in place" in the immediate future, he said.
However, the applicants are willing to make road improvements to absorb their traffic impacts, according to Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) planner Peter Russell.
ODOT initially opposed the applications, but has since modified its position.
"We can support it based on (the applicants) being (req-uired) to mitigate their impacts when they go through their site plan process," Russell said.
Mitigation would likely include a traffic signal and turn lanes at Locust Street and Cascade Avenue, according to Russell.
Changes such as a traffic signal are usually analyzed in a Transportation System Plan (TSP). ODOT is funding such a plan for $100,000, but it is not expected to be completed until June 30, 2001.
"Ideally, the TSP would be in place before the development moves forward, but that just doesn't happen," Russell said. "You have to do a little planning on the fly."
The city of Sisters has about six acres of industrial land left and rezoning proponents argue that the lands are sorely needed.
Sisters School Board chairman Bill Reed noted that the citizens of Sisters voted by a margin of 291 to 50 to authorize the inclusion of the land in the city's Urban Growth Boundary, knowing it would be used for industrial purposes.
Reed's testimony stated that "if one was to prioritize the available vacant land to satisfy the need, the (Lundgren Mill) property would have to be the number one property based on its previous industrial use, close proximity to existing industrial property and infrastructure, and superior road access."
Residents of Trapper Point expressed concern about the impact of industrial development on their property values and on the peace and tranquillity of residential areas.
Opponents also argued that, with a sewer system coming on line, other lands in the Urban Growth Boundary may soon be available and should be given a closer look.
The applicants stated that other lands are either not available or are not suitable.
The record on both applications will remain open for written testimony until September 21.
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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