Decision due on industrial land

The fate of two approximately 30-acre industrial parcels at the north edge of Sisters was to be decided Wednesday, July 26.

In a long-awaited decision, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners was to rule on whether to bring the two parcels -- one owned by the Sisters School District, one known as Barclay Meadows Business Park -- inside the Sisters Urban Growth Boundary and rezone them from farm use to industrial use.

The record on the two applications closed in March, but the volume of testimony and a heavy workload required that the commissioners wait until now to make their decision.

A Deschutes County Hearings Officer recommended denial of the applications due to concerns about the traffic burden industrial development would add to Sisters' streets.

The hearings officer also cited concerns about the compatibility of an industrial development with nearby residential neighborhoods.

The applicants struck a deal with the City of Sisters in March to pay more than $150,000 each to mitigate their share of impact on traffic. The traffic agreement was designed to address the hearings officer's findings regarding traffic.

Both developers have also offered to impose restrictions on development of the property to soften the impact of industrial uses on their neighbors.