Friedman joins city planning body

Peter Friedman is a new member of the Sisters Planning Commission -- but he is not new to urban planning.

Friedman worked for more than 20 years as a city planner for the communities of Mill Creek, Gig Harbor, Jefferson County and the Thurston region in his native Washington state before moving to Sisters in August of 2001.

Friedman volunteered for planning commissions on Whidbey Island during this time, serving for seven years on the City of Langley Planning Commission and two years on the Island County Subarea Planning Commission.

Since 1999 Friedman has worked as a private consultant to small municipalities and private property owners, working with them on contracts, permits, and in one 3-month period, as an interim city planner.

Friedman, who is still getting acquainted with the needs and vision of Sisters, enjoys his work and is glad to contribute the experience and knowledge he has gained through the years.

Asked his projection for Sisters in the next 10 years he stated, "With the sewer system, we are going to see growth that Sisters hasn't seen before, residentially and hopefully in businesses."

Growth, transportation and urban renewal in the downtown sector are all issues that Friedman believes the commission will tackle in the coming months.

Friedman's own vision for Sisters is that the city accept the growth but retain the values that draw people in and make Sisters unique.

He believes that such acceptable growth can be achieved by maintaining the scale that Sisters has now and ensuring quality developments, adequate landcaping, protecting existing vegetation and linking developments together.

"Too many cities grow too fast and lose touch with their core," said Friedman.