News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Work crews are running water and sewer lines to a new development on Highway 20. photo by Jim Cornelius
Traffic on Highway 20 at the west end of Sisters wended its way past construction crews last week as the workers ran a sewer line to a planned new development along the highway.
According to City of Sisters Public Works Director Gary Frazee, the sewer line will serve six commercial lots to be developed on the 7.2-acre Relco property just west of the Comfort Inn and Mountain Shadow RV Park.
The property is owned by Relco Tank Line of Nevada.
Work crews bored under the highway to run a sewer line and to connect a water line from Ponderosa Lodge. Water and sewer lines run at different depths to keep them separated.
The development, which has yet to receive final plat approval from the city, is in the Highway Commercial zone. Allowed uses in that zone include hotels or motels; restaurants; offices; movie theaters; repair facilities; offices; retail trade and services; and laundromats.
A health club or grocery store could be allowed as a conditional use.
According to deputy planner Brian Rankin, the Relco site could accommodate a drive-through fast-food restaurant such as McDonald's or Burger King.
However, Rankin noted, there are some constraints that might make putting a fast-food restaurant there tricky.
"Their number of (vehicle) trips out there is limited," Rankin said.
According to Rankin, the site is limited to 180 "p.m. peak hour" trips. That means a limit of 90 cars coming into the property and 90 cars coming out between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m.
The standard trip generation calculation for a fast-food drive-thru is 45 trips in the p.m. peak.
So one fast-food restaurant would use up a quarter of the trips allowed for the whole property.
"That trip limitation will somewhat constrain the uses of the property," Rankin said.
If a development exceeds its trip limitation, the owner or developer must provide mitigation, such as alternative access, restricted access or a traffic signal.
A traffic signal is highly unlikely, according to Rankin, because the Oregon Department of Transportation designates that stretch of highway an expressway and doesn't want a signal there. A signal is planned just down the road to the east at McKinney Butte Road.
Other mitigation is limited by the configuration of the property -- and, of course, it could be expensive.
Rankin said he has no knowledge of plans for individual lots. Contractor Steve Rodgers said that the development is still in the planning stages and no specifics have been nailed down.
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.
Reader Comments(0)