Code allows string of fast food restaurants

Eleven more drive-up fast-food facilities could be built between the much-publicized future McDonald’s and the Three Wind Shopping Center, according to the current wording in Sisters’ Development Code.

At a recent Planning Commission workshop, Planner Brian Rankin presented sketches of several site possibilities for drive-up facilities on the northwest edge of Sisters.

The current code requires only that such facilities be separated by 400 feet along the same streetfront or within one block. That means the Cache Mountain Development McDonald’s could look at another drive-up across Highway 20, another across Railroad Street (on the same side of Highway 20), another 400 feet down the highway, another around the corner, another and another — up to a total of 11.

Another complication is that the 400 feet is measured from the “facility” with no specification as to what part of the facility is to be used for measuring — building wall, center, property line? The code does not say.

The next issue is use of the terms “drive-up,” “drive-through” and “drive-in.” Should they be differentiated or should one term replace the lot? And should all drive-ups be regulated the same way?

The Sisters City Council has suggested that “franchise foods” are acceptable as long as they don’t include drive-throughs. What about bank, laundry, or coffee drive-ups? And, if coffee stops are included in the drive-up definition, they are not even allowed in the downtown core.

Obviously, this is one section of the code that the planning department has given high priority for analysis and revision. With other code contradictions and misplaced wording the planning department and planning commission have their work cut out for them. Their next workshop is scheduled for February 17.

In other city news, Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority’s Executive Director Cyndy Cook presented an overview of the Tamarack Village project in Sisters.

According to Cook’s statistics, 76 percent of heads of household at Tamarack Village are female; 73 percent of household incomes were less than $21,680 (43 percent were under $16,260); dominant occupations were retail (30 percent) and services (22 percent).

Cook also noted a $400,000 drop in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section A) benefits last

year.

She said that they are not terminating people from the program, but they are letting the numbers drop through natural attrition.

Should the City of Sisters regulate the number and location of fast-food restaurants?

Let us know what you think. Email [email protected]

From Bill & Gretchen Dakin, Sisters:

The City of Sisters should regulate the number, location, and design of fast-food restaurants in our town.

We do not need a strip of fast-food restaurants in our town. Third Street in Bend is an example of what we don’t want.

It is time the planning commission and the planning department sit down and work out this whole matter before it’s too late.

From Sarah Rahm, Sisters:

It is my belief that more “formula” restaurants would detract from Sisters’ charm and uniqueness. We can go anywhere and find these places. Why do we need them in our town? We don’t. We have any number of convenient, “fast” food restaurants from which to choose, many of them locally owned.

When you’re in a Taco Bell or Olive Garden, you could be anywhere in the world. The sameness is dull and uninteresting.

Sisters has so much potential for growing in a good way. Let’s not ruin it. The time to plan for the kind of town we want is now because, like it or not, we are growing at a rapid rate.

To safeguard our ambiance, I strongly support the city adopting an ordinance banning fast food franchises. This has been done in Pacific Grove, Carmel and Solvang in California. In Oregon, Cannon Beach has had an ordinance for 25 years. Is it any coincidence that Cannon Beach is the charming town it is and one of the few on the Oregon Coast which does well economically (without a casino!)?

I urge the city council of Sisters to reconsider and seriously look into doing the same. It can be done.