Planners approve new subdivision

Sisters will be seeing more homes at the west end of town now that the Village Meadows subdivision has been approved by the Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission.

At their monthly meeting in November, the planners rejected the subdivision master plan due to lack of information on details, including how open space would be used. However, at last week’s meeting the details were ironed out and commissioners voted unanimously to accept the plan.

The Village Meadows subdivision, being developed by Aspen Brothers, is located on an 8.26-acre parcel along McKinney Butte and Brooks Camp Roads.

The development has two phases, with 30 single-family lots being developed first followed by 48 attached multi-family units in the second phase.

At the public hearing, one person spoke as a representative of the neighboring subdivision The Pines. Karen Miller asked that access to The Pines community clubhouse and mailboxes be retained.

Commissioners agreed that residents needed to maintain easy drive-up access to their row of mailboxes and that postal delivery people needed access to the mailboxes that border the new development.

“We just want them to be able to do what they currently do,” said Commissioner John Rahm.

After discussion, commissioners added a condition for an access easement.

Commissioners also discussed how the open space would be used and maintained. City code requires that 30 percent of the property be open space.

Aspen Brothers planner Jon Skidmore said the long, narrow strip of land “posed some challenges” but added a strip of open space around the perimeter of the acreage was the best solution given competing issues including fire access, roads, parking space and market concerns. Commissioners questioned whether individual residents would properly maintain the portion of open space next to their house.

“The idea isn’t to have a manicured appearance but look like the high desert,” added Skidmore.

The Village Meadows development will connect to the recently approved Hayden Homes development through an extension of Brooks Camp Road.