Forest Service sale marks critical crossroads

Readers of The Nugget may be aware that the U.S. Forest Service is preparing to sell most of the land it currently owns and occupies on the west side of Sisters. If the city is looking for a place to exercise a “vision” for Sisters, this is it.

Of the 80 acres that the Forest Serice currently owns, the latest plan involves selling 65 to 70 acres and retaining five to 10 acres as a home for a new Sisters Ranger District office.

To get a sense of the area that 80 acres covers in the core of Sisters, imagine a rectangle bound on the east by the elementary school and on the west by the Sno Cap Drive In, on the north by Main Avenue, and on the south by Jefferson Street, on the far side of the Village Green and the fire station.

That rectangle bounds about 80 acres, and has roughly the same dimensions (although rotated 90 degrees) as the property the Forest Service currently owns. Of this, the parcel the Forest Serice is likely to retain would be about twice the size of the new Library/School District/City Hall complex.

The Forest Service property going up for sale covers an area larger than what most people currently define as the “downtown” area of Sisters, has as much Highway 20 frontage as all of the “Commercial Highway” area on the west side of town and is otherwise accessible via the extension of Barclay Drive between the industrial park and Highway 20 and the proposed extension of Main Avenue to Highway 20.

It stands between our fastest-growing residential neighborhood and our schools on one side, and the rest of Sisters on the other.

The decisions that will guide development of these 80 acres will have an enormous and long-lasting impact on the perceived character, economic vitality and livability of Sisters.

The $64 million (or more!) question is: What is to become of this land? The city council recently laid out a plan to develop a “zoning overlay” before the property actually goes up for sale. The idea is to make clear which types of development the city will favor on this property before anyone invests money creating plans, hiring expert witnesses, and gearing up a marketing campaign. Or on hiring lawyers to intimidate a small city without the resources to fight a sustained legal offensive.

Most people simply zone out when conversation turns to zoning. Too often, the only participants at critical meetings where decision get made are those that have a direct financial stake in the property in question. The rest of us finally realize that something’s happened when we see bulldozers at work – usually months or years too late to have any constructive input. As an example, last summer’s letters to the editor divided into warring camps over the construction of a McDonald’s restaurant, but the decisions that created the legal and valid opportunity for that business were actually years old by then.

This time, let’s take action as a community and give the city council our input before construction starts. To our elected leaders: let’s stimulate dialogue instead of diatribe.

I thank our local Forest Service staff for pro-actively seeking a discussion with the city and community about potential uses for this property that can capture both economic value and community support. Hats off to the six Sisters-area residents that recently sent a letter to the city council outlining their vision for this property.

Thanks to the city staff and council for their commitment to hosting multiple public hearings as part of the zoning overlay process.

Now it’s your turn. What do you want to see become of this property? Affordable housing? Visitor amenities? National brand retailers? An aquatics center? Something for our schools and children? Open space? A conference or performance center?

If we don’t get engaged and let the city council clearly know what we want, we will truly deserve what we get.