New storage building impresses planners

A new storage building might not seem like something to get excited about. But at last Thursday’s Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission meeting, commissioners were impressed to see a design for a building that represents the wave of Sisters’ future.

“I think this is the direction of building in the light industrial area,” said Brian Rankin, Planning Director for the City of Sisters. Rankin said the design stood out because it was more than “just a square building.”

Rankin was talking about a 7,190-square-foot storage building being built on the corner of Barclay Drive and Aylor Court. Owner and contractor Lynn Johnston is using high-quality building materials and spending $16,000 on attractive landscaping to make the building an asset to the area.

“You can tell, I’m not going to cut any corners,” said Johnston.

He brought samples of the windows, roofing and siding he plans to use to make his point.

Johnston has decades of experience through his families’ home building and remodeling business. He needs the new building for storage of tools and equipment and plans to rent part of the building to a carpet business.

Rankin added it would be one of the most attractive buildings in the area and “an enhancement to what is there.”

Rankin recommended approving Johnston’s site plan with a few conditions. Commissioners discussed how the building was oriented on the corner and how the view of the parking area would be diminished. Commissioner Dominic DeBari called the design an “incredible effort.”

Commissioners voted to approve the new storage building by a unanimous vote.