City ponders options to develop Forest Service land

Virtually everyone interested in the future of Sisters recognizes that what happens on some 53 acres of Forest Service land at the west end of town will shape Sisters for years to come.

The Forest Service plans to sell that land, using the proceeds to fund construction of a new ranger station nearby and for other Forest Service construction projects in the region.

The Forest Service plans to sell the land to the highest bidder. Many citizens want more public control over development - both to make sure development is compatible with the town and to acquire public amenities such as a swimming pool, a performing arts venue and a community center. Some advocates want to see, at least, some of the land dedicated to public housing.

The city is wrestling with how to guide the development of the land in a way that will accommodate everybody's agenda.

In a workshop on Thursday, November 9, the city council kicked around the question of whether the city should "own it or zone it."

David Blair, a regional staff representative for Senator Ron Wyden, has drafted a letter to Regional Forester Linda Goodman noting: "The general concern and uncertainty among Sisters leaders is whether we have fully investigated alternative methods to accomplish both Forest Service and community goals."

At the workshop, Blair told the council that "it is important that the city understand that there are lots of options."

One option is for the city to create a zoning overlay that would guide the development of the property once it is sold on the open market.

A group of citizens has explored the possibility that the Forest Service could be directed to sell the property below market value to a kind of "community trust" that would ensure that development went according to the desires of the community.

That approach would require some kind of legislative direction to the Forest Service.

Recently, Brooks Resources Corporation proposed that the city consider a public/private partnership to develop the property.

Under that scenario, the city might take a nine-month option to purchase the land at an independently appraised price and seek proposals from developers to acquire the land at or above option price. (This option, too, would require legislation).

The city would set criteria that must be met by developers in a Request for Proposal (RFP). That could include insisting that the developer build some public amenities.

That idea appealed to some of the city councilors.

Brad Boyd argued that the city would stand a better chance of actually seeing public amenities built under the public/private partnership than it would by simply setting aside zones for such amenities in an overlay.

Lon Kellstrom expressed concern that a below-market sale would be opposed by the Forest Service and derail any action on the land for some time.

Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony said that any proposal that didn't involve selling to the highest bidder would have to be judged by the Forest Service at a much higher level than his Sisters office or the Deschutes National Forest.

"Any deviation from current policy would require national office involvement," Anthony said.

He also noted, "The Forest Service has always expressed the intent that this transaction be beneficial to the community as well as the agency."

Anthony and his staff encouraged the creation of an overlay zone as a means for the city to determine what kind of development the community wants on the land.

City manager Eileen Stein said that an overlay zone can be very specific and would involve substantial public input through public hearings.

The city has not made much progress on the overlay zone project due to lack of staffing in the planning department.

There is still time for alternatives to be explored. According to Anthony, "The earliest that the properties would be put on the market would be early fall of next year" - almost a year away.