News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Brad Boyd has taken up the gavel as Sisters’ new mayor.
Brad Boyd took up the gavel as Sisters' new mayor last Thursday with an agenda: he wants to involve Sisters area citizens more directly in government and for the council to think more strategically in its actions.
"One of my goals is to have the council think of things... more strategically and more holistically," he said. "Instead of doing things piecemeal, which is how I think we've done things, let's do things differently."
Specifically, Boyd said, that means looking at the overall impact of each element of growth instead of the merits of a particular development by itself. For example, he said, the council should look more broadly at the impact of growth on traffic and on the schools.
There's going to be plenty of growth impact to study.
Boyd points out that there are roughly 1,000 households in Sisters, including 85 units approved or built last year. There's a lot more on the way.
"We have 1,000 lots approved to be built already, so that would be double where we are right now" in about 12 years, he said.
There are an additional 423 lots pending approval and another 120 lots in proposed annexation properties. That doesn't include anything that might be built on some 53 acres of Forest Service land that is expected to come on the market, nor does it account for nearby Measure 37 claims at Pine Meadow Ranch and Patterson Ranch that could one day impact the city.
For Boyd, the key question facing the council and city residents is "how do we maintain what they're here for. I would assert that we're selling $500,000 homes in Sisters because of our quality of life and our natural beauty."
To get citizens involved in managing growth to preserve those qualities, Boyd will insist on the formation of a charter-required Citizens Advisory Committee composed of 50 percent in-city residents and 50 percent residents of the school district who live outside city limits.
"People don't feel they have a voice in their city government," Boyd said. "We want people to feel engaged, involved and appreciated."
That extends to inviting more in-depth public comment at council meetings, ending a five-minute limit on visitor communications.
"We're not there to see if we can get the meeting done in a hurry," he said. "We're there for people to come and tell us their concerns."
That's a double-edged sword, Boyd notes. The council can roll out the welcome mat for citizens, but the citizens have to show up and use the forum appropriately.
"They tell me they want to," Boyd said. "I hope they want to come and participate."
Citizens are already participating in city efforts to determine how the Sisters Ranger District property at the west end of town will be developed.
Boyd has a strong preference. He wants the city to get an option to purchase the land through federal legislation and to engage a "master developer to come up with a plan that would include public amenities in addition to possible commercial and residential development.
That's a different course than simply creating an overlay zone that would map what the city wants to see on the property.
"If we want a pool, if we want a community center, we can get them built by a "master developer," Boyd said. "An overlay zone isn't going to get that for us. We're going to know what the finished product is, while with an overlay zone we're not."
Boyd said the city has support from Senator Ron Wyden's office to push through the necessary legislation.
"Senator Wyden's office is very interested, and we appreciate any help Senator Wyden can give us on this matter," Boyd said.
Transportation planning is one of the most critical - and most complicated - elements of the council's work.
Boyd wants to restart the discussion of transportation options - couplet, bypass, modifications to through streets, etc. - more or less from the beginning. He also wants the city to engage its own traffic engineer - one who will work up options in the interest of Sisters rather than pursuing the goals of the Oregon Department of Transportation.
"Let's get everyone on the same page," he said. "Let's figure out what we want as a community."
He cautioned that "there's no magic bullet. If there are five options, none of them are simple or painless."
Boyd, who owns Eurosports on Hood Avenue in Sisters, has served on the council for two years.
Will a new mayor change Sisters' government? Let The Nugget know. Comment on this story at http://www.nuggetnews.com or e-mail [email protected]
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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