Aspen Lakes plans destination resort

Sisters may have a new destination resort if developers of Aspen Lakes get their way.

The Deschutes County Planning Commission recently heard proposals and arguments for the expansion of the Aspen Lakes development into a destination resort.

The development is located to the east of Sisters on Highway 126. Not everyone is on board with the plan as presented, and the expansion is sure to be contested.

The plan to expand has been in the minds of Aspen Lakes owners, the Cyrus family, since the late 1980s when the first part of the development was under consideration.

"At that time the county had not yet completed its resort ordinances, making it difficult to obtain resort approvals," said Matt Cyrus, a co-owner of the development.

Because of the difficulties - which included financial investment and various ancillary regulations - the Cyrus family decided to follow a different plan.

"At the suggestion of county staff at the time, it was decided to develop the main resort amenities first and then convert the entire property into a resort at a later date," said Cyrus.

A group of homeowners adjacent to the proposed expansion are not enthusiastic about the resort development project and have hired an attorney to represent their interests.

"The biggest problem with the proposed expansion is that it is illegal," said Paul Dewey, a well-known environmental attorney based in Bend.

The county planning commission has yet to provide a recommendation to the county commissioners about the proposed destination resort.

"We aren't asking for anything that hasn't been done before. They grandfathered Eagle Crest in, and we are asking for the same grandfather clause to apply to us," said Cyrus.

Dewey disagrees with this argument.

"What happened at Eagle Crest was a totally different situation," he said.

A significant amount of money is on the line for Deschutes County, and that may have some effect on the outcome of the decision, since the economic downturn has also affected the county coffers.

"Aspen Lakes is already one of Deschutes County's leading property tax rate payers with a combined existing assessed valuation of approximately $31.9 million," said Cyrus.

The property tax forecast for the development is a strong incentive for the county to weigh its decision carefully.

"The proposed new development at Aspen Lakes Resort is forecasted to increase the amount of assessed property value by approximately $140 million at build-out. The resulting annual increase in property tax revenues for Deschutes County is likely to exceed $1.3 million," said Cyrus.

Although the economic impact may be positive for the area, the neighbors feel they will receive only the downside.

"There will be a lot of extra traffic on the road, and that is a consideration for the neighboring property owners that will be affected. Also, the homeowners will be looking down on the development, and their views will be compromised," said Dewey.

The knowledge that neighboring property owners oppose the construction of the resort expansion is not news to Cyrus who has lived his life in the area.

"We understand that there are concerns, and we want to meet with the people who have objections to show them what we are doing and try to find a solution to their concerns. We hope that they will tell us their concerns," he said.

What do you think about Aspen Lakes' proposed expansion? Let The Nugget know at http://www.nuggetnews.com or e-mail [email protected]