News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The Deschutes County Commissioners may have shot down the Cyrus family's opening bid for chance to convert Aspen Lakes Golf Course into a destination resort, but the family plans to keep trying.
Last week the commissioners rejected the Cyruses proposed text amendment to the county code which would have exempted Aspen Lakes from some restrictions and created a path for conversion.
Only outgoing Commissioner Mike Daly voted in favor of the code change. Tammy Baney and Dennis Luke opposed the move.
"Oh, we'll just move forward," said Matt Cyrus of the decision. "We were looking for some direction as to how to proceed and it was Commissioner (Tammy) Baney who indicated that the text amendment wasn't necessary, that we should apply as is."
Cyrus doesn't see the rejection of the text amendment as a major blow.
"It would have allowed us to exempt our one-acre lots," he said. "It would have allowed us to build on slightly larger lots (than allowed under destination resort restrictions of 1/2-acre maximums)."
Derek Cornforth, who represents The Rim at Aspen Lakes in opposition to the destination resort plan, said he was pleased with the commissioners' decision.
"We were very pleased that they went the way they did, that they rejected the amendment," he said. "The good thing, from our point of view, is that a group can't just change the county code by spending money on lawyers and public relations people."
Destination resorts must include overnight lodging and amenities designed for visitors. As a destination resort, the developers would also be able to sell as many as 300 new lots for permanent housing.
Matt Cyrus said he expects his family will file an application for destination resort status in the next two or three months.
"That's not unexpected that they would," Cornforth said. "I still don't think they've got any better prospect of getting it through."
Opponents - and county staff and state land use officials who commented on the proposed text amendment - have argued that Aspen Lakes fails to meet basic destination resort rules requiring that 50 units of overnight accommodations be built before housing lots are sold. Aspen Lakes has sold more than 100 lots.
"The only thing that they (the Cyrus family) own is the open space and that is supposed to be protected," Cornforth said. "We expect that the county will uphold that principle. All they have is a destination resort (zoning) overlay. That doesn't give them the right to convert."
Cornforth said his group has not decided whether to actively oppose the next move in the effort to make Aspen Lakes a destination resort.
"I would expect so, but I don't know," he said. "We have to look at each situation as it comes up."
In addition to Cornforth's group, many neighbors of the golf course have spoken in opposition to the Cyrus plans, concerned that adding more housing and guest accommodations will degrade the rural character of the area and create more traffic.
Several current residents of Aspen Lakes have testified in favor of the move, praising the Cyrus family's civic involvement and the quality and benefits of the current development.
The Cyrus family has argued that they always intended to create a destination resort and that more overnight accommodations would be an economic boon to the Sisters area.
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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