Annexation to go to council for vote

An agreement to bring the 30-acre McKenzie Meadows property inside the city limits of Sisters will go before the Sisters City Council for a vote on Thursday, November 12.

The matter will be discussed in a workshop at 6 p.m.; the regular council meeting is set for 7 p.m.

The site is proposed for a senior living facility including a lodge and single-family homes for people 55 years of age and older.

The property was approved for annexation by a vote of the citizens of Sisters in 2006.

In a related matter, the council will consider the question of referring the matter to a vote for a second time.

Former mayor Brad Boyd requested that the council put that question on its agenda.

"What they have proposed out there has changed," Boyd said. "And more importantly, the economy has changed and our housing inventory has changed.

"'Why are we bringing in McKenzie Meadows' is the question that I would ask. There isn't financing for a senior center and we don't have the market for a senior center."

Proponents argue that a senior living community will be a benefit to Sisters, allowing the elderly to stay in the community. They also believe the project will create construction jobs and ongoing service jobs that will boost the economy.

Boyd says that any prospect for new jobs is a long time out.

"There's absolutely no need for this thing," he said.