Public weighs in on development code

Sisters business owners weighed in on plans that will shape the future of Sisters in the first public hearing before the Sisters Planning Commision as the city finishes revising its development code.

The purpose of the meeting held Thursday, February 11, was to determine if, point-by-point, line-by-line, the development code worked for the public at large while maintaining boundaries/rules that protect and define the City of Sisters.

Several residents and business owners spoke out, disputing details in the code focusing on issues relating to signs, fences and setbacks.

Jeff Haken, owner of Garden of Eden, cited 45 retailers in Sisters who depend on A-frame signs or neon signs, currently restricted by the code. Haken said the proposed code would only allow one neon sign per store. He referenced everyone from Sisters Bakery's multiple neon signs to the new Dollar Store's blinking neon, also restricted under the proposed code.

"I had never noticed that any of the signs blinked until I started canvassing stores," Haken said.

Haken pointed out the cost of signs to these establishments as well as lost business based on proposed code restrictions.

"If the coffee place next to Sno Cap (Bright Spot) lost even half a dozen coffee customers due to no signage," Haken said, "it could feasibly cause a loss of $10,000 in sales per year. A significant loss in these tough economic times."

Phil Rerat, of Swiss Mountain Log Homes, Inc. addressed the issue of fences. A newly required fence would block the view of his premises, which draws people to his business.

Kris Calvin, of Earthwood Timber Frame Homes later presented photographs emphasizing the same point. Like many others, Calvin asked for flexibility in the code.

John Tehan added that the wood fences create a safety issue, because police cannot see through the fence.

Chris Mayes used his home as an example of problems relating to increased setbacks from the side and the rear. His 8,200-square-foot lot is 97 feet deep by 85 feet wide. Proposed setbacks would limit his lot to 4,700 square feet to build upon. Based on the height of his property's ridge, a 59-foot setback for solar access would be required, which is unreasonable for an 85-foot lot.

"My recommendation," he said, "is to get rid of the sliding scale on the rear setback based on the lot size.

"I own Design Strategies, have lived here for six years, and design custom homes, additions, remodels, and small commercial projects," Mayes said. "I look at code for a living and rely on it. The bottom line is, people considering a move to Sisters could look at the restrictions and decide to build elsewhere."

Several businesses focused their comments on proposed changes to the code affecting the Sisters Industrial Park.

Dave Doughit discussed landlord/tenant issues regarding disallowing expansion of non-conforming businesses.

"I suspect that a large number of those businesses will be classified as non-conforming (i.e. not allowed by current regulations, but allowed at the time they were established). Imagine that a tenant comes to you and wants to expand into the neighboring property and you as landlord have to refuse because he is non-conforming. At which point the tenant says he will break the lease because you can't accommodate him."

Doughit offered a solution: "If your proposed language said 'a non-conforming use cannot be expanded or moved unless it is grandfathered' the problem is solved."

Developer Steve McGhehey asked the commission to loosen the code limiting the light industrial area to manufacturing uses and allow office spaces. McGhehey is currently in escrow with a San Jose client interested in putting 30 employees in the 30,000-square-foot former Multnomah Building.

"They're not big time manufacturing," McGhehey said. "They have a lab, but would primarily use the building as offices and storage."

Senior Planner Pauline Hardie explained the necessity for some of the code restrictions.

"If more retail was allowed in the Light Industrial zone there would be fast food places that want to move into an already small area," she said.

There will be more public hearings.

The commissioners voted to continue the meeting to February 23, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall.