Letters to the Editor 04/27/2011

To the Editor:

The Sisters Community could use a hand. The continuing saga of cell tower siting issues again rears its head in Sisters Country and this time we may be the victim of land use loopholes. Last year AT&T fought to locate a 150-foot tower on the top of a private hill directly in a panoramic Cascades view. The stopping factor was not community or quality of life concerns, rather a zoning technicality and a couple of very determined and resourceful residents fighting what should have been a community fight. Good sense and good laws prevailed.

It now appears that the eagle eyes of the same siting consultancy discovered that all of Sisters outlying 1, 2 to 5 acre subdivisions have been deemed to be RR-10 (10 acre and larger Rural Residential ) properties regardless of the fact that none of them could ever qualify for that zoning. They had to be RR-10 as the county zoning allows nothing less. Much to the applicant's delight, RR-10 large acreage zoning allows cell towers as a routine "conditional use." Voila. The path of least resistance now is to put the 150-foot towers right in the residential subdivisions. Smart thinking!

This action could now be applicable for any and all of our residential subdivisions and the fine print of the zoning codes may actually allow this. Will allowing RR-10 conditional uses in Panoramic open the door next for Indian Meadow, Tollgate, Crossroads, Snow Cap Vista, Squaw Creek Canyon and others for any conditional use? You bet it could.

A 150-foot tower in Panoramic would rise 60-plus feet over any surrounding trees and will be a very thick profile. Many properties to the northeast with views of the Cascades may find this behemoth in the way. For those with rim lots along Whychus Canyon from Snow Cap Vista to Mountain View Rd., please look towards the mountains for a very small eight-foot balloon that will be flying starting at noon Monday, May 2. This will be your sneak preview. If it is in your view path you may want to take a good look without it while you can.

I will be the first to agree that we need better cell coverage in our area, but that should start with a well thought, comprehensive process to identify the best locations that protect our quality of life and quality of service, not as pepper gun attacks on conveniently available properties. County commissioners, take a lead on this and do what your comp plan draft says you need to do. Put a temporary hold on siting applications while you go to work smartly to coordinate with other jurisdictions to thoughtfully plan our technological growth and shepherd our resource preservation for the future.

Gary Miller