News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Rep. John Huffman changed course Monday on efforts to clear the way legislatively for development of property owned by the Cyrus family east of Sisters.
At a meeting of a working group, Huffman said he plans to sponsor a bill in the 2014 legislative session that would allow for siting Transfer Development Opportunities (TDOs) in Deschutes and Jefferson counties (and possibly others) - but not tied to the Cyruses or any other specific property or development.
TDOs were established in 2009 when the legislature effectively disallowed Camp Sherman-area developments under a provision declaring the Metolius Basin an Area of Critical State Concern.
The TDOs allow the developers to initiate projects elsewhere under specific restrictions.
Current statute identifies 26 counties that met criteria established in 2009 to measure their suitability - including economic need based on unemployment statistics.
The TDOs must "be sited on land that is within a county that has, on June 29, 2009, a seasonally adjusted average annual unemployment rate over the preceding 10 calendar years that is more than 110 percent of the unemployment rate for the entire state over the same period."
In 2009, Deschutes Country did not meet that criteria. Under current conditions, it would.
In the last session, Huffman sponsored HB 3536, which would have allowed for use of the TDOs to further develop Cyrus property at and around Aspen Lakes. The bill triggered opposition in Sisters Country and failed to gain traction in the legislature.
Huffman told the working group on Monday that after talking with Deschutes County Commissioners, he "had an epiphany" due to concerns about legislatively "supersiting" development and decided that the working group should not "start down that road toward supersiting."
According to Huffman, a 2014 bill, which would have to be submitted by November 26, would strictly deal with adding additional counties to the list of those eligible under the 2009 legislation. The bill would also extend the deadline for use of the TDOs.
If TDO owner Shane Lundgren of Sisters identifies a property to receive the TDOs, a proposed development would then go through the county land use process.
Jim Rue, Director of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, emphasized the significance of Huffman's change of direction.
"We've changed course here pretty dramatically," he said.
So dramatically, in fact, that it was not clear to some members of the working group what the group's mandate now may be. And it was difficult to steer the conversation away from the Cyrus property. There was ongoing debate over the impact of development on water and over the legal status of open space at Aspen
Lakes.
Despite some confusion over what the ongoing purpose is, the group agreed to meet again in two weeks, possibly in Bend.
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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