New development to break ground this week

A new residential development on the old Lundgren Mill property at the north end of Pine Street will get underway with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 22, at noon.

The symbolic launch of the 14-home first phase of the project has been 10 years in the making. Developer Peter Hall purchased the property from the Sisters School District for $3.3 million in 2005. The property was zoned industrial and Hall planned a business-park development there. That's still in the works for part of the property, but changing times and needs have led to rezoning the property to allow for residential development.

Hall has named the development ClearPine, an homage to the product of the lumber mill that operated on the property until it closed in 1962.

The mill processed old-growth timber.

"You got knot-free wood that's very useful for all kinds of finish carpentry," Hall noted.

The first phase will consist of 14 single-family homes, with prices in the mid-$300,000 range. Lot sizes are in the 5,000- to 7,000-square-foot range. A group of builders will draw for lots privately after the ribbon-cutting on Thursday. Lots that are not designated for builders will be available to the general public. Hall expects houses to be available for purchase in spring of 2016.

"I think we'll have a number of starts over the winter - weather dependent," Hall told The Nugget.

Design standards will be similar to Bend's Northwest Crossing, with many members of the ClearPine design team having worked on that development.

"I've seen the development really embraced by the public," Hall said.

He hopes to have a similar reception for ClearPine in Sisters. He notes that lower land prices have allowed for a lower price point.

There has been considerable concern for the creation of lower-cost housing in Sisters - homes that families can afford, which can support the local economy and bring children into the Sisters School District.

While the City of Sisters will require eight officially defined "affordable" units to be built as part of a later phase of the development, Hall acknowledges that general affordability is in the eye - and wallet - of the beholder.

"The community has been saying "Can you build lower-cost housing,'" Hall said. "It's really hard if you want quality housing... I'm not an affordable-housing developer. It's a very defined art."

Hall said that spec builders will be seeking "to build homes that are not too pricey."

"We're creating an upscale neighborhood at a reasonable price point," Hall said.

Future phases include cottage clusters on smaller lots that will sell in the $250,000 to $300,000 range.

"The cottage isn't a family product," Hall said. "It's most likely a retirement product."

Townhomes that will be part of later phases will be ClearPine's most affordable product, Hall said.

There will also be a ClearPine park in the development, which may be turned over to the City of Sisters as a public space.

Hall anticipates buildout of all phases to happen relatively quickly - at the latest summer of 2019.

"It's quite possible that they will be constructed sooner," he said.

The new development isn't likely to put much inventory into Sisters' very tight rental market. While homeowners can certainly rent their property, Hall envisions the ClearPine buyer as a resident or second-home owner.

Patty Cordoni of Cascade Sotheby's, the listing agent, says that the proximity to the National Forest is indicative of the kind of homeowner who is likely to be interested. She said a ClearPine home will "appeal to those who want to go out their front door and do their recreation... This is going to appeal to the people who want to move out of Bend to Sisters" as well as to people looking to come to Sisters from the west side of the mountains.

For more information contact Cordoni at 541-771-0931.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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.

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 5415499941