City snapshot - building and more building

• The community is invited to attend a public meeting on March 21, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sisters High School Lecture Room regarding a future land use application to be submitted by Hayden Homes located at 1680 W. McKinney Butte Rd. The land use applications will consist of zoning map amendment to shift 1.8 acres of open space zone to another area on the project site, a master plan and tentative subdivision plat.

The proposed project will enable the construction of 199 mixed residential unit types including single-family detached dwellings, townhomes, a multi-family complex, and a small commercial/residential mixed use (final use to be determined). Ten percent of the residential units must be affordable housing units according to the property's annexation agreement.

The public will have an opportunity to listen to the applicant's presentation, ask questions and provide feedback to the applicant and City staff. A graphic of the proposal will be available for viewing at the time of the meeting.

• A number of building projects are underway on the north side of town, in the light industrial area. Next to the post office, between North Larch and North Locust Streets, construction of The Lodge at Sisters is proceeding on schedule. Laird SuperFood's first new building is almost ready for occupancy and the second one is well under way. Ground has been broken off of Sun Ranch Drive and is awaiting issuance of a building permit for three residential units upstairs with a commercial catering business on the ground level.

There is a mixed-use project going in next to the mini-storage on Barclay Drive. There will be three residential units upstairs with a woodworking business and coffee shop on the ground level. A site plan by the same owner has been submitted for land just to the north of the woodworking shop.

• On Tuesday, March 20, HousingWorks was to break ground at 601 Brooks Camp Rd. for the 48-unit affordable Village Meadows Apartments. A ceremony was to take place at 2 p.m. with officials of HousingWorks, the City, and Deschutes County making remarks. A similar ceremony was to take place Tuesday morning in La Pine where another affordable complex will be constructed.

• Improvements to the Creekside Campground are almost complete. Five full hook-up conversions are complete. The fiber conduit for wifi has been installed. The only thing left is the final design and footing details for the dishwashing station. The campground will be open on Monday, April 2 after the Easter Sunday egg hunt. Camp hosts will be on site May 1.

• The Sisters Planning Commission is still reviewing possible Development Code text amendments regarding vacation rentals. The City has been receiving numerous communications from area realtors who are generally not in favor of most regulations proposed for vacation rentals.

• The new City website is up and available. It is much more user-friendly than the old site and everything seems to be functioning well. It can be found at http://www.ci.sisters.or.us.

• AT&T Mobility is proposing to install a monopole at 15200 McKenzie Highway, which is the address of Sisters Middle School. The overall height above the ground would be just a little less than 127 feet.

• Sisters City Council passed a resolution supporting the City of Sisters grant application for the Village Green play structure replacement project to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The total cost of the project is estimated at $193,750 with the City providing $77, 500 of the total. The City Parks Advisory Board has been researching possible structures. If the grant is received, public input will be sought on recommendations for play equipment. The entire structure, including the surface underneath it, would be ADA accessible.

• Council approved an agreement between the City and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council for riparian and utility design for Creekside Park and Campground. The design will include upstream and downstream fish passage at buried utility crossings, improvements to riparian and in-stream habitat, retrofits to the current pedestrian bridge over Whychus Creek, and provisions to reduce riparian impact of user-created trails. The design phase should be complete by December 31, 2018, with a complete set of bid-ready and permit-ready plans and specifications for the project. A majority of the funding for the project will come from grants secured by both the City and UDWC.

• Finance officer Joe O'Neill reported he is working on preparations for the 2018-19 budget process, preparing worksheets that reflect the Council goals. The Budget Committee begins their work in May. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.