199-unit development on the drawing board

There was no question how most of the attendees felt at last week's community meeting regarding Hayden Homes plans for the former McKenzie Meadow Village (MMV) property. They generally didn't like what they saw and heard.

According to Community Development Director Patrick Davenport, the City wanted the community to provide feedback on Hayden's plans so the developer could hear local concerns before Hayden formally files a land-use application. The application will consist of zoning map amendments to shift 1.8 acres of open space zone to another area on the project site, a master plan, and tentative subdivision plat.

"The neighborhood meeting was not required; however, Hayden Homes and City staff felt that it would be worthwhile to discuss this plan with the community prior to making a formal application," said April Pust, land development manager for Hayden Homes.

The proposed project would allow for the construction of 199 mixed residential unit types including single-family detached dwellings, townhouses, a multi-family complex, and a small commercial/residential mixed-use area. Ten percent of the residential units (20) must be affordable-housing units (AHU) according to the property's original annexation agreement.

A total of 3.4 acres of the 30 acres is proposed to provide recreation opportunities, breaking of housing blocks, and improve tree preservation. Hayes McCoy, civil engineer who conducted an inventory of trees on the 30 acres, said there are 240-250 trees, and over half of them would be removed.

"Hayden Homes is working with the land owners during the land-use process," Pust said.

MMV partner Kurt Kallberg told The Nugget, "I have total confidence that Hayden will work it out. The community may not get everything they want, but I'm confident there will be good housing at affordable prices."

The attendees at the meeting were mainly residents of the Village at Cold Springs, Hayden's first development, located off McKinney Butte Road and next to the new project. They seemed fairly united in their major concerns expressed regarding Hayden's latest proposal.

President of the homeowners association, Doug Wills, identified concerns about traffic and safety if Hill and Williamson Streets are continued into the new development. The 25-foot-wide streets are too narrow for two vehicles to pass or for emergency vehicles to get through when cars are parked on both sides of the street.

Children play in the streets and residents ride their bikes and walk through the neighborhood. Due to an agreement with the City at the time Village at Cold Springs was approved, the streets are owned by the HOA. They are responsible for maintenance, repairs, and snow removal. Residents are concerned that connecting the streets to the new ones will increase traffic, resulting in more wear and tear for which the HOA will be responsible.

Wills reported that currently there are 2,900 lineal feet of cracks in the pavement that need to be repaired due to faulty initial installation. One resident said Hayden Homes got a break from the City before and now the residents deserve some help.

"I am tired of all these high school kids speeding through the neighborhood on our private streets," Village at Cold Springs resident Deborah Olson told the assembly.

Now that Williamson connects directly to Railway Avenue on the north end - because of the new Hayden Homes being constructed in that area - residents fear that Williamson will become a cut-through to the high school if it continues into the MMV property.

A Hayden representative said the connections are not preferred by the builder and to let the City know of their concerns. Several residents pointed out that supposedly "in the past the City planners said the streets wouldn't go through... There were provisions in the previous plan for locked gates to be utilized by emergency personnel for fire, ambulance, and police vehicles."

There is also concern about the increased traffic on McKinney Butte and in town with the addition of 199 more housing units.

Ann Marland, who lives in The Pines further north on McKinney Butte Road, asked how the City would mitigate all the additional traffic. She also thinks the road should be widened to provide for bike and pedestrian safety. She and several other residents encouraged Hayden to be a good community friend and consider making a contribution to a senior center or full-service community center.

Other concerns voiced had to do with the loss of numerous mature trees so that "Sisters won't look like Sisters anymore." The small size of the building lots and the density, which is more than Village at Cold Springs, raised concerns about a "desecration of the nature of Sisters."

Bill Turner referred to the proposed subdivision as "a cancer. We've dealt with them (Hayden) . They aren't pleasant, honest, or consistent. We're looking at the demise of Sisters."

A Tollgate resident raised the concern about smaller houses meaning more mass and more people. She asked, "How does this affect those of us who already live here? I would like to see improvement in the quality of our community before we bring more people in."

The Planning Commission will be the final decision-making body regarding issues surrounding the development. Their decision can be appealed to the City Council.

The history of this piece of property has been convoluted and complex over the past 15 years. The City placed restrictions on MMV at the time of annexation, requiring a senior-living facility to be built before any other building could take place. The MMV partners ended up with huge legal bills as a result of numerous appeals by Mark Adolf to the Land Use Board of Appeals, which stalled construction of the senior facility and thus any other structures.

The Village at Cold Springs neighbors challenged them on some of the same issues being raised now. The decision was made to sell the property rather than develop it because as Kallberg put it, "We're tired of fighting. We tried for 15 years. Maybe they can make it work."

Another MMV partner, Bill Willitts, told The Nugget, "The property owners, the developers, the neighbors, and the City have to work collectively for a positive outcome.

"We have to sit around the table and find solid middle ground."

Willitts indicated that Hayden has put up good-faith money with an option to purchase, with a liberal timeline.

"We appreciate the community attending the meeting and providing feedback. The concerns that were expressed by the neighbors will be considered in our application, although many of the concerns that we heard (density, connection to private streets) are issues that need to be resolved with the City," said Hayden's Pust.