Wednesday, October 21, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 17 New development to break ground this week By Jim Cornelius News Editor A new residential devel- opment on the old Lundgren Mill property at the north end of Pine Street will get underway with a ribbon-cut- ting 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 prop- erty 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 prop- erty to allow for residential development. Hall has named the devel- opment ClearPine, an hom- age 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 build- ers 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 num- ber of starts over the winter — weather dependent,” Hall told The Nugget. Design standards will be similar to Bend’s Northwest Crossing, with many mem- bers of the ClearPine design team having worked on that development. “I’ve seen the develop- ment really embraced by the public,” Hall said. He hopes to have a simi- lar reception for ClearPine in Sisters. He notes that lower land prices have allowed for a lower price point. photo provided The abandoned mill site gradually decayed. photo provided The Lundgren Mill operated into the 1960s. Now it will be the site of a housing development. There has been consider- able concern for the creation of lower-cost housing in Sisters — homes that families can afford, which can sup- port 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 gen- eral 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 afford- able-housing developer. It’s a very defined art.” Hall said that spec build- ers 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 cot- tage 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.” We’re creating an upscale neighborhood at a reasonable price point. — Peter Hall 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 devel- opment, which may be turned over to the City of Sisters as a public space. Hall anticipates buildout of all phases to happen rela- tively 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 inven- tory into Sisters’ very tight rental market. While hom- eowners can certainly rent their property, Hall envisions the ClearPine buyer as a resi- dent 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 con- tact Cordoni at 541-771-0931.