Wednesday, January 13, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
19
Planning department has a big work load
McKenzie
River Trust
buys 150
acres near
Blue River
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
EUGENE (AP) — The
nonprofit McKenzie River
Trust has completed the pur-
chase of more than 150 acres
of land near Blue River to
help protect water quality and
salmon habitat.
T h e R e g i s t e r- G u a rd
reports that the trust pur-
chased the land for $775,000
to help with conservation of
the McKenzie River, which
provides drinking water to
the Eugene Water & Electric
Board.
The electric board com-
missioners authorized a
$250,000 grant for resto-
ration of the property and
have agreed to match up to
$500,000 of money the trust
raises through a fundraising
campaign.
The trust and landowner
Rosboro, a Springfield forest
products company, are also in
talks for the purchase of 110
acres across the river.
The
Community
Development Department
(CDD) at Sisters City Hall
has been a beehive of activ-
ity for the past year, and there
are no signs of slowing down
in 2016. In a recent report to
City Council of 2015 activi-
ties by the CDD, the breadth
and depth of their responsi-
bilities were clearly evident.
Patrick Davenport, com-
munity development director,
joined the City staff in March
2015, quickly followed by
Associate Planner Darcy
Reed in April. They, along
with long-time Planning
Technician Carol Jenkins,
face a large workload for
such a small staff.
Residential building per-
mits in 2015 were issued
for 46 structures, including
36 single-family detached
homes.
A commercial building
permit was issued for the new
Sisters Village Hotel planned
for West Hood Avenue, adja-
cent to Pine Meadow Village,
with construction scheduled
to begin this spring. Legacy
Builders constructed three
two-story mixed-use build-
ings with commercial space
below and living space
above, behind Hop ‘n Brew
on South Cedar Street.
Trade permits issued
for electrical, mechani-
cal and plumbing projects
totaled 134. There were 31
permits for additional/ten-
ant improvements and 12
demolitions.
Development reviews
are within the purview of
the CDD, and they received
43 applications for a variety
of reviews, from subdivi-
sion master plans to lot-line
adjustments to major vari-
ances. Any construction proj-
ect slated for Sisters must be
reviewed and approved by the
CDD. Larger projects require
many hours on the part of
staff to review and ensure
that everything planned will
be done according to existing
City codes. Some of the plans
require hearings before the
Planning Commission and/
or City Council, which add to
the staff workload.
Another area of responsi-
bility is the enforcement of
City codes: everything from
weed abatement to noise
complaints and neighbor con-
flicts over fences. Of the 177
total cases opened in 2015,
111 were successfully closed.
Davenport and his staff
process all urban renewal
applications for compliance
with URA requirements and
prepare them for approval/
denial by City Council. Last
year there were 19 applica-
tions for façade improve-
ment projects and three trash
enclosure projects. Seven
have been completed, 13 are
outstanding (work yet to be
completed), and two were
ineligible.
Evidence of a busy City
Hall is reflected in the 740
front counter customer con-
tacts in 2015 regarding CDD
issues.
To add to the usual work-
load and busy meeting sched-
ules, Davenport and Reed
have been involved in a
number of time-consuming
projects. A housing needs
analysis was undertaken as
part of a larger look at the
issue of affordable housing
for Sisters. This effort, near-
ing completion, led to the
creation of a detailed inven-
tory of every parcel of land
in the city limits, something
that has never existed. With
this tool in hand, staff and
the Planning Commission
will have an accurate picture
of what currently exists and
what is needed. From here
forward, updates will keep
the inventory current at all
times.
The City Parks Master
Plan, which details inven-
tory of existing parks and
makes recommendations for
improvements and acquisi-
tion, is a large, detailed docu-
ment, which is updated every
so often. This lengthy job
for staff and the City Parks
Advisory Board is nearing
completion.
The largest component
of the Parks Master Plan
update has been the almost
two-year project of complet-
ing the Creekside Park and
Campground Master Plan,
which becomes part of the
City Parks Master Plan.
Grant applications to help
fund various proposed proj-
ects around town, such as
park improvements, multi-
use paths, and Transportation
System Plan updates, also are
written by CDD staff.
There were a num-
ber of controversial issues
addressed by the CDD in
2015, including mobile
food carts, transient mer-
chants, and the Creekside
Campground Master Plan, all
of which required numerous
public hearings and meetings
with neighbors and interested
parties.
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