Wednesday, July 29, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Continued from page 1
as the East Portal, is located
across Highway 20 from the
other properties, bounded by
Highway 242, West Hood
Avenue, and Highway 20. It is
called the East Portal because
it is the eastern end of scenic
Highway 242 that crosses the
Cascade Mountains, over the
old McKenzie Pass (closed in
the winter).
Although the Portal has
belonged to the USFS for
years, the Sisters Public
Works Department has main-
tained the public restrooms
for use by travelers during
the summer. There is also
an interpretive map at the
Portal, as well as a walking
labyrinth created by one of
the Ford Family Foundation
Leadership Cohorts.
The City of Sisters and
Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT) both
have an interest in that trian-
gle and have been in explor-
atory conversations for over a
year regarding a possible part-
nership to acquire the land.
In February of this year,
the Forest Service agreed to
not market the land and keep
it in public ownership. The
City would like to retain the
Open Space designation and
have some of the property
provide benefit to the trans-
portation system.
<We are interested,= said
ODOT Region 4 Chief Gary
Farnsworth. <Have been for
some time.=
ODOT would like to
acquire the land, as a signifi-
cant portion of the property
already has existing highway
facilities at the junction of
State Highways 20 and 242.
ODOT would agree to main-
tain the City9s multi-use trail
on the west side of Highway
20. The multi-modal hub
could provide more off-street
parking and be an essential
link in localized and regional
transportation. The Forest
Service would like to get the
highest price possible to help
fund their new ranger station.
According to City
Manager Cory Misley, <The
City has a strategic interest in
shaping the future develop-
ment of the remaining parcel
to meet community needs&
The parcel serves as a gate-
way to Sisters and Central
Oregon. At the same time, it
is underutilized, and ways to
expand and enhance its uses
in line with its current com-
position should be explored.=
City staff and ODOT
have also been talking with
Cascades East Transit, the
public transportation pro-
vider in Central Oregon, to
explore the possibility of sit-
ing a <mobility hub= on the
property to serve Sisters, west
Deschutes County, travel
between regions, and the state
highway system.
Misley explained that the
mobility hub would act as a
focal point in the transporta-
tion network serving Sisters,
integrating different modes
of transportation (auto, pedes-
trian, public transportation,
bicycles) to maximize con-
nectivity in the area.
<A multitude of ameni-
ties could be layered into
the property& Ultimately, a
partnership between the City
and ODOT, working closely
with CET, would undertake
a master planning process to
best prioritize and design the
facilities. Undertaking a proj-
ect like this will require many
years of planning and project
development, funding acqui-
sition, and project construc-
tion,= Misley said.
Council directed Misley to
proceed with refining the draft
intergovernmental agreement
(IGA) and co-lead partner-
ship with ODOT to acquire
the East Portal and to use a
portion of the property for
development of a multi-modal
transportation mobility hub.
The USFS originally val-
ued the triangle based on best
and highest use (regardless of
City zoning), which would be
prime commercial zone. It is
currently zoned Open Space.
Any developer would have to
pay top dollar and then incur
considerable additional time
and expense to get a zone
change, which wouldn9t be
guaranteed at time of pur-
chase. Misley said the City
plans don9t support changing
the zoning to commercial.
The property has been listed
for a long time with no offers.
The City and ODOT
had an independent prop-
erty appraisal done using the
OS zoning designation. The
appraisal came in at $7,500
per acre, lower than the
Forest Service price. Now
the negotiating with the FS
begins. Before that can hap-
pen, the City and ODOT have
to reach agreement and sign
an IGA for their partnership
in the East Portal. Next, they
have to make a formal initial
offer for the property, before
the Forest Service can begin
negotiations. Although ODOT
would only own about 5 per-
cent of the property, they are
willing to pay 50 percent of
the eventual purchase price.
Dave Brown of ODOT
thinks the Forest Service
will have a good discussion
once the offer is made by the
ODOT/ City partnership. He
is hopeful the Forest Service
will recognize that both par-
ties, being public entities, do
not have unlimited funds.
Misley concluded,
<Ultimately, there is an
opportunity for a win/win/
win for the City, ODOT, and
the Forest Service to work
towards a sale of the East
Portal and development along
the conceptual lines outlined.
This is an opportunity for the
City to initiate the final piece
of working to facilitate the
development of the FS prop-
erty, while leveraging stra-
tegic partnerships and deliv-
ering critical amenities to
Sisters Country.=
The IGA should be con-
cluded and signed in the next
two to four weeks, at which
time an offer can be submit-
ted to the Forest Service.
An ODOT representative
said, <This is a great oppor-
tunity for everyone. It9s a
super rare opportunity to pur-
chase land directly from the
Forest Service, which almost
never makes direct land sales.
This piece of land is one of
only two properties nation-
ally being offered for sale by
them.=
JOHNSEN: Portlander
is headed to Sisters
for SFF concert
Continued from page 11
her <American Idol= days.
She taught through School of
Rock and they gave her the
chance to give voice lessons.
<Once you teach some-
thing, the better you get at it
and that is what I was doing
with teaching vocal lessons,=
she said.
Johnsen works with peo-
ple of all ages and abilities.
Johnsen recently came out
with her most recent record
4 a live-recorded album
from Studio 1 in Abbey
Road Studios in London.
The songwriter thought she
would have a three-day UK
vacation, but her manager,
Warren Wyatt, had what she
calls a <trick up his sleeve=
4 a serendipitous single
evening recording session
Once you teach
something, the better
you get at it and that is
what I was doing with
teaching vocal lessons.
— Hayley Johnsen
PHOTO PROVIDED
Portland singer-songwriter Haley
Johnsen will perform at the Close
to Home event on August 1 at
Sisters Art Works.
at the historic studio, which
is now being released as
Haley9s first guitar-and-
vocal-only album London
Sessions.
The lead single, <Feel
the Water,= was released
March 13.
Haley Johnsen will be
performing a set of her origi-
nal music at the Close to
Home event on August 1.
Other artists include, David
Jacobs-Strain, Beth Wood,
Ron Artis II and the Truth,
and Jeffery Martin. The
event is sold out, but there
is a waitlist. More informa-
tion can be found at www.
sistersfolkfestival.org.
More information on
Haley Johnsen9s music
can be found at www.
haleyjohnsenmusic.com/
music-1.
Planning a Home
Construction or
Renovation Project?
Our team believes quality,
creativity, and sustainability
matter. We want your home
to be a work of art worthy
of containing your life.
— Mike & Jill Dyer, Owners
541-420-8448
dyerconstructionrenovation.com
Successfully representing buyers and
sellers, both residential and commercial.
J Jen McCrystal, Broker
CCB#148365
EAST PORTAL: Parties
are working toward
financial agreement
23
THE REAL ESTATE MARKET
IS BOOMING…CALL ME FOR
BLAZING FAST RESULTS!
5 541-420-4347 • jen@reedbros.com
Reed Bros. Realty
291 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters
541-549-6000 | www.reedbros.com
Each office independently owned and operated.
Suzanne Carvlin , Broker & Realtor
Licensed in the State of Oregon
818.216.8542 | Suzanne@HomeinSisters.com
1035 E. Horse Back Trail | Sisters, OR
MLS#220105048
Saddlestone Beauty. 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1,707 sq. ft . Built in 2019.
Upgrades include quartz countertops, designer pendant lighting,
stainless-steel appliances, washer/dryer. Master on main. Covered
front porch, private fenced patio. Easy-care native plant landscaping,
raised planting boxes and fi re pit. Community park, playground.
$510,000.
Each off ice is independently owned and operated.
www.1035HorseBack.com
“We recently worked with Ross to sell our home in Sisters, and
things couldn’t have gone better. Ross was recommended to us
by his many clients in Sisters as the go-to guy. From day 1, Ross
moved with speed, experience, and effi ciency. We felt his analysis
and knowledge of the market in Central Oregon was spot-on, and
that helped give us great comfort and hope that our sale would
be completed on time and on budget. As fortune would have it,
a buyer was found in short order. In negotiating with the would-
be buyers, Ross gave us great advice and when it came down to
brass tacks, he fought for us. We never once had the impression
we were just another sale. In the end, our house sold, and we
moved on, but Ross will remain a friend and trusted advocate.”
Vanissa
B. .
- Je
J Jeff
ff & V
anis
an
issa
sa B
As a principal broker AND loan originator, I offer a
single point of contact for your real estate transaction.
Ross Kennedy
Principal Broker
Loan Originator NMLS #1612019
541-408-1343
Serving Black Butte Ranch & The Greater Sisters Area