The Les Schwab Taylor Tire Center at the western edge of Sisters should be up and running in March or April of next year.

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Deschutes County Hearings officer Chris Eck approved the site plan and conditional use permit last week for the 12,000-square-foot "minor automotive repair, battery and tire shop" located on Highway 242 adjacent to the Sisters Motor Lodge.

Owner Jerry Taylor said he will apply for building permits at the beginning of November.

"We'll build through the winter," Taylor said. "We hope that we can have the store built and open in four months."

The store plan generated controversy among some Sisters area residents who argued that it was inappropriate for the site.

Opponents indicated that they would not appeal the decision. The appeal deadline was Monday, October 27.

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"We haven't had any meetings on it," said Virginia Groom of the Committee to Save Sisters. "I assume we're going to live with it."

In approving the project, Eck noted that the store will meet Sisters' 1880s theme requirements and that Taylor "was sensitive to adjacent properties so as to have the required 'minimal' (as opposed to 'no') adverse impacts."

The store is required to be 75 feet from the adjacent Sisters Motor Lodge property, with a screen of 10-foot trees, a fence, and a bike path between the store and the motel. All the mechanical work at the shop must take place inside the building.

Sisters Motor Lodge owner Mary Fowler said the conditions put on the operation made her more comfortable with the store, though she said she still "has concerns" about traffic on the future Hood Avenue extension which will run past the store.

"I'm sure we'll be good neighbors," Fowler said.

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Taylor and his family have operated their business in a leased space in the Sisters Industrial Park for a year while awaiting approval of the Highway 242 site. Taylor said the past year has allowed the family business to get on its feet.

"We know one thing for sure now that we didn't know when we opened," Taylor said. "There is a customer base in Sisters to support a full-fledged Les Schwab store."