A citizens' group has appealed a zone change ruling on the proposed Pine Meadow Ranch development just west of the Sisters city limits.

The Alliance for Responsible Land Use in Deschutes County filed an application late last week to appeal the recent decision by county hearings officer Karen Green which favored a zone change on 50 acres of the ranch. The application was signed by William H. Boyer, Sisters.

The zone change would take the land out of an urban area reserve classification and change it to urban area standard residential and urban area high density residential.

The zone change would clear the way for PMR Development Co. to begin development of the land for more than 100 single and multi-family residences.

The appeal application alleges wrong numbers were used by PMR Development's representatives in establishing need for the zone change. A provision in the Sisters Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 1979, requires that land held in reserve in the urban growth area should not be removed from reserve status until 75 percent of the city has been developed.

The appeal alleges that the developed land in the city is closer to 70 percent.

At least one version of the Sisters zoning map (in effect in 1979) indicated the city covers a total of 417 acres inside the city limits.

Attorney Liz Fancher, representing PMR Development, said there were conflicting acreage numbers listed on various documents from 1979 when she began preparing the zone change request for her client.

She said a decision was made to develop accurate figures based on the actual size of the city at the time. She said the totals, which were accepted by the hearings officer, added up to 382.27 acres. Using this figure, development of land in the city would exceed the 75 percent mark. Using the 417 acres claimed by ARLU DeCo, development would cover closer to 70 percent of the land.

In the document supporting her ruling in favor of the zone change, Green said, "...the applicant conducted a developed lands study to determine if the 75 percent capacity development requirement had been met. The applicant states, and the Hearings Officer concurs, that the Sisters plan does not provide an explicit methodology for determining whether the 75 percent developed requirement has been met.

"However, the Hearings Officer finds that the information and methodology used by applicant is appropriate."

Associate County Planner Brian Harrington said the information presented to Green on the matter of the 75 percent development requirement is "quite extensive."

He said ARLU DeCo has 15 days from the application filing date to "perfect" the appeal. The application was filed May 30. The matter then will go to the Deschutes Board of County Commissioners, which may chose to accept the hearings officer's findings, or to grant a hearing on the appeal before the board of commissioners.