The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Construction is well underway on new homes in the Timber Creek II subdivision east of Sisters Elementary School. A Portland development firm purchased Timber Creek from Sisters developer Bruce Forbes. photo by Jim Cornelius

A partially-gated community, with 75 lots and some creekside homes ranging in price from about $300,000 to $400,000, opened to the market last week.

Thirteen of the homes have been finished and are available for sale along Creek View Drive, according to Kathy Sorensen and Rick Waible Sr., Realtors. These homes are the first available in Timber Creek II, the new subdivision, which is located on the east side of Sisters Elementary School.

Rick Waible Jr. and Jeff Low purchased 22 acres of land for the subdivision for $2.7 million from Bruce Forbes in early 2003. Waible and Low are both in their mid-thirties and are the owners of Taurus Developers, a Portland-based company which has been building homes for five years.

The pair also own Taurus Homes, Inc., but Sorensen said this project is under Taurus Developers.

Timber Creek is the company's first development in Sisters, but Low said he hopes to do more in the future.

"I like the beautiful Central Oregon climate and the quaint town of Sisters," Low said. "Sisters is in close proximity to Portland and Bend for commuters."

The lots range in size from about 7,000 square feet to about 14,600 square feet, and the houses average seven units per gross acre, Low said.

Sorensen and Waible Sr., who live in one of the homes in phase five, are the first homeowners in the subdivision. One more home sale is slated for June 1, Sorensen said.

Sorensen said the subdivision is attracting potential buyers from Portland and California who are close to retirement. The charm of Timber Creek II is its close proximity to Squaw Creek and its natural setting, Sorensen said.

All homeowners will have access to a walking path which runs along the edge of Squaw Creek. Many of the homes in phase five have a deck which backs into the edge of Squaw Creek. Also, the homes have mountain views and are surrounded by Ponderosa Pines, Sorensen said.

The three-bedroom homes have two and a half to three bathrooms. Floor plans include single and multi-level. They have wood floors, gas fire places, double or triple garages, and granite counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms.

Each home has a small front yard with a sprinkler system.

Low said he might build some duplexes in phase three of the subdivision, which is located on the west side near the elementary school. Those prices would range from the mid to upper $100,000s.

"I would put some here and there, but I would keep the integrity of the subdivision," Low said. Taurus Developers will also build a swimming pool and a clubhouse, but the location is still undetermined.

About 1,000 feet of road was paved last week in phase four of the development.

The road runs from Timber Creek. Drive east to Rope Street; phase four is located near phase five, in the center of the development.