The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The face of Sisters is changing and nowhere more than on the west end of town. The sale of the Sisters Ranger District’s headquarters property has opened up that piece of Sisters to a variety of developments.

The proposed Three Peaks Industrial Park, located at 800 W. Barclay Dr. cleared another hurdle as the Sisters Planning Commission approved, with conditions, their master plan and subdivision proposal. The master-plan approval is for the overall layout of the proposed development with no specific uses proposed at this time.

The 15.59-acre property, owned by Kevin Spencer and Jeriko Development, is the northern section of the former Forest Service property, located on the north side of West Barclay Drive and bordered by North Pine Street on the east and the Ponderosa Best Western property on the west side. To the north is USFS land and across Barclay to the south is the site of the proposed development of The Woodlands on the center portion of the former USFS property.

The master plan calls for the development of 14 light-industrial lots of varying size. There will be one local street running through the property from North Pine Street to West Barclay Drive. To allow for construction of the street, the applicant proposes to remove 110 trees, which will be replaced at a ratio of one tree planted for each three removed, for a total of 36 replacement trees. Prior to initial building-permit approval, the developer must submit a tree-replacement plan so that City staff can review the location of the replacement trees.

A minimum of 15 percent open space must be provided. There are easements between the proposed development and the Forest Service property to the north and the Ponderosa Best Western property to the west. There will be a meandering, paved multiuse path with bollard lighting all along the Barclay Drive frontage.

The development of each of the 14 lots will require individual site-plan reviews and building permits. Detailed landscaping plans are required to be submitted at the time of each review.

In another public hearing, the Planning Commission approved, with conditions, the request for a variance for the exterior sideyard setback for a proposed single-family dwelling. The proposed house would be located on the corner of West Washington Street and South Pine Street.

The lots in that area were platted in 1911 and are 114 feet deep and 30 feet wide. Because of the narrow width of the lots, owners Dana Bratton and Gary Cooley requested a 50 percent reduction to the required 10-foot sideyard setback along South Pine Street to increase the amount of buildable space.

The five-foot setback would be consistent with the commercial properties to the north and west of the property, making their property at 260 S. Pine St. a transition between the commercial properties and the residential properties to the south and east.

Coming up for the April 15 Planning Commission meeting will be a site-plan review for a proposed Sisters Coffee Co. roasting facility with a small tasting room.