Well here we go again, another destination resort is proposed for the Sisters area-only this one is being called, a “guest lodge.”
Hank Queen, retired Boeing executive, decided to get out of the rain in Seattle and build a magnificent Dream Home, (www.sunburstretreat.com) on 9+ acres of the north end of Sun Mountain Estates. (If you’re not familiar with the location, it’s along Highway 20, between Sisters and Bend.) The only thing is, Hank wants all his friends to come visit him, along with others who want to drive a few golf balls, “meditate,” and maybe he’ll have a few weddings on the side. The area is zoned, MUA-10, (multiple use agriculture) so it’s no wonder a lot of the residents of Sun Mountain are waving the red flag.
“Not in our neighborhood!” and “No Resorts!” signs have already been tacked up on the poles supporting the “Sun Mountain” banner across Central Street, the entrance to the old Newell Baker holdings.
The paved road to this proposed “guest lodge” is private and was improved by the homeowners of Sun Mountain who, with the County’s help, worked up a Road District. The residents feel violated, and not one of them is very happy with the proposed 200 cars a day that will probably be rolling down Central Street on their way to the Sunburst “guest lodge.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg; it appears no one in Sun Mountain wants their lifestyle changed by what will eventually become a big business venture in their backyards, private road, or no.
Then there’s the safety issues. The Sisters School bus comes down Central picking up and dropping off students twice a day. On any given day there are kids out on bikes, and people walking their dogs on Central Street. It is doubtful the traffic associated with Sunburst will take into consideration the needs of the Sun Mountain community to keep Central a safe place for kids or adults.
If the “guest lodge” scheme calls for using Fryrear that would undoubtedly keep the Cloverdale and Sisters Fire Departments busier than they want to be as the junction of Fryrear and Highway 20 is notorious for wrecks. Even if Hank decided to pave West Street, which would get his “guests” to Sunburst without using Central, the issue of the MUA-10 and a bunch of very unhappy Sun Mountain residents will be a big mouthful for him (and the county planners) to swallow.
If you’re looking for a grand time in land-use planning, come to the Public Hearing in the Barnes and Sawyer Rooms of the Deschutes Service Center at 6:30 PM, on May 26. It’s sure to be a rip-roaring good one!
Jim Anderson, Sun Mountain resident
This article appears in May 14-20, 2009.
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Wake up folks and smell the coffee (future) the past year’s economies are gone and many new enterprises will spring up, creating jobs for many and headaches for a few. What do you think Multi-Use means, only the uses that you approve of? Do we really need to stop all economic enterprise in CO or just the ones in your back yard? Luke says, chill out.
Sorry Luke, MUA means Multi Use Agricultural. The agriculture part is significant. Golf is not agriculture. Weddings are not agriculture.
RJ
(MUA-10 property owner)
“creating jobs for many”……yeah, maids, dishwashers, valets, food servers, baristas and other assorted poverty level, unliveable minimum wage jobs.
“many new enterprises will spring up”…….how about an enterprise that produces something tangible like an actual product? CO has enough “experience oriented” enterprises.
This proposal is just another place for the well-to-do to congregate to hold a wine glass with their pinky finger sticking out while they look down their noses at the “help.”
CO is awake and smelling the coffee. Brew up a good idea for a business and maybe we will have a cup. This proposal is just the same old grind.
Oh come on now let him have his fun times are tough now and all he wants are some friends to join him? What is so wrong with that?
So RJ…would you be ok if the owner turned it into a stock yard or a chicken manure farm? I’ve lived in rural areas that have had more annoying enterprises than a guest lodge.
Hi Jim,
Sorry you ended up missing the Sun Mountain meeting, and that we didnรข โขt get a chance to talk with you. I know you didnรข โขt get the correct information from us there, so Iรข โขll repeat a bit of here for you and the readers.
Our proposed retreat is a house that has five guest bedrooms, and is limited to a maximum of 10 guests. Itรข โขs on almost 10 acres of land, and we are the only home on our portion of our road. Because we are small, our traffic analysis shows that we will generate less than 4 vehicle trips a day when we are open. Thatรข โขs pretty much the same traffic as generated by a typical residence, and a far cry from 200 cars a day.
And we aren’t going to be open very much. We will be closed from December through February every year, and in the nine months a year we are open, we hope to have a maximum of 160 business days. That means 205 days a year we are closed, and there’s no additional traffic or guests.
Multi-use means you can do more than one thing in an area. The county has a good, balanced process for allowing about 30 different uses in the MUA-10 zone, including some low key businesses. These include bed-and-breakfasts and guest lodges. The code also allows for other types of activities, ranging from residences, to landfills and cemeteries. Obviously, with this much variety in allowed activities, the county also has very specific codes and a process to ensure that the applicant minimizes any disruption to existing neighbors. The intention is to encourage economic development, but in a respectful, and balanced way.
With respect to the Sun Mountain special road district, the residents do pay a special tax to maintain their roads. However, the roads are required to be a public right of way. When we met with several members of their board, they were very clear about their concerns and issues. We have rerouted our guest traffic to not use Central St, and so now guests will be driving on a total of 0.5 miles of Sun Mountain roads. We’ve offered to pay an annual fee to offset the additional maintenance costs. We’ve also offered to pay for the installation of a stop sign at the intersection of Central St and 3rd Ave, which is currently and uncontrolled intersection. It seems like it already needed this to ensure safety. All of these offers are subject to a vote and approval by the members.
We are also going to provide a dust control plan to the county, to reduce the dust on the gravel and cinder roads that lead here – and that includes a portion of unpaved road maintained by Sun Mountain.
We moved here because we love the land and the people. Iรข โขve spent my whole life trying to be a caring, respectful, and helpful person. We believe in working together as a way of life, and we continue to do our best to work with the community and our neighbors. We do understand that change isnรข โขt easy, but are doing everything possible to make this retreat be as รข neighbor friendlyรข ย as possible. If youรข โขd ever like to meet face-to-face and discuss your concerns, that would be great. You might find that we arenรข โขt bad people, and maybe we can even be friends some day.