Urban Area Reserve Zone Change Project

Update:

On April 12, 2023, the Sisters City Council approved Ordinance No. 528 to approve the City of Sisters initiated application to amend the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Maps by redesignating and rezoning the “Heavenly Acres“ subdivision from Urban Area Reserve (UAR) to Public Facility and Institutional (PFI) and Multi-Family Residential (MFR). The proposal also includes Text Amendments to the Sisters Development Code (SDC) to address existing and planned uses of the subject properties.  The adopted ordinance is below under "Supporting Documents."

Background:

The Heavenly Acres Subdivision was created in the early 1980’s in Deschutes County and includes seven (7) lots. It was annexed into the City of Sisters in the early 2000’s. At the time of the annexation, Urban Area Reserve (UAR) zoning was applied to the property.

According to the Sisters Development Code, the UAR zoning was meant “to serve as a holding zone for lands that are within the Sisters Urban Growth Boundary and within City jurisdiction and to retain parcels in larger sizes until public facilities (including water, sewer and transportation) are available and the land is rezoned for urban uses and densities.” Public facilities (including water, sewer, and transportation) are all now available to the parcels.

The City has discussed for many years about the need to rezone the properties, as the UAR zoning was recognized as no longer being relevant and reflective of its urban status; however, it was never initiated by the property owners – likely due to the coordination and cost involved. Also, the zone district allowed them to continue their operations unabated, so there was not a pressing need to change the zoning. Similarly, the City never initiated it either, as it was one of many projects annually competing for priority and due to the outdated zoning not causing any issues with the landowners and any building or expansion plans.

Location:

The "Heavenly Acres" subdivision is located in the southwestern portion of the City of Sisters and is generally bound by Oregon Highway 242 to south, W. McKinney Butte Road to the north, N. Brooks Camp Road to the east, and the Sisters Middle School to the west. The specific properties are shown on the image above and listed in the Notice of Public Hearing attached below.

Project Record:

All evidence and materials submitted into the record are accessible at the following link: https://www.ci.sisters.or.us/community-development/page/urban-area-reserve-zone-change-project-record. 

Staff Contact:

For questions and additional information, pleas contact Scott Woodford,  Community Development Director, at at (541) 323-5211 or swoodford@ci.sisters.or.us.