[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6482973,"mediaKeyId","5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5","parentId",5499892,"title","Board sets Aug. 6 hearing on Mackenzie Meadow Village rezoning request near Sisters","audioSeconds",3124,"startMs",4759000,"endMs",7883000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5&start=4759&end=7883","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5/thumbnail_4759000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6482973/Deschutes-County/Oregon/Board-sets-Aug-6-hearing-on-Mackenzie-Meadow-Village-rezoning-request-near-Sisters","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482973-752fad31ba2ceef011db4f633043d683/orig.mp4?Expires=1770975789&Signature=jL6f9uIb~6tC8nQQfdtbInulyciyLu6JHsnxOVQL4xaHDFGvI53L8fBLBZn1Pb16YL7aAXdvDU3t2-6DRVd-g0I26n5fPRQt~LIR~0myuRArjtjng4vsarJP3rz-RIODq-zqZ8U9TqEP7nAtbqvFO5rzf0rIr15udI9loNpLZZ4SWgWTNDUC9Lg6tW9g2kdSYsOO2Ocg~Fu2NYh~tPSk~AYRn3UEhafvhMx1qAUr~4shiuM1i3oYfSCI-895PaArbyAgDXQi03875OzoF6o84n5Fg5doPgyIQXhR-Gfzib8pnWh2wtOwGd4IACs3XzVQt2OGM5OUgRqGnqBElyTTJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Deschutes County, OR","date","2025-07-29T15:30:31Z","article","The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners held a work session July 29 to prepare for an Aug. 6 de novo hearing on a comprehensive plan amendment and zone change application from Mackenzie Meadow Village LLC. The application would re-designate roughly 50 acres north of the City of Sisters from forest to rural residential/Multiple-Use Agricultural 10 and seeks a Goal 4 exception related to forest lands.

Senior planner Holly King summarized the application and the administrative record, noting the hearings officer recommended approval on June 25 following an open-record period. King said the application parcel sits immediately north of Sisters city limits and the UGB; it abuts Trout Creek Conservation tract and the Sisters school district property and is adjacent to Deschutes National Forest in places. Because the matter affects resource lands and requests a Goal 4 exception, the commissioners will hear the matter de novo as the final local decision makers.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about the record and the policy implications. Commissioner Chang pressed staff on how the state land-use system values forest lands at the margins of commercial timber capability and whether those margins should receive special consideration under Goal 4. King said the applicant supplied a soils and tree-growth analysis that found predominantly Class 7 soils and that the trees were not currently merchantable, and she said the hearings officer found the applicant's responses to DLCD comments adequate.

The board also examined the Highway 20 Landscape Management (LM) scenic overlay that affects structures within a quarter-mile of the corridor. Planning manager Will Groves told commissioners the LM overlay is intended to moderate visibility by encouraging muted colors and vegetation rather than to make structures absolutely invisible: \"The purpose of the LM zone is not to render structures invisible from these features. The notion is it creates a step hierarchy ... if you're within a quarter mile, we're gonna check out to see if it's visible. And if it's visible, we're gonna ask you basically to paint it earth tone colors and have at least some vegetation between you and the feature.\"

Commissioners asked about clustering and subdivision mechanics if MUA 10 zoning were granted, including open-space requirements, effective density, and how properties that enter a city's UGB later could be treated. Staff explained clustering rules historically produced a 1 unit per 5-acre effective density with a 65% open-space requirement for UGB-adjacent clusters, but noted recent code and state rule changes (Division 4600-related provisions) complicate future cluster calculations and could limit options.

King said the record includes nearly 200 written comments and about 15 oral participants at the hearings officer proceeding, with a majority opposing the application but several comments in favor. Commissioners requested supplemental materials for the Aug. 6 hearing, including a map showing surrounding zoning and ownership, a clearer summary of public comment counts, and the hearings officer record. The public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6; commissioners will receive staff and applicant presentations, then public testimony.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","7/29/2025 - Board of Commissioners - Tuesday Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","A work session prepared the Deschutes County Board for a de novo hearing on Aug. 6 for a plan amendment and zone change request by Mackenzie Meadow Village LLC, affecting roughly 50 acres north of Sisters and including a Goal 4 exception request related to forest lands.","taxTitle","Deschutes County, Oregon","taxId",2763,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6482977,"Deschutes County adopts state—backed recreational immunity, extends protection to improved rights of way",642,3936000,4578000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5&start=3936&end=4578","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5/thumbnail_3936000.jpg","/articles/6482977/Deschutes-County/Oregon/Deschutes-County-adopts-statebacked-recreational-immunity-extends-protection-to-improved-rights-of-way","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482977-a027364e61a87e33f99d9fbb52959fae/orig.mp4?Expires=1770975789&Signature=kMI~r32XWK~VDm5atXmh5ulGZZ4X5K-sOm3UWS7gV6xbcRvdptpEsqF4dF9kIuSjxiHQZ3Y~yU9POr7IDUYwAowpBpsNa-4durxrTKJ6dTB7TFJS3wgTYgJdHT6HUBFD-86Rmy7qoX0rqBmFyd5A-SUr4uM2cB5JIF-LIogfFx-ajFtUQKMDy8Yx46J2JE1SWvGlm6emNrMvSQZ1jbUfSYruD8HDOkqVjdRShUp7--g-R8m5ypVsj8ouKEgRGDFNdF7bi2eeLkOz3c4gAok5DqiWFtRHzmmM-yq9~~oljaLGjPUP~O74OMvopIBEiRr0IJPXUCvPnlcyt4YikCPYlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on July 29 adopted Resolution 2025-036 to readopt and expand the county's recreational immunity consistent with recent state legislation, including coverage for improved rights of way.

County Attorney Dave Doyle told commissioners the new state law (Senate Bill 7179) expands immunity to improved rights of way and that the resolution makes the county's position explicit in the event of liability claims. The vote to adopt the resolution was unanimous.

Doyle said the change responds to litigation involving a wet wooden bridge case on the coast and to follow-up work by the Legislature. He summarized the board action as intended to \"avail itself of all recreational immunity options that are out there with regard to any liability claims that are asserted against it.\" Doyle noted the county's recreational base makes clarity especially important for Deschutes County.

The board and staff discussed how recreational immunity intersects with other circumstances. Doyle explained immunity generally does not apply when a fee is charged for access; in that case ordinary negligence and notice rules typically apply. He also discussed sidewalk cases and the typical legal tests (open-and-obvious versus de minimis hazards) used in Oregon.

Commissioners said the alternative to clarifying immunity would be to restrict public access, which they did not want. The county's action mirrors a statewide push by the Association of Oregon Counties and aligns local policy language with recent changes enacted by the Legislature.

Resolution 2025-036 updates the county's prior recreational immunity resolution adopted after last year's state bill and explicitly references improved rights of way as covered under the revised statutory framework. The board directed staff to make the updated resolution part of the county's procedural record for potential future claims.","The board unanimously approved resolution 2025-036 to adopt recreational immunity under recent state legislation, extending protections to improved rights of way and clarifying the county's liability posture for recreational access.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6482979,"Deschutes County commissioners appoint Capt. Ty Rupert as interim sheriff",1045,1838000,2883000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5&start=1838&end=2883","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5499892-bdb09b787a99b55788de653f840d1aa5/thumbnail_1838000.jpg","/articles/6482979/Deschutes-County/Oregon/Deschutes-County-commissioners-appoint-Capt-Ty-Rupert-as-interim-sheriff","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482979-80a2e262654a320f1d38049aeabbbd9e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770975789&Signature=gc1XXqsassUB48zqCqZG3~F92YkeCv6EJHZOK9cgCjrLUu2jC1GF7K8r-uInA4ZtukwChfJMTaf5OJxl-yROc7ToiG8LNFT0oIv4SYX9~coJEWwFZHh5qU3UvV-qy0An6AdaFBmwPj6J7qEgYFNRmdV-IrRUNIAugjn-I9n8oTR22v04uWfbxiUA3uPJ4pUigJZaRJbAaFsTGkGq9OkG0~UvV3m2rHzyIOPSDrLvpE6XT3jSVEFGtia9mpgu3CkG1p26qnlKkPLZvSx8lKPV2NNLAVVWZ0f7HaQIcW-eBxXHoYZxbSwzEhk3YZdNGWoqc9ZdVv-lQIPNnFs1vohJCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on July 29 appointed Captain Ty Rupert as interim sheriff, approving board order 2025-031 and naming him to serve an 18-month term that will span the run-up to the 2026 election.

Commissioners said the primary aims of the appointment are to provide stability and continuity for the sheriff’s office, maintain fiscal discipline during an active budget period and preserve conditions for a fair election next year. Commissioner Chang abstained from the final vote; the chair and other commissioners voted to approve the appointment.

Several commissioners praised the depth of experience among the applicants and said the interim sheriff must restore trust within the sheriff’s office. The board’s discussion emphasized three priorities for an interim leader: someone sheriff’s office employees can trust, stewardship of recent budget improvements, and assurance the office will not be used to advantage or punish candidates in the coming election cycle.

Commissioner Chang said she would abstain and added, “I wouldn’t vote against Captain Rupert. I very much believe he would be a good leader. I just, it’s a complicated decision, and I’m not all the way there yet.”

After the motion and second, the board recorded the vote with Commissioner Chang abstaining and the chair voting yes. The board announced a public oath of office scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, July 31, in Courtroom C at the courthouse; the new sheriff’s term formally begins on August 1.

The board did not take other formal actions related to the sheriff’s office at this meeting. Commissioners urged cooperation across county departments and expressed appreciation for the sheriff’s office staff and jail personnel.

Looking ahead, the board noted that the interim appointment is intended to bridge operations until voters choose a sheriff in the 2026 election.","The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners voted to appoint Capt. Ty Rupert as interim sheriff for an 18-month term ahead of the 2026 election; Commissioner Chang abstained.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board sets Aug. 6 hearing on Mackenzie Meadow Village rezoning request near Sisters

Deschutes County adopts state—backed recreational immunity, extends protection to improved rights of way

Deschutes County commissioners appoint Capt. Ty Rupert as interim sheriff