Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezone topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners approve Mackenzie Meadow Village rezone with riparian and wildlife conditions
Summary
After continued deliberations, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved the Mackenzie Meadow Village plan amendment and zone change to MUA-10 for roughly 58 acres and adopted two conditions: a 100-foot conservation tract along Trout Creek and a 100-foot wildlife corridor at the northern boundary if the property is developed under county jurisdiction.
After continued deliberations on Sept. 17, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved the Mackenzie Meadow Village plan amendment and zone change to multiple-use agriculture (MUA-10) for approximately 58 acres outside the City of Sisters, adopting the board's second decision document with two conditions of approval.
Holly King, senior planner with Community Development, summarized the two decision alternatives in the packet. The board's second decision document adds two conditions: creation of a conservation tract measured as 100 feet on either side of Trout Creek's ordinary high water mark prohibiting structures and fences within that tract if the property is developed under county jurisdiction; and a 100-foot-wide wildlife corridor at the northern boundary of the subject property. King said the applicant provided a conceptual diagram showing how the corridors would be measured.
Commissioners discussed whether the added protections were materially different from existing riparian setbacks. Staff clarified the standard riparian setback is 100 feet from the ordinary high water mark on each side, and the proposed condition formalizes a conservation tract and a wildlife corridor that are not otherwise required under code. Stephanie Marshall, senior assistant legal counsel, advised the matter was fully in the board's hands and no additional public testimony or legal argument would be taken during deliberations.
Several commissioners said the modest buffers and conservation tract addressed Goal 4 resource protections (riparian and wildlife habitat) and would make the decision more defensible on appeal; other commissioners said the additional conditions were unnecessary given the county's high percentage of public lands and existing setbacks. One commissioner said adopting the version with conditions and using the board's emergency adoption option could reduce the time to effectiveness by roughly 104 days (accounting for first/second reading and appeal periods), which the board discussed as a potential way to expedite the project for the applicant.
The board adopted the second decision document by roll-call vote (yes votes recorded for Commissioner Chang, Commissioner Adair and the Chair). Staff noted the conditions would apply only if the property is developed under county jurisdiction; if the land were brought into the City of Sisters urban growth boundary, city requirements would control and the county conditions would not apply.
Why this matters: The rezone would allow MUA-10 development on 58 acres near Sisters and includes added conservation and corridor conditions aimed at protecting Trout Creek and wildlife connectivity if the land is developed under county rules.
