An Update on Sisters’ Urban Growth Boundary Expansion
The City of Sisters is wrapping up its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion process with a new expansion area that will serve Sisters’ future well. LandWatch has been engaged in Sisters’ growth since the start of the Comprehensive Planning process in 2020, and over the past year, we served as an ex-officio member on the Sisters UGB Steering Committee.
Throughout this process, we’ve advocated for a right-size, right-site expansion, supported by strategies to provide much-needed affordable housing within Complete Communities — ensuring Sisters’ character is preserved by preventing sprawl, promoting efficient land use, and safeguarding farmland, forest land, and wildlife habitat.
Sisters City Council voted on November 5th to move forward with an application for a UGB expansion into the Preferred Expansion Area.
LandWatch shares the community’s support for the area recommended by the UGB Steering Committee and Planning Commission, as it will accommodate the next 20 years of growth and support the creation of Complete Communities with future jobs, housing, parks, and a school — all within walkable distance to downtown.
The future expansion area includes both highly developable sites that can meet affordable housing needs now, and other parcels that will develop more gradually over the next 20 years. Directing growth into areas already impacted by rural development reduces pressures on adjacent farm, forest, and wildlife habitat to be converted to sprawl.
With this new expansion area, and the adoption of more smart growth strategies, Sisters can deliver a more equitable and sustainable future.
The final UGB amendment application will go before the City and County for adoption hearings next summer, then be sent off for State adoption in late 2026. In the meantime, we look forward to joining the City and the community to imagine and design the future of this new part of town in the Area Planning and Annexation Policy phases.
RELATED
LandWatch has filed an appeal with LUBA challenging Deschutes County’s approval of the McKenzie Meadows rezone. Allowing this property to be rezoned would undercut Oregon’s land use system by making it more difficult to stop urban sprawl and protect farm and forest land next to urban growth boundaries.
A Good Process
The City’s process up to this point exemplifies the valuable analyses, actions, and public engagement necessary to be responsible stewards of the land, to build and deepen community understanding and buy-in for the city’s approach to growth, and to plan for an equitable and sustainable future for all residents.
2019—2021: The City began analyzing their current and future growth, their housing and economic needs, and engaging the community to build a shared vision for the future of the city. This resulted in a Comprehensive Plan to guide Sisters to 2040. Then, further analysis and updates to housing and economic land needs and a full inventory of buildable lands within the city led to a hard look at Sisters’ current UGB — and the available land therein — to accommodate the next 20 years of future growth.
2022—2023: The City embarked on a process aimed at using the land within the UGB more efficiently, by taking “efficiency measures” — actions that retool the zoning and development code to allow more affordable and middle housing inside Sisters’ boundary. (Think: allowing duplexes outright and reducing minimum lot sizes in the Residential zone, etc.) The City made some positive moves on this front — but there’s more the City could do to build more types of housing throughout Sisters. LandWatch encouraged the City to implement more measures than were ultimately taken, and moving forward, we will continue to advocate for bigger, bolder actions to support a more Complete Community in Sisters.
2024—2025: With the new efficiencies in place and updated growth projections from Portland State University’s Population Research Center, a final land analysis estimated Sisters needed 227 to 264 gross acres of additional land to grow to 2040. Thus began the UGB amendment process. LandWatch was an ex-officio member of the locals-led UGB Steering Committee, and, over the past year, this group has been a sounding board for the process and a valuable community liaison.
2026—2027: Over the next year, the new UGB will be officially adopted by the City, the County, and the State. In the meantime, the City will be working on annexation policies that support the development of affordable housing, and a community-guided area planning process. We’ll continue to be involved in these stages, advocating for smart growth and complete communities.
A Strong Need for Affordable Housing
Complete Communities have housing choices for people in all stages of life and at all income levels.
One of the main drivers leading to this UGB expansion is needed housing. Sisters is the fastest-growing city in Deschutes County, and this has resulted in acute housing pressures. There are many reasons why Sisters and other cities facing a severe housing shortage should address this issue from all angles. Adequate housing ensures that current residents aren’t burdened by housing costs, and that their kids can grow up and afford to live in their hometown in the future if they choose to. When housing is attainable: there are more families, more young adults, new entrepreneurs, and people from diverse walks of life contributing to the culture and economy. Businesses have an easier time finding and keeping employees when those employees can afford housing nearby, and don’t need to commute from a distance. And when fewer residents are burdened by housing costs, they have more financial stability, and flexibility to contribute to the local economy and support, or start their own, local businesses.
New Oregon Housing Needs Analysis projections show that Sisters should be planning for about 1,670 new housing units by 2045. Fortunately, this number is about 300 units lower than what the City was expecting. However, the sobering reality of the needed affordability levels present a daunting challenge. Over a third of these units are projected to be needed for households making 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or less ($83,750 or less for a 4-person household;$67,000 or less for a 2-person household). Another quarter of the new housing units will be needed for households making between 80% and 120% AMI (less than $125,640 for a 4-person household, and less than $100,560 for a 2-person household).
The City has taken several actions to bring more affordable housing to Sisters. They set up an Affordable Housing Grant Fund Program and Urban Renewal Agency Workforce Housing Grant Fund Program, a public-private partnership to construct affordable housing, and implemented efficiency measures to increase housing capacity and more housing types within the city.
The real challenge will be to ramp up and sustain these efforts for the long haul, so that truly needed housing can be delivered. LandWatch is encouraging the City to keep these affordability needs top of mind when planning for the new UGB expansion lands.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Sisters has great potential to grow as a Complete Community, with housing options for all, mixed-uses, nature nearby, and the ability to walk, bike, and roll to destinations — and LandWatch will continue to advocate for this equitable and sustainable future for Sisters on the road ahead.
