HomeMy WebLinkAboutSouth County Tour Descrip[1] 052412
Red Lots and Blue Highways: 5/24/12 Road Trip
with Deschutes County Planning Commission
South County has several long-standing environmental, land use, and transportation
issues. This approximately 80-mile tour will include stops at areas with high
groundwater, wildlife habitat, “sagebrush” subdivisions, a Goal 8 destination resort,
isolated subdivisions with poor access in case of wildfire, and public roads of varying
quality and traffic loads. The intent is to make the Planning Commission familiar
with South County and for staff to provide context as needed.
Segment 1: Spring River Road to South Century Drive
Stop 1 - Deschutes River
Recreation Home sites is a
subdivision with high density (by
rural standards) and high
groundwater. Elk often pass
through this forested subdivision
with its numerous half-acre and 1 -
acre lots.
Stop 2 - River Meadows is another high-density residential subdivision with lots
ranging in size from a third of an acre to a half-acre.
River Meadows has a small local sewer system with a
drain field. These fields can be seen on both the east and
west sides of Browning Drive. Signs showing fire treated
areas can be seen around River Meadows.
High water in ditch, field on north side of Elsinore Road
Drain field in South County
2
Red Lots and Blue Highways Roadtrip (con’t):
Segment 2: South Century Drive to La Pine State Rec Road
Stop 3 - Fall River Estates subdivision lies off of USFS #42 aka South Century Drive.
This high-density rural subdivision lies on the Fall River with no secondary access as
all internal roads are loops that lead to Fall River Drive. In turn Fall River Drive only
goes north to South Century Drive. Within Fall River Estates are signs for evacuation
routes, but all routes lead to Fall River Drive. Wild River subdivision has an identical
situation as its sole access is to Burgess Road.
Stop 4 - Homestead/Lively is
an intersection reached by
marginal roads. Homestead
and Lively are public rights of
way while Tamarack is in Lazy
River West Road District, but
is also a public right of way.
None of these is a County-
maintained road. While
County-maintained roads are
public roads, not all public roads
are maintained by the County. The County remains the road authority for public
roads, whether they are in the County-maintained system or not.
Stop 5 - Pinewood Country Estates by contrast formed a Special Road District; a
lingering issue is traffic from the south cutting through to reach US 97 via Whittier
and Lazy River Drive. The subdivision has lots of 10 acres or more, but is surrounded
by subdivisions of much higher densities. This results in the classic conundrum of
Special Road District improving a road for members who abut the road, only to see
non-residents use the road. As Shawnee Circle is a public road, the traveling public can
still traverse this graded road.
Homestead/Lively intersection: note berms in road
3
Red Lots and Blue Highways Roadtrip (con’t):
Segment 3: La Pine State Rec Road to Burgess Road
Stop 6 - Lazy River South subdivision lies at the bottom of the longest cul-de-sac in
Deschutes County at three plus miles. The homes here are just to the west of the
meandering Little Deschutes River. The lots vary from one to 10 acres, but all rely
solely on a single road, Bridge Drive, for access.
Segment 4: Darlene Way to Deschutes/Klamath County line
Stop 7 - Section 36 is
a one mile by one
mile area where the
constructed land uses
do not match the
underlying zoning.
Darlene Way and a
few other dirt roads
provide access to
Section 36; these roads can be challenging in the
winter or after heavy rains.
Looking north from the end of Bridge Drive (l) and looking east toward Paulina Peak (r)
4
Section 5: Burgess to Spring River Road
Heading back North, the tour will drive through the Day Road residential
neighborhood, then up Foster Road, which is designated as a future collector.
Stop 8 - The gated destination resort
(Crosswater) and a semi-gated resort (Caldera
Springs) and the associated golf courses provide
jobs and property taxes. Yet, the restricted access and seasonal nature can make
these places feel as if they are removed from the South County community.
Summary
The South County landscape displays a wide span of diverse issues. Homes include
self-built, manufactured, stick-built, and resorts. Vegetation can range from
meadows to dog hair thickets of young pines to mature stands.
Roads vary from a new four- lane section of state highway
to County roads of paved two lanes or graded gravel
to two tracks suitable for four-wheel drive. The
area’s beauty, proximity to recreation and abundant
wildlife continues to attract new residents.
Red Lots and Blue Highways Roadtrip (con’t):
Caldera Springs street banners and water feature