Loading...
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