Majority say yes to land sale - but not required 60 percent
By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM
Ambitious plans for a $250 million rebirth of the aging Village at Sunriver Mall were dealt a setback Friday when a count of property owners' ballots found majority support for a $2.5 million sale of common resort property to the developers - but not the required approval margin.
In a record turnout for a Sunriver Owners Association measure, 1,783 ballots were cast in favor of the 6.2-acre sale to SilverStar Destinations LLC, but 1,401 land owners voted against the controversial proposal, meaning the measure fell about 300 votes shy of the required 60 percent approval figure.
Under the proposed sale, SROA (www.srowners.org) would have spent $750,000 of the proceeds on a roundabout to replace the existing "T" intersection of Abbot and Beaver drives. The rest would have been set aside for other improvements, to be voted on by owners at a later date.
SilverStar already owns or has options to buy the 20-acre mall property, but sought the added acres to more fully realize plans that included townhomes, improved retail space, even a hotel.
A mall representative had no initial reaction to news of the vote count Friday afternoon. Mark Smuland, vice president of development, would only say "there are other options" to pursue, should they decide to go forward.
The proposal split Sunriver property owners, many anxious to see the fading mall get a big facelift and keep the resort in the running for success as new Central Oregon resorts win favor. But critics expressed concern about the density of the new plan and potential 75-foot height of some buildings, saying that ran contrary to the rural feel established by Sunriver's founders some 40 years ago.
The redevelopment plan advanced last month, when Deschutes County planning commissioners recommended approval of a zone change to establish a new "town center" district. But the commissioners also tacked on conditions to their approval, among them trimming the proposed 583 residential units to 500, and requiring underground parking under a plaza in front of the proposed hotel.
