A last-minute amendment by the Deschutes County Commission Monday could protect a Sisters-area family’s resort development plans, but it is drawing criticism from some nearby residents.

The Cyruses stood to lose any chance of converting their existing Aspen Lakes golf course and subdivision into a destination resort if the County Commission approved ordinances to remove subdivisions from the county’s resort zone map as originally proposed. Land must be on the map in order for the owners to apply for a resort, and the county is in the midst of updating its resort zone map to remove lands ineligible for resorts.

Instead, the County Commission voted unanimously Monday to amend one of the ordinances with an exception the commissioners said was intended to help the Cyrus family’s plans. Read the rest of my story here.