[JoshYent]

Does anyone have any information on the area in downtown beaverton in the area around "the round" on either side of the max tracks

they are starting to do more street improvements, i work just a few blocks from this area and would love to see it built out...

and the already completed buildings are pretty dense and large although they dont have height........

does anyone know what is lined up for construction there? the movie theater that used to be there has been demolished, and there looks to be a new max crossing down there.....

Could we possibly by seeing some 30story buildings in downtown Beaverton?

Renders?

News articles?

Opinions on what should be built there?

Interested developers?

[MarkDaMan]

DOWNTOWN Beaverton

:lmao:

oh, you're serious. There used to be a Beaverton Round thread but I think it is gone. Couldn't find it in the search. If you find information post it here. I hardly ever read Beaverton's news...since their tallest is a parking structure I've just stopped anticipating anything decent would form.

[zilfondel]

:lmao:

oh, you're serious. There used to be a Beaverton Round thread but I think it is gone. Couldn't find it in the search. If you find information post it here. I hardly ever read Beaverton's news...since their tallest is a parking structure I've just stopped anticipating anything decent would form.

Actually...

I rode the MAX a few weeks ago all the way to Hillsboro. The Round has around 5+ excavaators digging holes and pounding in piles for new buildings. I read something, somewhere, saying that Beaverton or the developer is building more stuff there.

However, that 8-story concrete parking garage doesn't exactly help the area. And they honestly need to hire a REAL architectural firm to masterplan it out and make it interesting. "You have to spend money to make money," as the saying goes.

Beaverton just doesn't have a bloody clue as to what they're doing - the city refuses to take the initiative in pushing anything, and as a result gets the lowest of the low in terms of developmentally risky and interesting projects: yesteryear's proven formulaic development is the norm. :tup:


On the other hand, land prices in the 26 corridor are supposedly now high enough to make "high-er" rises pencil out. So we might see some dispersed, taller, still autodependant development in various spots around the 'tron.

[JoshYent]

:lmao:

oh, you're serious. There used to be a Beaverton Round thread but I think it is gone. Couldn't find it in the search. If you find information post it here. I hardly ever read Beaverton's news...since their tallest is a parking structure I've just stopped anticipating anything decent would form.



well if you look at the area around there, its mainly all one story buildings, empty parking lots.....i figure it will arrive eventually i read a article that said beaverton has more people per square mile than portland....they were calling it an "inbetween city" not a suburb.......hopefully they have something on the drawing board which would complement that parking garage....because i dont think it is getting that much usage from what ive seen from the occasional drive by....

[JoshYent]

Actually...

I rode the MAX a few weeks ago all the way to Hillsboro. The Round has around 5+ excavaators digging holes and pounding in piles for new buildings. I read something, somewhere, saying that Beaverton or the developer is building more stuff there.

However, that 8-story concrete parking garage doesn't exactly help the area. And they honestly need to hire a REAL architectural firm to masterplan it out and make it interesting. "You have to spend money to make money," as the saying goes.

Beaverton just doesn't have a bloody clue as to what they're doing - the city refuses to take the initiative in pushing anything, and as a result gets the lowest of the low in terms of developmentally risky and interesting projects: yesteryear's proven formulaic development is the norm. :tup:


On the other hand, land prices in the 26 corridor are supposedly now high enough to make "high-er" rises pencil out. So we might see some dispersed, taller, still autodependant development in various spots around the 'tron.



hmmm i might take a quick little trip through the area today to check it out

:)

[urbanlife]

I would love to see the city develop a plan to redevelop its actual downtown and push for new buildings. It actually has a great layout to be quite a cool small city with a couple towers in the teens for floors.

I have hopes for the city that they will pull their heads out of their asses and do more with their city. Right now, it feels like the city council and the people there don't care about their city.

[JoshYent]

I would love to see the city develop a plan to redevelop its actual downtown and push for new buildings. It actually has a great layout to be quite a cool small city with a couple towers in the teens for floors.

I have hopes for the city that they will pull their heads out of their asses and do more with their city. Right now, it feels like the city council and the people there don't care about their city.



yes, i agree, beaverton is chaotic....a plan needs to be worked up

it seems as if things are just being slapped together one at a time with no actual intentions to plan for the future...


.or MAYBE there is something in the works that is unknown to all of us....:banana:

[pdxskyline]

I think I can help you out with finding info on the Round and other projects. I think you'll find a ton of info at the City's Economic Development Department's redevelopment page:

http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/departments/economicdev/redevelopment/

The sidewalk improvements are part of the Hall/Watson beautification plan that has been going on for a couple years. Also the Round is supposed to get 4 more buildings, and they are supposed to start this year iirc.

[JoshYent]

I think I can help you out with finding info on the Round and other projects. I think you'll find a ton of info at the City's Economic Development Department's redevelopment page:

http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/departments/economicdev/redevelopment/

The sidewalk improvements are part of the Hall/Watson beautification plan that has been going on for a couple years. Also the Round is supposed to get 4 more buildings, and they are supposed to start this year iirc.


nice! so there is something in the works....

8 buildings total eh? thats wonderful!

hopefully after these are completed, they will come in and start redeveloping the older lowrise buildings

[Drmyeyes]

A lot of why downtown Beaverton is such a mess has to do with the major thoroughfares that criss-cross what would be its heart if it had one in the form of a defined grid like downtown Portland. An area the size of downtown Portland, overlaid on Beaverton, say Broadway (in Beav) north to Walker Rd (encompasses Cedar Hills Crossing mall) has about 4 major thoroughfares cutting it up. All of them carry as much and more than W Burnside.

This area of Beaverton doesn't have a grid with evenly spaced regularly shaped blocks like Portland. And of course, Beaverton isn't the major commercial center that Portland is, so there's comparatively less money invested in Beaverton. Designing an appealing, workable downtown for Beaverton out of this mess will be an enormous challenge.

[Snowden352]

Ha! I knew I could find an article on the Round (actually I was looking for another article about the company which went bankrupt building the Round, and its replacement contractor). At any rate, here's the article:

Two Round at Beaverton Central buildings on the drawing board
Project nears completition with sixth and seventh structures
The Beaverton Valley Times, Aug 24, 2006, Updated Aug 24, 2006

Dorn Platz and Co. is beginning work on two more buildings at The Round at Beaverton Central.

Representatives of the Glendale, Calif., developer met with city planners in July and again Wednesday to discuss plans for a six-story, 129,624-square-foot commercial building/parking structure and a five-story, 86,000-square-foot commercial building.

Both of the new buildings will be constructed on two half-acre lots north of the westside light-rail tracks near the intersection of Southwest Crescent Street and Rose Biggi Avenue.

They would be the sixth and seventh buildings in the estimated $120 million nine-building structure (including a parking garage) that will eventually have 64 condominiums, 80,000 square feet of retail space and about 450,000 square feet of office space, with 800 parking spaces in several-story garages.

Plans for the new buildings are preliminary, but Dorn Platz is anxious to get moving on the projects. The company hopes to start construction of one of the new buildings in the next couple of months. Work on another 45,000-square-foot building (known as Building E) should begin in about 30 days.

“We’re going 100,000 miles an hour,” said Lisa Stroud of Dorn Platz office in Beaverton.

Stroud said the company expected to be finished with the entire Round project in about a year. There are three commercial buildings and a parking structure on the site, and the next three buildings will nearly complete the project.

Planning for The Round began in May 1997 with designs for a housing, commercial and retail center along the westside light-rail tracks. The project hit some rocky stretches, with the bankruptcy of the original developer that set the project back a couple of years.

Dorn Platz entered the picture in 2001, taking over the project and working with the city to complete the development.

Even that didn’t go as smoothly as hoped, with two lawsuits and a settlement in June 2005 that led to the ambitious requirement that the project be completed by 2008.

On the drawing board are buildings F and G. Building F is a five-story structure that will house retail and commercial space. Stroud said Dorn Platz already has a tenant for about 35,000 square feet of the building. She declined to name the tenant.

The development already is home to tenants such as 24-Hour Fitness, Coldwell Banker, Qsent, Washington Mutual Bank, Wausau Insurance Co., Liberty Mutual Insurance, the Open Source Development Labs, Typhoon!, Mingo and Mio Sushi.

Building G is a six-story structure with 118,463 square feet of parking space, 11,161 square feet of retail space and 7,219 square feet of commercial space.

Dorn Platz has not yet applied for a permit or received city approval for either of the new projects.

[Dougall5505]

wait...beaverton has a downtown?

[Drmyeyes]

Dougall or some of you other people...actually been to Beaverton and really walked around? Not just near the round, but to Beaverton's original downtown (Broadway and Farmington, split by the railroad tracks), Beaveton Town Sq, then over to the new library where they have the farmer's market? Not forgetting Cedar Mills Crossing where there's a big new modern cinema, starbucks, Old Navy, Best Buy, Office Depot up a big Beaverton block. All those areas together represent the ingredients for a potential downtown. Some viable plan for linking them together is the major obstacle to establishing a cohesive downtown. Great ideas are welcome.

[zilfondel]

I would love to see the city develop a plan to redevelop its actual downtown and push for new buildings. It actually has a great layout to be quite a cool small city with a couple towers in the teens for floors.

I have hopes for the city that they will pull their heads out of their asses and do more with their city. Right now, it feels like the city council and the people there don't care about their city.

I think it needs a park and a masterplan for starters. And a whole shitload of residential & mixed use buildings. All with ground floor retail. The Cedar Hills Mall (or whatever its called) should be torn down for phase I. :rolleyes:

[JoshYent]

A lot of why downtown Beaverton is such a mess has to do with the major thoroughfares that criss-cross what would be its heart if it had one in the form of a defined grid like downtown Portland. An area the size of downtown Portland, overlaid on Beaverton, say Broadway (in Beav) north to Walker Rd (encompasses Cedar Hills Crossing mall) has about 4 major thoroughfares cutting it up. All of them carry as much and more than W Burnside.

This area of Beaverton doesn't have a grid with evenly spaced regularly shaped blocks like Portland. And of course, Beaverton isn't the major commercial center that Portland is, so there's comparatively less money invested in Beaverton. Designing an appealing, workable downtown for Beaverton out of this mess will be an enormous challenge.



Maybe as Hillsboro fills in, and since beaverton is land-locked in, and really doesnt have much more room to grow compared to some of the outter cities.....they will come in and all along the 217 area on either side redevelop and put in towers...maybe 10-20 stories tall

[JoshYent]

wait...beaverton has a downtown?



Yes, in a way, its not very extensive

[JoshYent]

Dougall or some of you other people...actually been to Beaverton and really walked around? Not just near the round, but to Beaverton's original downtown (Broadway and Farmington, split by the railroad tracks), Beaveton Town Sq, then over to the new library where they have the farmer's market? Not forgetting Cedar Mills Crossing where there's a big new modern cinema, starbucks, Old Navy, Best Buy, Office Depot up a big Beaverton block. All those areas together represent the ingredients for a potential downtown. Some viable plan for linking them together is the major obstacle to establishing a cohesive downtown. Great ideas are welcome.


The block that Ceder Mills Crossing is on, used to be the Beaverton airstrip, although i have never seen any pictures or maps of what it used to look like

[JoshYent]

I think it needs a park and a masterplan for starters. And a whole shitload of residential & mixed use buildings. All with ground floor retail. The Cedar Hills Mall (or whatever its called) should be torn down for phase I. :rolleyes:


The mall is currently being redeveloped, they wont be tearing that out for along time....

although your idea would work pretty nicely in the area north of the Max tracks between Hall and Cedar Hills blvd

[der Reisender]

seems like part of Beaverton's problem is the impression that there is no downtown, and that the downtown area it has is gutted by Farmington and Canyon Roads, which don't make for a friendly environment for any people who would be living there. That said, maybe they should start with office and retail buildings, since the road access is fairly good and the traffic counts (which most retail stores can't seem to get enough of) would be nice and high.

Once you put in some taller buildings of that sort and an appreciable density of employment develops, then add in a residential component. Its not like there is a land shortage with all those parkings lots around.

[MarkDaMan]

The problem with DT Beaverton, or potential DT Beaverton is the CAR DEALERSHIPS...they are everywhere chewing up and cutting off tons of land. Beaverton has that creek that is buried under parking lots only surfacing behind the Round and Beaverton TC. Around the library is a good place to start with mixed use housing, there are bones for a neighborhood and a street grid, they just need two or three medium projects to kick start the area.

[pdxstreetcar]

Isnt there a couple of major projects in the works for the site where the burgerville and tammies hobbies are?

[MarkDaMan]

I don't know what tammies hobbies is, but there was an approved M37 claim for a 5 story building right in that area of Burgerville...which is pathetic that someone would have to file a M37 claim for 5 freaking stories in a supposed the downtown area.

[JoshYent]

The problem with DT Beaverton, or potential DT Beaverton is the CAR DEALERSHIPS...they are everywhere chewing up and cutting off tons of land. Beaverton has that creek that is buried under parking lots only surfacing behind the Round and Beaverton TC. Around the library is a good place to start with mixed use housing, there are bones for a neighborhood and a street grid, they just need two or three medium projects to kick start the area.


Yes the car dealers are everywhere.......you know what will be cool is as this area grows and the property becomes more and more valuable they will either sell or redevelop those huge lots into inside garages kind of like the new BMW dealer right there with the parking garage style sales lot this would also probably come with some new mixed use buildings above

[JoshYent]

Isnt there a couple of major projects in the works for the site where the burgerville and tammies hobbies are?


YES, this whole area needs to be torn out and redeveloped


that area is TOO high traffic to NOT have some better businesses, maybe a underground parking structure with 5-6 stories of shopping and housing.

[JoshYent]

I don't know what tammies hobbies is, but there was an approved M37 claim for a 5 story building right in that area of Burgerville...which is pathetic that someone would have to file a M37 claim for 5 freaking stories in a supposed the downtown area.



there are buildings taller than 5 stories all over Hillsboro, i wonder what beaverton has against them?

[zilfondel]

The mall is currently being redeveloped, they wont be tearing that out for along time....

although your idea would work pretty nicely in the area north of the Max tracks between Hall and Cedar Hills blvd

Yea, and that's what they said about Bellevue too, right? They'll never get any development. :whip:

[der Reisender]

^ hope that you're right

[65MAX]

there are buildings taller than 5 stories all over Hillsboro, i wonder what beaverton has against them?

Really? Where did they hide them all?

[JoshYent]

Really? Where did they hide them all?


various hotels along Brookwood parkway, the Synopsys buildings just near the intersection of Cornelious Pass rd, and Cornell......those are 7 stories....downtown Hillsboro has some....

[Drmyeyes]

Tammies Hobbies is essentially in the same long narrow pie shaped strip of land the Burger King and the measure 37 claim property is in. The creek splits BK from the little strip mall where Tammies is. Canyon borders it on the north, don't know what the other street is, but it connects to the west with Broadway.

Beaverton sure does have a load of car dealers, but how are they the obstacle to Beaverton developing cohesive downtown? They represent a variety issue rather than a physical issue. Beaverton's major issue in terms of establishing a cohesive downtown is its physicality. It's very hard to have a decent, cohesive downtown unless it's walkable as well as driveable. Crossing Beaverton's thoroughfares to get from one part of its downtown to another part is the major headache.

It's a bit odd....very odd really, compared to DTPortland, but there is some downtown action happening in Beaverton. That's why it's worth checking out. Over at the Cedar Mills Crossing mall, things are hopping; There's all kinds of things to do and spend your money on if you can safely wade through the car ocean.

Things have been kind of clicking for quite a while at the Beav town sq Fred's partly because of the Starbucks, but also because (get ready...) just across the parking lot is Hooters, but also Trader Joes, Noah's, and all kinds of other stuff, too numerous to mention.

Old Town Beav on Broadway has some decent stuff; indy coffee shop, family mex restaurant, skate shop, the beav bakery, maybe just not quite enough (partly because of Lamphere), and also because of the disconnect from Beav town sq and everything else. (old town Beav isn't too bad of a walk from Beav town sq, it's just not very pleasant.)

The remaining part of Beav's downtown, the library complex is nice and hugely popular, but it's a bit of a walk, though basically a decent one from either Beav town sq or old town Beav...probably not even a quarter mile, but psychologically it seems more. That's a problem, but probably one of the easier ones to address and maybe effectively fix.

Just read an article recently about the airport. Wish I saved it to share. That airport was kind of a wild one. Planes taking off to the north for years and years had a major obstacle to overcome in the form of a big old barn owned by Suburban Lumber. Skilled flying abilties required.

[Drew-Ski]

Has anybody come accross updated news and renderings reguarding the OHSU/Amber Glen Project ??

[Dougall5505]

what is that i've never heard about. were there ever initial renders? if so please post!

[Drew-Ski]

I read about this the last time I was in Portland. The prodject will be located on the MAX Line on 185th and Cornell. It will conisit of " 9 " 20+ story condo towers, multipal mid size, and mixed use. These condo towers will surround a 35 acre lake and park and will have Streetcar access throughout. A very large prodject for the suburbs. The City of Hillsboro planners envision roughly 10,000 residence there. Very ambicious to say the least.

[Dougall5505]

oh i remember that, there hasn't been any news since that article

[urbanlife]

I have walked all through what is "old" downtown Beaverton....? I guess that's what it would be called. Where the library is and all. I think if a masterplan were created to improve and increase the density with housing and retail, I think they would be onto something nice.

Then where all the car dealerships are, start pushing for higher density commercial and office space there with some form of connection or bridge to the Round.

Plus if Beaverton would look into a streetcar line with this masterplan, they could easily link the areas together and possibly increase the walkability of the area.

So there is hope for downtown Beaverton to become something more, they just need some grease behind the ears and someone willing to give a good pull to get their heads out of their asses.

[Drmyeyes]

Yes, if Beaverton could get some kind of streecar planned and built between the 3-4 points; library area, old town Beav/Beav Town Sq, /Round/Cedar Mills Crossing, that could really get things rolling. Really big question is whether Beav could muster that kind of investment. Always hear Beav has a lot of money, but this would be something different.

[brandonpdx]

various hotels along Brookwood parkway, the Synopsys buildings just near the intersection of Cornelious Pass rd, and Cornell......those are 7 stories....downtown Hillsboro has some....

uh...the Synopsys buildings are only 5 stories each.

[JoshYent]

Beaverton sure does have a load of car dealers, but how are they the obstacle to Beaverton developing cohesive downtown? They represent a variety issue rather than a physical issue. Beaverton's major issue in terms of establishing a cohesive downtown is its physicality. It's very hard to have a decent, cohesive downtown unless it's walkable as well as driveable. Crossing Beaverton's thoroughfares to get from one part of its downtown to another part is the major headache.


When i was in Tokyo......granted it was TOKYO....they seemed to have a really good idea to solve the pedestrian traffic issue, and that was with pedestrian bridges over the larger intersections, and or walkways underneath the roads...this could be an excellent solution to this...although something like this would probably be a long ways off....

[JoshYent]

Has anybody come accross updated news and renderings reguarding the OHSU/Amber Glen Project ??


no new news yet!

but when it happens it WILL be posted by myself or another...i am REALLY interested in this project because it is very close to my house

i cant wait for it to get started :banana:

[zilfondel]

When i was in Tokyo......granted it was TOKYO....they seemed to have a really good idea to solve the pedestrian traffic issue, and that was with pedestrian bridges over the larger intersections, and or walkways underneath the roads...this could be an excellent solution to this...although something like this would probably be a long ways off....

Really? I thought they just installed massive crosswalks:

http://www.raubacapeu.net/people/yves/pictures/2000/04/13-tokyo-ginza-med.jpg

[bvpcvm]

When i was in Tokyo......granted it was TOKYO....they seemed to have a really good idea to solve the pedestrian traffic issue, and that was with pedestrian bridges over the larger intersections, and or walkways underneath the roads...this could be an excellent solution to this...although something like this would probably be a long ways off....

All the ex-communist countries, especially Russia, have these underpasses all over the place. And the underpasses are packed with little kiosks and even shops that have been shoehorned in. They're great, but -- try getting around if you're in a wheelchair, or otherwise limited in your mobility (especially given that where there's an underpass, there isn't a crosswalk above). I doubt with ADA we could get away with anything like this without adding elevators, which would make these things prohibitively expensive.

[mcbaby]

some underpasses can inhibit foot traffic do to safety reasons (muggings, drug use etc). if there were shops and lighting, it would be a different story

[pdxtex]

while its easy to hate on beaverton, its downright urbane compared to oh, tigard, and alot of the other suburbs....while it lacks soul, id say parts of it are very walkable and gasp, even bike friendly. i lived near the round for a long time and could easily do all my shopping and errands on foot or bike. and you have the max right there so its a breeze to get into downtown. the car lots do pose a problem for long term urbanity's sake, but im sure they are there to stay. the need to get rid of stick in the mud, mayor drake first!!! the round is a good start and im sure there will be more progress in the coming years.

[Drmyeyes]

Pedestrian overpasses are kind of interesting ideas, but I wonder how they'd really work. If you thought of using them to connect old town Beav, Beav Town Sq, Cedar Mills Crossing mall, they could provide nice clear spans between those places, especially if they were built to handle lightweight electric trolleys like used in zoos, etc.

Practical limitations seem numerous. They'd have to be at least as high as the 217 overpass. For accessibility to people of widely ranging physical abilities walking them, that means long approaches to create a gently rising approach to max height. Then once you're up there, how do you get down to places that develop between the key points? Elevators? Making such a structure sufficient to do that, plus maybe having room for retail, (which might be a good idea) sounds like a massive, radical project. How would Beav ever manage to take something like that on?

I'm glad pdxtex puts in a good word for Beav. The city is a victim of those major thoroughfares somewhat like Newberg. Beav has got some good things and potential to be something a lot better, but it's layout represents an extraordinary challenge calling for really imaginative and determined thinkers.

[Drmyeyes]

Hey everyone, sorry if this isn't quite the right thread to address this topic, but I just wanted to point up the Thursday O's feature in its Washing County Weekly insert about expansion of the Bethany community, North Bethany is I guess what they call it. I was hesitant to repost the whole thing on this thread, but here's a link to the first part:

http://www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/117902311051700.xml&coll=7

Reading the article, it's clear that key figures involved in this development naturally imagine they're building something great. I suppose I'm one of those that can't help but see this development as exactly the kind of sprawl inducing mechanism that methodically degrades the quality of life for all Oregonians.

I'm just roughly paraphasing a couple of facts from the article: '10 housing units per acre'. Say what? How about some highrises? The article also referred to this community's self sufficiency. Consultants hired to determine conditions required for viability of retail stated that 10,000 cars have to flow through the community to provide a sufficient percentage from that number to allow businesses to survive.

They think that "Only about 15 percent of North Bethany's spending is expected to occur in the district's shops,...". Naturally, residents are anticipated to be working away from the community...Beaverton, Hillsboro, Portland and elsewhere. How about locating some of that employment near the community?

These kind of developments really eat up open land in a very inefficient way. Residents are almost compelled to drive rather than walk, bike, or mass transit, to their jobs, shopping, schools and church.

[Snowden352]

I thought I might just drop an attempt to respond to Drmyeyes' post; to begin with, North Bethany probably won't be terribly distinguished as a housing development-however, it remains simply a response to market demands (it's that faceless force which is only a representation of certain people's desires, and what they're willing to pay for it). Which is similar to jobs locating to places like North Bethany-there has to be a desire for them to locate jobs there (i.e. transportation, cost of land, work-force, etc.). If there was government incentives, tax-breaks or subsidies or whatever (although I read an article in Reason which highlights the ineffectiveness of subsidies long-term), they might want to be there. As to density issues, well one must take it up with the elected officials of Washington County (and by extension the people of Washington County).
Besides, the cost-benefit of a high-rise in North Bethany is pretty thin (say, a 30 million dollar tower would require a sufficient profit--and last I checked the only place with demand for those kinds of buildings are in downtown Portland, the Pearl, and South Waterfront, but there's people on this thread with more knowledge than I).

(And are you sure ALL Oregonians are going to be impacted by North Bethany? Even I, in East Portland will be impacted? :))

[MarkDaMan]

Beaverton may ax parking mandate
Daily Journal of Commerce
by Libby Tucker
05/17/2007


BEAVERTON – With its city center virtually an empty parking lot, according to an April parking solutions study, the city of Beaverton is considering an end to its requirement that developers include parking spaces in their plans for new downtown buildings.

“We cannot allow parking to continue at the rate it’s currently being built,” Rick Williams, who partnered on the study with engineering consultancy Parametrix, said. “The land you have available for (future) development is in parking.”

Beaverton building codes require four parking stalls for every 1,000 square feet of building space, but city residents and businesses only use half of that, according to a survey of 3,107 parking spaces conducted over nine hours in the Old Town section of Beaverton.

Cutting or lowering its parking mandate would put the city back on track to meet the regional government Metro’s 2040 Growth Concept, which envisions high-density transit-focused urban cores in cities throughout metropolitan Portland.

“This is the start of a bonfire for downtown,” Rob Drake, mayor of Beaverton, said.

The study, funded by a $104,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, set out a list of long-term and short-term fixes to Beaverton’s parking problem.

Among the study’s suggestions were unified time limits of two hours on parking spaces in an eight-block core, encouragement of alternative modes of transportation, better management of city-owned parking lots and eventual construction of a downtown parking structure.

The city needs to “manage parking more aggressively,” Williams, revered among regional transportation planners for his work with Portland’s Lloyd District Transportation Management Association, said, “to encourage more dense development.”

City Council on board

The Beaverton City Council, which heard the study results for the first time Monday, generally supports the recommendations, as do the city’s Traffic and Planning commissions, which reviewed the study and presented their own suggestions Monday to City Council.

“There are many areas of Beaverton ripe for development,” Bruce Dalrymple, a Beaverton city councilor, said at the Monday meeting. “We need to look at the (parking) code and guidelines hard and fast to encourage redevelopment.”

The council is now asking for public input on the study suggestions.

The first course of action should then be to hire a city parking manager to coordinate the city’s efforts and head up a stakeholder committee for the task, Cathy Stanton, a city councilor and a member of the stakeholder committee for the parking study, said.

Support from downtown businesses will be critical to the success of any parking program, she said. And businesses should consider forming a “customer-first” program, similar to one implemented four years ago in Gresham, to train employees not to park on the street in front of downtown businesses.

The city should also develop a streetscape plan to provide new options for pedestrians to travel between the MAX light-rail stop at the Beaverton Round and downtown Beaverton, the study said.

“Take a walk from The Round to the Beaverton library,” Mark San Soucie, a Beaverton Planning Commission member, told City Council. “It’s kind of scruffy right now.”

But not all city councilors were enthusiastic about Beaverton’s push toward fewer parking spaces. Beaverton residents are accustomed to driving everywhere and easily finding downtown parking, councilor Catherine Arnold said.

“Maybe it’s the suburban girl in me,” she said, “but I can’t see that we would build housing where people are only using public transportation.”

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?recid=29439&userID=1

[Drmyeyes]

"The city should also develop a streetscape plan to provide new options for pedestrians to travel between the MAX light-rail stop at the Beaverton Round and downtown Beaverton, the study said."

“Take a walk from The Round to the Beaverton library,” Mark San Soucie, a Beaverton Planning Commission member, told City Council. “It’s kind of scruffy right now.”

Well, at least somebody is aware of the problem. I'm not too impressed though, with their initial thoughts for remedies; a city parking manager? unified time limits?

The streetscape plan for pedestrians enabling easier travel between key points in downtown is a kernel of a good idea. Something like an esplanade for both pedestrians and cyclists between the Round, Cedar Mills Crossing, Downtown Beaverton, Beaverton Town Square and the Beaveton Library would be the ticket. Getting over/under the thoroughfares would be the big challenge.

Snowden; I hear you regarding market and other factors involved that lead newly developed communities away from being unified and self sufficient. Still, I think efforts to plan and create such communities makes much sense. Many people will never know what the area around and including Bethany was before this development came about some years back, but many residents current and future, desperately seek even just a little tiny bit of it in the form of the standard single family dwelling.

The drive for such housing and the lure it represents to developers is the self consumptive force that threatens Oregon's livability and fuels M37 supporters and claimants. Not so many years back, Bethany was virtually a clean slate. It was simply cleared fields. It could have been comparatively so easy to lay out well integrated community components; housing, places of employment, schools, social centers, shops for goods and services in an environment that worked to minimize commuting and car use. It seems like this state's leaders don't really have that kind of vision yet.

[zilfondel]

^ The problem with Beaverton is there's no "there" there.

As Yoda would say, 'parking lots a place does not make.'
...and you can quote me on that.

=================

The reason we get places like North Bethany and downtown Beaverton (well, ok, the whole city of Beaverton) is due to single-use low-rise zoning codes. They're still stuck in the 60s and just flat-out don't allow mixed use or highrise buildings.

And 10 units/acre are 4,000 ft^2 lots. Definitely not too impressive. At least they aren't 1/4, 1/2 or full acre, tho. You can thank the UGB for that one.

*edit* - perhaps I should read the article first before posting. North Bethany will likely have a mix of residential units with varying densities, above and below 10 units/acre. In addition, while there are 800 acres, and they plan on cramming in 10,000 residents, they are also planning on putting in shops, schools, 35 acres of parks, office space, and public gathering areas. These, in addition to roads (which will eat up between 30-50% of the land) will reduce the buildable land area to probably around 400 acres... of course, if we assume an average occupancy of 2.5 people per residential unit, we only need 4,000 units, so we still get an overall density of 10 units/acre.

[Snowden352]

Just a last note here: I agree with you Drmyeyes. Personally, I think that suburbs need better planning--those ridiculous circuitous roads built to cram in houses is just freaking stupid, and creates a dependency upon large, arterial roads to funnel traffic from point A to point B (thus you get an over-reliance upon highways, and congestion propagates). Not to mention, I do think people would love to live in a nice, dense house (spacious), but pricing and the market drives these kind of development (I'd write more, but I'm aching for home).

Anyway, that's just my opinion... back to Beaverton stuff.

[Drmyeyes]

"The reason we get places like North Bethany and downtown Beaverton (well, ok, the whole city of Beaverton) is due to single-use low-rise zoning codes. They're still stuck in the 60s and just flat-out don't allow mixed use or highrise buildings." zilfondel

I can't put my finger on exactly where it says that in city codes, but I think what you're saying is true zilfondel. What I'm wondering is, if that truly is the case, why they wouldn't permit them. This seems like a really important question to have answered.

Possibly explaining this:Amongst Beaverton residents and leaders, perhaps there's an aversion to highrises based on such buildings association with notorious highrise projects of Chicago, NYC and Eastern Europe. Maybe Beaverton has had a fear that the state or federal government would foist a huge vertical ghetto upon them rather than an elegant living tower, if the city permitted highrises.

[bvpcvm]

Drmyeyes, I've always thought Americans were historically against cities, partially due to the immigrant experience, either living in slums in Europe or here after arrival. Plus the whole notion of American heroes - the individual, the lone cowboy etc - I'm sure an English major could do a much better job. At this point, it seems like suburban and urban residents are almost living in different cultures entirely, like Shi'a and Sunni. Obviously not at each others' throats in the same way, but similarly unable and unwilling, for the most part, to understand each other, or at least each others' values/goals. At least that's what I get from eavesdropping on the hopeless suburbanites in the next cubicle.

Re: zoning, wasn't there a big push in the 50's to separate residential from commercial so that people in their new tract houses would have "peace and quiet"? An aversion to mixed-use and high-rises in Beaverton's zoning code wouldn't surprise me in the least.

[zilfondel]

"The reason we get places like North Bethany and downtown Beaverton (well, ok, the whole city of Beaverton) is due to single-use low-rise zoning codes. They're still stuck in the 60s and just flat-out don't allow mixed use or highrise buildings." zilfondel

I can't put my finger on exactly where it says that in city codes, but I think what you're saying is true zilfondel. What I'm wondering is, if that truly is the case, why they wouldn't permit them. This seems like a really important question to have answered.

Actually, (almost) every city in the United States relies on zoning codes to separate and isolate 'uses' geographically and spatially. The direct result of this planning methodology is the modern american metropolitan city - commercial over there, strip malls over by the freeway exits, luxury residential there, middle-class housing there, and the ghetto low-income apartment complexes stuffed between the strip malls and the industrial factories.

It was actually an offshoot of the Modernist movement during the 1920s - giving planners a way to rationalize town planning by separating so-called incompatible uses by compartmentalizing towns. Some of the earliest attempts at was the Garden City Movement.
One of the largest reasons for this separation was due to the horrible conditions of the American industrialized city of the 19th century - dirty, overcrowded, belching smoke from coal plants, metal smelters, paper mills and the like. Average lifespans in London during the industrial revolution were less than 40 years!

As posted by wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoning):
Theoretically, its primary purpose is to segregate uses that are thought to be incompatible; in practice, zoning is used as a permitting system to prevent new development from harming existing residents or businesses.

While cities like Portland have gone a long ways from the 1960s, where many municipalities adopted zoning standards, such as minimum street widths (60', 70', 80') for commercial and residential zones, setbacks for housing, banning multifamily housing from neighborhoods, maximum house coverage of lot, min lot sizes, etc... which pretty much made it impossible to build or renovate denser building stock in the central cities. Those actions were also backed up by the federal government, where they subsidized housing mortgages.

======================

Anyways, the point of my little history lesson above is to say that Beaverton hasn't progressed since the regression of the 1960s! They are still stuck in the old-school suburbia mindset - which ironically lacks any rational thought as to how to plan a city. Places like Hillsboro, Gresham, and Vancouver have started to think and make changes, but are, of course, faaaaaar behind Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. But then, small suburban towns aren't exactly known for their progressive leaders.

Unfortunately, places like Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland are likewise lightyears behind places like Barcelona, which pretty much epitomizes progressive city planning and development.

Possibly explaining this:Amongst Beaverton residents and leaders, perhaps there's an aversion to highrises based on such buildings association with notorious highrise projects of Chicago, NYC and Eastern Europe. Maybe Beaverton has had a fear that the state or federal government would foist a huge vertical ghetto upon them rather than an elegant living tower, if the city permitted highrises.

I honestly don't think people in Beaverton (or any suburb in Portland) really have that much of an aversion to high-density living... the ghettos of the past have largely been forgotten by people today. Instead, people are just are more used to living in the suburbs. They stick with what is comfortable, and don't try to challenge themselves. What can I say? People are lazy.
The reason their are no highrises in Beaverton is mainly due to economics; no developer has tried to build one yet. And, due to the 'flexibility' [corruptibility] of suburban leaders, I would suspect that as soon as a developer tried to build one, the possibility of jobs and money would likely make it quite easy for it to get built...

======================

This all comes down to... why won't Beaverton permit them? Simple:


No developers have approached them with any progressive development ideas
Beaverton is following 'business as usual' reminiscent of development circa 1960
Noone has sat down and tried to figure out where all of the new jobs and 1 million new metro residents are going to live - which is actually Metro's job. They figure that they will just keep expanding the Urban Growth Boundary bit by bit to accomdate them all!
Most importantly, any change would require a lot of thought! This includes infrastructure upgrades, new transit lines, parks, possibly schools, location and types of residential units, commercial, and retail - which we call Planning. Beaverton doesn't plan, so hence, nothing will happen.



Now, if I had 2 billion in cash lying around, I would buy up the entire central area of Beaverton, draw up some new plans for the area, and pay off the mayor and council members to get some super-high density stuff permitted - and built. Then I would retire, quite rich. I mean, there are likely hundreds of acres of underdeveloped lots within walking distance of the Sunset TC, Beaverton TC, and the Round... which is what? 10 minutes from downtown Portland???

Oh, if I were rich...

on the same vein, the reason any mixed-use project like the Round will fail is due to critical mass: it doesn't exist. There needs to be, first and foremost, enough people living in an area to patronize businesses to make them work... otherwise you have to convince suburbanites to drive and park (in shiny new parking garages!) at your new mixed-use development to make it work.

Vancouver, Canada has done the opposite: they build TONS of residential units and hope that businesses follow.


sorry for the dissertation... and it's probably not as coherent as it should be. But it is a very interesting topic, to be sure, as it affects everybody.

[360Rich]

Developer of Round defaults on $31.5 million loan
Posted by The Oregonian July 26, 2007 11:51AM
Categories: Breaking News, Business, Washington County

BEAVERTON -- The developer of the Round at Beaverton Central, the troubled mixed-use project along MAX light rail, is in default on a $31.5 million loan, according to legal documents.

The creditor has filed a notice of foreclosure in Washington County against DPP Beaverton Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of developer Dorn-Platz Properties of California. The filing claims that the developer hasn't made payments since December.

The notice, which was first reported by the Beaverton Valley Times this morning, calls for a foreclosure sale of the property in a little more than four months if Dorn-Platz is unable to get current with payments.

However, city officials said this morning that the two sides are expected to settle the dispute. Linda Adlard, the city's chief of staff, said the filing was a "hiccup" and shouldn't affect the long-term prospects for the development.

"I can't tell the significance of this except that (Dorn-Platz) and his financial partnership have gotten into a hassle," she said.

Representatives of Dorn-Platz did not return telephone calls for comment today.

The Lake Oswego lawyer representing DB Beaverton LLC, Douglas Cushing, also could not be reached for comment this morning.

The Round has struggled since 1997, when the city sold the former sewage treatment plant to a developer and called for multistory buildings with ground-floor retail and restaurants with housing and offices above.

The first developer declared bankruptcy, and the city took back control of the site in 2001. Later that year, Dorn-Platz took over the project. However, the city declared Dorn-Platz in default of its development agreement, penalized the developer and signed a new agreement.

Four buildings on the site are complete, with four more scheduled to be built by summer 2008.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/07/developer_of_round_defaults_on.html

[MarkDaMan]

four more scheduled to be built by summer 2008

what are the chances of these 4 other buildings getting built?

[Drew-Ski]

To be honest, I am bullish on Beaverton. I do not think, the financial problems with this particular developer will impede new development in the area. This location is too important to the City, to let slide. Hopefully, the City will use this as a wake-up call to jump start this project.

[Snowden352]

I'm curious to know what was the cause behind the company's lack of payment. Does anyone know how well the Round sold? Was it simply negligence on part of the company or lack of sales?

[Drmyeyes]

Been awhile since this thread came up. You got some good thoughts in your post Zilfondel. I think there's good reasons to be bullish on Beaverton as Drew-Ski is.

I think someone else posting here did the following and recommended it, but I'm going to re-suggest it since I did it recently and it gave me a nice perspective on Beaverton and it's potential: Go to the Round and ascend to the top level of the parking structure there. It's probably the highest centrally located physical structure in town that the public can get to easily. From there you'll be able to take in a 360 degree view of the area, all the way to St Vincent's hospital northeast, south to the library, southwest to Cooper Mtn, east to West Slope. Just don't ride your bike up to the top of the parking structure because the single security nazi went into storm trooper mode when he discovered me with my bike up there.

I've walked over to the Round a few times. I really hate to be critical, because it has some nice features; a little plaza, nice water feature, good outside eating areas, but there is about it, some grossly major design flaws. Maybe it's just me, but I would not want to live there. I'm not sure I'd want to work there either. Why? This development is very close to the MAX line. The noise from the very quiet MAX is amplified by the Round's concave shape. Sitting there in the little plaza, the whoosh from the MAX is dramatic. Still, some people do like that experience. Maybe this will be it's saving grace.

The structure itself; the sheathing materials, as well as that of the building's across the tracks from it (office, parking) are not attractive. That seems like a major mistake in a complex that a city government hopes to pitch as a pivotal urban center.

I think that looking around from the top of the parking structure, it may be possible for enthusiastic people with ambition, fresh ideas and an aspiration to do something great, to get some idea of the connectivity that Beaverton must somehow achieve before it can begin less of a car dominated livability than it has now.

What were my impressions? First of all, it's not the first reaction one might think of in regards to Beaverton, but I found it very beautiful (it was at sunset). Lots and lots of trees blended with lots and lots of buildings. From up there, I felt like I could see a clear vision of a vast bike/pedestrian, streetcar boulevard connecting some of Beaverton's key, but rather distantly separated points; Beav Old Town, Beav Town Sq, Cedar Mill Crossing, Beav Library, probably West Slope.

In between, there's endless opportunities for multi-level structures if supported by good transportation options. So much of Beaverton's main business strips are single level structures. In some ways it's much easier to knock that kind of stuff down for something better than it is to change things in a place like downtown Portland. Beaverton's leaders really need to be thinking of the bigger picture. These little bits and pieces like the Round just aren't going to cut it.

[zilfondel]

^ Critical Mass, baby... you're right on the money, Drmyeyes.

[sirsimon]

This is perhaps a bit off topic, but a friend and I looked at a couple of units in the Round last Summer and I was highly disappointed at the sloppy construction and cheap materials.

[MarkDaMan]

^My partner and I looked at the Round too. I thought the layouts of the condos were innovative, but the materials used and construction looked sloppy. I also had a problem with the view of the unit we were looking at, looking straight at the parking garage. I had thoughts of headlights beaming into my place from those workout junkie going to 24Hour at 3AM. What really got me was the prices. They rivaled many of Portland's condos. In fact, we looked at a unit in the Civic that was cheaper than at the Round, and in a higher floor, although the square footage was slightly less. But the 'innovative' condo designs of the Round also created lots of unusable space in the unit.

I have hopes for Beaverton, but I think this project, and the string of bad luck that now extends decades, will probably slow down and scale back anything else to come forward for at least a few years.

Anyway, here is the O's story in its entirety:

Developer of Round in default on loan
Beaverton - A city official downplays the problem as a "hiccup" for the troubled project
Friday, July 27, 2007
DAVID R. ANDERSON
The Oregonian

BEAVERTON -- The developer of the Round at Beaverton Central, the troubled urban style project along MAX light rail, is in default on a $31.5 million loan and the lender is asking that a third party take control of the development, according to legal documents.

The creditor has filed a notice of foreclosure in Washington County against DPP Beaverton Holdings, a subsidiary of developer Dorn-Platz Properties of California. The filing claims that the developer hasn't made payments since December.

The notice calls for a foreclosure sale of the property in a little more than four months if Dorn-Platz is unable to get current with payments.

A lawyer for the lender, DB Beaverton, has also filed a complaint in Washington County Circuit Court asking a judge to appoint a receiver to take possession and manage the Round.

However, city officials said Thursday morning that the two sides are expected to settle the dispute. Linda Adlard, the city's chief of staff, said the filing was a "hiccup" and shouldn't affect the long-term prospects for the development.

"I can't tell the significance of this except that (Dorn-Platz) and his financial partnership have gotten into a hassle," she said.

In addition to the legal problems, the main anchor to one building under construction has opted out of the deal and is moving to Portland.

Representatives of Dorn-Platz have not returned repeated phone calls in recent weeks and did not return calls Thursday.

Douglas Cushing, a Lake Oswego lawyer representing creditor DB Beaverton, also did not return calls Thursday. An assistant said Cushing's client did not want him to comment.

The news of the foreclosure, first reported by the Beaverton Valley Times on Thursday, comes as the city is seeking a developer to buy the former Westgate Theatre site next to the Round and develop it in a similar fashion, with multistory buildings of ground-floor retail and housing and offices above, with structured parking.

The Round has struggled since 1997, when the city sold the former sewage treatment plant to a developer and called for multistory buildings with ground-floor retail and restaurants with housing and offices above.

The first developer declared bankruptcy, and the city took back control of the site in 2001. Later that year, Dorn-Platz took over the project. However, the city declared Dorn-Platz in default of its development agreement, penalized the developer and signed a new agreement in June 2005.

Four buildings on the site are complete. However, four more are scheduled to be built and completed in a year, according to the most recent development agreement with the city. Rusting rebar

Crews began work on one of those buildings over the winter, driving pilings into the ground. However, no work has gone on for several months. The site has rusting rebar and yellow warning tape that has faded white.

Still, Adlard said Dorn-Platz has not fallen behind its construction schedule.

"Things are moving, but it may be behind the scenes a bit," Adlard said.

If Dorn-Platz falls behind, it would violate its development agreement with the city.

It appears that the foreclosure also affects the four buildings, on which the city has issued certificates of completion. That means the city has no ownership interest or control over those buildings, said City Attorney Alan Rappleyea. If the city finds there are liens or other claims against sites yet to be developed, that could be another reason for default.

If the city declared Dorn-Platz in violation of the development agreement, it could seize a $250,000 security deposit and take control of vacant parcels. Anchor tenant exits

Meanwhile, the anchor tenant of the five-story office building where construction has halted backed out of the deal because Dorn-Platz fell behind schedule. Sedgwick Claims Management Services had planned to consolidate its Portland and Lake Oswego offices at the Round, said Frank Huffman, a company spokesman. It was set to lease two floors of the building. But a provision in its agreement allowed Sedgwick to opt out if Dorn-Platz fell behind.

The company is now scheduled to move into about 30,000 square feet of office space at the Lloyd Center in September, Huffman said.

Retail space at the Round has been slow to fill. The ground floor remains vacant in a parking garage that opened last year. And there is still vacant retail space in the first building that opened in 2003.

Dorn-Platz and other defendants also face a $9.4 million lawsuit from residents of condominiums at the Round, who say the units were constructed poorly and have water damage.

David R. Anderson: 503-294-5199; davidanderson@ news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1185504929123790.xml&coll=7

[360Rich]

http://www.oregonlive.com/images/hp/135/beaverton_round.jpg http://www.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/olive/images/7012/e1.jpg
photos - Benjamin Brink, The Oregonian

Suburban growth - The question for the Beaverton project is whether the market will ever catch up
Monday, August 06, 2007
DAVID R. ANDERSON
The Oregonian Staff

BEAVERTON -- The Round at Beaverton Central is either ahead of its time or a century too late.

Now that the developer is apparently in default on its loan -- the third failing of the 10-year-old, half-finished project -- many wonder whether multistory buildings of retail/office/condominiums were doomed to flop in the suburbs.

Even national advocates for transit-oriented development admit the Round has been a mistake, the wrong product in the wrong location, a misplaced Pearl District. They don't want a failure in Beaverton to taint other efforts in the Portland area or across the country, where projects in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and northern Virginia, to name a few, have succeeded.

The Round proves that mass transit -- in this case, MAX light rail -- can't turn a losing development idea into a winner, said Dena Belzer, president of Strategic Economics, an urban economics consulting firm specializing in transit-oriented development, based in Berkeley, Calif.

"This project is just hanging out there in the wind," Belzer said. "I think no individual project can transform an entire district."

Proponents say that's a reason that Metro and Beaverton should persevere and do more to support the Round. The city is looking for a developer to buy the 4.6-acre site of the former Westgate Theatre next to the Round and build more of the same type of development. That will create a destination, they say.

Backers argue for patience. They say that if developers and public agencies don't try something new, a timid market will never change. They point to Belmont Dairy in Southeast Portland and Kruse Way in Lake Oswego as projects ahead of their time that defied skeptics and ended up succeeding.

"It's part of a longer-term effort to redevelop what was once, and may again be, central Beaverton," said Ethan Seltzer, a Portland State University professor of urban studies and planning. "The market has a lot of work to do in that area."

With officials from developer Dorn-Platz refusing to comment, observers are left to speculate about the reason for the most recent bad news at the Round. Was it a bad idea, bad location or bad execution? Or has the project acquired a stink from early failures?

Carl Hosticka, the Metro councilor who represents part of Beaverton, likens the Round's latest lurch to a plane crash -- it's either "pilot error or a problem with the plane."

"Pilot error"

Hosticka, an advocate of such development around the region, is inclined to blame the developer. He has heard that Dorn-Platz causes a crisis and asks for government concessions to get out of the jam, he said.

But the Round had a history of troubles before Dorn-Platz became involved.

The first developer went bankrupt in 1999. Dorn-Platz took over the project just months before Sept. 11, 2001, and the following economic downturn. City officials in 2004 declared it in default of their agreement, seized a $500,000 bond and negotiated a new construction schedule. Four of eight planned buildings have been completed, but construction has come to a halt.

City officials say they have been told that Dorn-Platz has a new construction loan and hopes to settle the default case soon. Construction should resume by the end of the month, said Linda Adlard, the city's chief of staff.

But skeptics say the problem is more fundamental. With a seven-story parking garage and development that suburbanites aren't used to seeing, some say it's just the wrong idea for that location.

Gloria Ohland, a spokeswoman with the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, has visited the Round twice and cites two significant stumbling blocks: It's a complex mixed-use project that includes office space, when the office market is weak. And it includes structured parking in a city with vast surface parking lots.

"Those projects are much harder and more expensive to build," said Ohland, vice president of Reconnecting America, a national nonprofit based in Oakland that runs the center.

If anyone has the right to question the idea of the Round, it's Heather Humelbaugh.

She opened Urban Rhythms Coffee Co. in December 2005 at the Round, enamored of the idea that people could live and work in the same neighborhood as her coffee shop. It also helped to have a captive customer base in the students at Cambridge College, the folks working out at 24 Hour Fitness and the MAX riders.

Then Dorn-Platz took away the parking next to her shop to start construction of a fifth building at the Round. And nothing happened for months. Less foot traffic passes her door, and she doesn't know when, if ever, office workers from the new five-story building will come in seeking a latte.

Business is so slow, Humelbaugh says, she'll probably close the doors before her lease is up in 31/2 years. But she says she still believes in the Round. And she thinks it will only get better when the Westgate site opens.

"It's the up-and-coming thing," she said. "I think it will work eventually. I think in the future, it will be an awesome spot."

Problem with design?

Frankly, critics say, the Round cannot stand on its own as designed and is an indictment of the notion that light rail, instead of the marketplace, can spur development. The only way such projects can get developer interest, they say, is with big public subsidies.

John Charles, president of the Cascade Policy Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, said he has followed the Round for the past decade and estimates that government agencies have poured about $20 million into the project.

The idea that development will follow mass transit comes from the streetcars of the late 1800s and early 1900s, but doesn't work today, he said. "It's about 100 years behind the times."

Hosticka counters that all residential construction is subsidized. Newly urbanized areas such as Pleasant Valley and North Bethany will require heavy investments in roads, schools and other public infrastructure, he said. If the region is to accommodate growth, he said, he would rather see infill in places like the Round than in the middle of established neighborhoods.

Brokers who lease retail and office space in the Round remain optimistic. But they acknowledge the project has had a cash-flow problem. Empty storefronts and office space aren't helping pay for construction of the four remaining buildings.

The challenge has been getting tenants to move into a construction zone, said Steve Neville of New & Neville, who has been leasing retail space.

Although Sedgwick Claims Management Services, the anchor tenant for one of the new office buildings, backed out of the deal, it was because of construction delays, not a loss of interest, said Frank Huffman, a company spokesman.

Buzz Ellis, a principal in Pacific Real Estate Partners, the leasing agent for the office space, rejects the notion that new pockets of class A office space in the suburbs don't reflect the market. He points to Kruse Way and Lincoln Center near Washington Square.

"It's kind of the evolution of suburban office parks," he said.

And Hosticka is unapologetic that the market wouldn't have built the Round without government incentives.

"We're not necessarily trying to respond to a market," he said. "We're trying to lead a market."

David R. Anderson: 503-294-5199; davidanderson@ news.oregonian.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1186363516255520.xml&coll=7

[Snowden352]

Could they have compared the Round to Kruse way more? Seriously, the two projects are like night and day-one developed from ideal market conditions (extensive executive housing, a new major highway, large cheap land) versus a government mandate-you can't mandate market demand! This isn't forward thinking, it's stupid! There. I've said it.

[Okstate]

Out of curiosity, has the Round decreased rental prices as a result of their lacking popularity? I personally would love to know of all the transit-oriented apt complexes around Portland. I have asked this question in a previous thread but didn't get much of a response. Besides orenco, the round, and center commons, where else can you literally have light rail on your doorsteps without being in downtown Portland? They need to have a website that list all rentals near light rail. For an out of towner that would be really informative considering i will be moving to this beautiful city.

[westsider]

I don't remember the name of the place but there are some decent GSL apartments at the NW185th st. stop. And Orenco Station is not really at MAX's doorstep, its more like five blocks away.

[EastPDX]

... to the point that there is construction almost to the MAX station. And there is already residential build out on the South Side of the Orenco MAX Stop.

One successful retail/residential/office development next to MAX has been out in Gresham (Gresham Station). But the PDX and Westside crowd doesn't get out to Gresham much to see the new town center or the Old Town and the condos going up there.

Gresham's success near MAX has been slow in coming and is based on a mix of having auto and MAX access but also the location (views of Mt. Hood from Gresham are awesome since you are 1 to 30 miles closer then the rest of PDX).

The apartments near the Beavercreek MAX stop is another nice area (close to NIKE HQ too).

EP

[bvpcvm]

Out of curiosity, has the Round decreased rental prices as a result of their lacking popularity? I personally would love to know of all the transit-oriented apt complexes around Portland. I have asked this question in a previous thread but didn't get much of a response. Besides orenco, the round, and center commons, where else can you literally have light rail on your doorsteps without being in downtown Portland? They need to have a website that list all rentals near light rail. For an out of towner that would be really informative considering i will be moving to this beautiful city.

aren't the residential units at the round all condos? i don't think there are any rentals there.

like most people here have said, the beaverton and hillsboro sections of the blue line probably have the most decent residential. closer to downtown, the three stops from goose hollow to the stadium are near decent apts, especially goose hollow. there's residential within a few blocks of hollywood/42nd and some near 60th (center commons). east burnside has lots of residential, but from what i understand that area's rapidly turning into crackville, especially the further east you go. and then apparently downtown gresham has decent residential as well, although i barely ever get out there and can't say for sure :-). the yellow line has residential within a block or two of most stations, but i think it's more houses than apts. not much residential along the red line. but wherever you go, you probably will have to walk a bit. but then, that's to some extent why you want to come here, isn't it?

[zilfondel]

When I rode the MAX to Gresham I noticed a couple of nicer apartments near MAX stations. Others looked cheap and crappy, however.

As nice as "TOD" is, however, if the only urban amenity your apartment has is a MAX stop, it will wear thin after awhile. Better to live in a real urban environment where you can actually have access to a bunch of stuff - especially when using your feet.

Real Portlanders ride the bus. :P

[vjoe]

It looks like there are some construction going on next to the Orenco station stop across from 231st. They are just breaking ground now.
There are a bunch of condo on Quatama stop, some are probably rental.
The stop after the Hillsboro airport has a bunch of apartments around it. This is the start of the Latino neighborhood and there are good Mexican restaurants in this area.

[Okstate]

How long does it take to get into downtown from the furthest east and west lines of MAX? Do PSU students get a discount by chance? I know in Denver, their light rail is covered in the universities fees at U of Colorado-Denver.

[vjoe]

It takes about an hour from downtown Hillsboro to downtown Portland. PSU student does not get discount.

[zilfondel]

PSU students do get a discount if they buy the 3-month all-zone pass. It only costs around $140.

[vjoe]

doh! my wife just graduated, how come she didn't know about this!
That's a good deal.

[MarkDaMan]

City Center Parking sues Round developer
The California company behind the Beaverton project is hit
Daily Journal of Commerce
POSTED: 06:00 AM PST Thursday, November 29, 2007
BY LIBBY TUCKER

City Center Parking is suing the Beaverton Round developer to recoup more than $28,000 in allegedly unpaid bills.

The lawsuit is the latest in a round of woes for Pasadena, Calif.-based developer Dorn Platz Properties, which faced a $9 million construction defect lawsuit from condominium owners at The Round in June and a threat of foreclosure in July from lender DB Beaverton for defaulting on a $31.5 million construction loan.

Dorn Platz in September sold a portion of the property, including four buildings and the garage near the MAX light-rail line in Beaverton, to DB Beaverton, a subsidiary of New York-based Fortress Investment Group.

But the developer still holds an agreement with the city of Beaverton to build four more buildings on the property by 2008.

The new lawsuit once again raises the question of whether Dorn Platz can meet its contractual obligations with the city, which had high hopes for The Round when the development launched more than a decade ago. The project has long suffered from construction delays, difficulties signing tenants and lagging condo sales.

“As long as they stay within the time frame and build what (they say) they’re going to do, we don’t get too involved in their operations,” Lonnie Dicus, a senior project manager with the city, said. “And so any contract City Center has with Dorn Platz wouldn’t affect us too much.”

Dorn Platz owner Greg Galletly did not return calls seeking comment.

City Center managed The Round’s seven-story, 400-stall parking garage for Dorn Platz for more than four years until mid-October, after the sale. The garage is now managed by Norris, Beggs and Simpson, according to Dicus.

City Center last week filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court against Dorn Platz and Beaverton Commercial Investments. The Portland-based parking manager claims the property owner owes money for three months of managing The Round’s only parking garage.

“Dorn Platz stopped paying their bills in approximately August,” James Hein, an attorney representing City Center Parking, said. “And there’s no question about the quality of services by City Center Parking.”
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2007/11/29/City-Center-Parking-sues-Round-developer-The-California-company-behind-the-Beaverton-project-is-hit

[alexjon]

Any word on what's going on now?

[JoshYent]

Sometimes i wish these things progressed faster =/ i want to see what happens with the round!