Washington County (Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Forest Grove, etc.) - Page 18

2oh1 · #**341** Posted **Aug 26, 2013, 7:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek

I just realized how much Orenco Station reminds me of The Yards at Union Station.

I just realized how much The Yards at Union Station reminds me of Orenco Station!

"You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!"
"You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!"

Two great tastes that taste great together, right? Actually, in this case, no. Not at all.

I don't get this style of architecture. I understand budgets requiring, shall we say, less grandeur. I get it. But I don't understand how it seems to end up looking like there must be a factory outlet mall nearby. Gah.

This Embassy Suites isn't terrible. It's just so absolutely predictable and bland.

bvpcvm · #**342** Posted **Aug 26, 2013, 10:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I get it. But I don't understand how it seems to end up looking like there must be a factory outlet mall nearby.

LOL. The thing is, if they stripped off the faux peaked roof and giant arch from the central building it wouldn't look so dated - so quite like a factory outlet mall - in ten years.

MarkDaMan · #**343** Posted **Aug 27, 2013, 12:58 AM**

Proposed development in Hillsboro's AmberGlen community a baby-step toward future density
By Andrew Theen, The Oregonian
on August 26, 2013 at 1:01 PM, updated August 26, 2013 at 1:12 PM

http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/...incart_m-rpt-2

Quote:

Multi-family apartment construction, already moving at a torrid pace in Hillsboro's Orenco Station community, is starting to trickle into AmberGlen, the city's designated high-density community of the future.

West Hills Development, an Arbor Custom Homes company, is proposing a 352-unit, 10-building complex in AmberGlen.

Part of that plan calls for dividing the 10.8-acre site into four lots with three new public streets. The proposal goes before the Planning Commission Wednesday for a public hearing.

...

Arbor's latest development is east of Northwest 206th Avenue and north of Northwest Wilkins Street. Brad Hosmar, chief operations officer for West Hills Development, said the location is a "good place to ease into the density."

Hosmar said the community will have a "European village-like feel."

Buildings will have steeply pitched roofs, decorative trim, and "gable roof forms," according to the development review application. The proposed parking allotment is 426 spaces. The project includes nine housing buildings and one with a community room, pool and other amenities.

The building heights will vary from two to four stories, Hosmar said, and scale up from west to east.

Hosmar said the developer didn't want to inundate existing residents west of 206th with six-story buildings and the city zoning didn't allow for that degree of density.

...

MarkDaMan · #**344** Posted **Aug 27, 2013, 12:58 AM**

^Sounds gross...

philopdx · #**345** Posted **Sep 3, 2013, 4:42 AM**

AmberGlen apartments @ Cornell and 206th:

Embassy Suites:

The sign for Hampton Inn said it would be open for business in Spring 2014, and the Embassy Suites would be open for business in Fall 2014.

gtguy · #**346** Posted **Sep 6, 2013, 4:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek

Gotta love it...

As one of said engineers, I wholeheartedly agree with that comment. I looked into the Orenco Station briefly, but it is just too expensive for what you get. I rent a *house* nearby for almost the same price.

For some reason, the developers in the area do not understand how to cater to us. Many of my coworkers have trouble finding the right home in Hillsboro because all of the new housing seems to fall into one of three categories: single-family monstrosities on tiny, tiny lots, eyesore 3-level townhomes, or even single-level condos in multi-story buildings. These are fine for the youngest employees without families, but they quickly move out to Bethany, Tigard, or Portland proper to find appropriate housing with good-sized lots once the kids are on the way.

JG573 · #**347** Posted **Sep 6, 2013, 6:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtguy

As one of said engineers, I wholeheartedly agree with that comment. I looked into the Orenco Station briefly, but it is just too expensive for what you get. I rent a *house* nearby for almost the same price.

For some reason, the developers in the area do not understand how to cater to us. Many of my coworkers have trouble finding the right home in Hillsboro because all of the new housing seems to fall into one of three categories: single-family monstrosities on tiny, tiny lots, eyesore 3-level townhomes, or even single-level condos in multi-story buildings. These are fine for the youngest employees without families, but they quickly move out to Bethany, Tigard, or Portland proper to find appropriate housing with good-sized lots once the kids are on the way.

This is just my opinion but there is no room in a city metro area for everyone to have these giant wasteful lots if everyone wanted that and if there was no urban growth boundary my god the amount of area portland would be stretched over might just reach newberg.

Lets be honest I grew up on one of these huge lots and every person I know and have seen that has one barely ever uses there yards besides for mowing it. If you take a step back looking at it from the outside it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen because people spend half there lives making there massive yards and gardens look beautiful when they almost never use them it is insanity and young kids might get a little use of it but once there teenagers they will never use the yards.

Kids are such an excuse for needing a huge yard when I have kids I have no problem staying in my condo or an apartment (while I might upgrade to a bigger one) as there are plenty of amazing parks around the city especially close by in the pearl now that the fields is open and at least they can socialize with other kids and me with other people. I swear americans are the most ridiculous anti social people sometimes. The stigma basically is oh once I have kids build a fortress and yard surrounded by few people and then I will drive to every place I need to go and only have human contact when I arrive at the place until I get back in my car and go home.

That is your choice but I do not understand your logic that developers are some how going to find the room for this in hillsboro where demand is high and there is a urban growth boundary. The same free will you have to choose a huge lot is the same free will you have to move far outside the city so your dream can come true your just going to have a far commute.

pdxtraveler · #**348** Posted **Sep 6, 2013, 4:32 PM**

I also don't believe that a majority of the works at Intel and also Nike feel that way. The main reason Nike looked at the Zidell land was because a large number of workers PREFER the new urban lifestyle, less driving, walkable neighborhoods. None of which you get with large lots. Unfortunately Nike predictably decided to do their tried and true hide behind a berm planning style.

Nunya · #**349** Posted **Sep 6, 2013, 4:57 PM**

I don't have direct knowledge but my understanding from some people pretty close to these projects are that the leasing has been above expectations. I don't think anyone can say if that is people settling for something they don't want or if it really is what the market is disctating except on an ancedotal case by case basis. Really it doesn't matter as these type of projects are what will be built based upon the required densities and the urban growth boundaries.

Its very hard for many people to have the self introspection to see the nimbyism in many of their arguements. They want a large lot and a larger house, but they also want the benefit of everyone else living in smaller houses in smaller lots so they don't have to pay for the impact in cost and lifestyle that the unbridled sprawl would generate. You either get increased density or sprawl, ain't no three sided coins. There are still lots of large lot older homes in Hillsboro available but the policy decisions of the region mean you will increasinly pay a premium for them.

gtguy · #**350** Posted **Sep 7, 2013, 5:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JG573

That is your choice but I do not understand your logic that developers are some how going to find the room for this in hillsboro where demand is high and there is a urban growth boundary. The same free will you have to choose a huge lot is the same free will you have to move far outside the city so your dream can come true your just going to have a far commute.

Well, somehow developers made it work before ~1995, so I'm sure they could make it work again. I myself plan on buying an older house on the other side of 26/217 just because of the larger lot sizes that come with them. About lawn maintenance, you're right, I am not going to spend my free time keeping up a yard; I fully admit that I will hire a lawn service, but it will be worth it to have privacy and a place for my future family to stretch out and host gatherings.

At the very least, developers should build more of the newer craftsman houses between Ronler Acres and Orenco Station. I challenge you to find one of those that are not sold within a week of being put up for sale. As it stands, there is extremely limited housing for professionals because it's all poor-quality townhomes or dreadful single family monstrosities going up in the area. For example, these houses are way too large for their lots and look like they'll blow over in a storm a few years from now https://www.google.com/maps?q=Arbor+...,211.97,,0,8.5 . I can only speculate as to why these things continue to sell...

Oh, and just because the housing is denser doesn't mean anything is more walkable. The westside in particular has the sparsest concentration of commercial centers I have ever seen in my life, and I used to live in Atlanta...

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdxtraveler

I also don't believe that a majority of the works at Intel and also Nike feel that way. The main reason Nike looked at the Zidell land was because a large number of workers PREFER the new urban lifestyle, less driving, walkable neighborhoods. None of which you get with large lots. Unfortunately Nike predictably decided to do their tried and true hide behind a berm planning style.

Don't know what the medium salary/age of Nike employees are, but my group at Intel (sample size 20, median age 35, median salary over $100k) *nobody* lives near work except for me, so it seems that the current housing options do not appeal to groups that skew professional.