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Is this the next Pearl District?
A daring vision in Tanasbourne to build a high-rise community of 10,000 people could make the suburbs the new urban jungle
Thursday, November 16, 2006
ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ
The Oregonian
HILLSBORO -- Imagine: New York City in Hillsboro.
Or a scaled-down version of Central Park and all the sky-high buildings that surround it, at least.
Five years from now, the idea could start to become reality as the city plans to build an urban community that would attract an expected 10,000 new residents to nearly 600 acres in the Tanasbourne area. Buildings would reach 20 stories tall, and the budget could call for billions of dollars.
"This project is a wake-up call for people who don't think of us as part of the Portland metro area," Mayor Tom Hughes said. "It asks them, 'Have you thought of Hillsboro lately?' "
Known for bold moves such as Orenco Station and Intel's Ronler Acres campus, city planners want this area south of Northwest Cornell Road to be a magnet for high-income singles and two-person households seeking alternatives to Portland.
Planners and developers face a series of hurdles with the project, including its high cost, securing land rights and lining up public and private funding -- not to mention the traffic congestion that could result when developments go in.
Although it's not clear whether the real estate market will take to the idea, the time and location are ideal to build the project, officials said. The planning area consists of plenty of vacant and redevelopable lots, it's next to Beaverton, it's easily accessible for U.S. 26 commuters, and it's adjacent to Tanasbourne, one of the county's most popular hubs with its variety of stores and restaurants.
Also, in coming years 7,000 to 8,000 new employees are expected to settle in Hillsboro as companies such as Genentech and Standard Insurance build sites and Kaiser Permanente plans a new hospital a few blocks from the planned new community. And in the next 25 years, it's expected that more than 270,000 more residents will arrive in Washington County.
Planners want to expand on the success of Streets of Tanasbourne, an outdoor shopping mall that opened in 2004 along Northwest Cornell Road, to build the new community. Construction could begin as early as 2010 and be complete in 2026.
High-rises and a park
The plan, with as many as nine 20-story buildings and a series of smaller towers stacked around a 35-acre central park, would set a new urban tone in suburbia. Condos and town houses would mix with retail, office space and research centers.
The planning area is bounded by Northwest Cornell and Walker roads on the north, 185th Avenue on the east, the MAX line on the south and Northwest 206th Avenue on the west. The city owns five acres of the land on the west end.
Referred to as the OHSU/AmberGlen Area Plan, it now consists of vacant lots, green space, office buildings, research facilities for Oregon Health & Science University and education centers for Portland Community College and the state.
Planners see the new community -- built intensely dense and unusually high -- as a way to alleviate concerns about growth citywide and as a solution to the land crunch brought by the urban growth boundary. The more people who live in this area, the more relief the rest of Hillsboro will see, said Wink Brooks, the city's planning director.
"It really is unique," said Brian Campbell, a project manager with PB PlaceMaking, an international consulting company based in Washington, D.C., that is working with the city to plan the community.
Though there are a few examples nationwide of this concept, Hillsboro's community would be a first in the Portland suburbs, Campbell said. Portland's Pearl District would be the closest example, with its mix of condos and town houses built along a streetcar route that's dotted with shops and restaurants.
"Hillsboro has stepped out there," Campbell said.
Yet it's difficult to predict how suburbia would react to such a project, although Hillsboro's concept has the right ingredients and makes sense, said Matt Brown, a project manager who looks into new projects for Williams & Dame Development.
The Portland-based company was one of the primary developers of the Pearl District and has been heavily involved with projects in Portland's South Waterfront and, most recently, in Los Angeles.
Developers would need to study closely the demographics of the area, Brown said. "The $64,000 question is whether Hillsboro and the western suburbs are ready," he said. "When you think of suburbs, you don't think of that type of environment."
Brown said suburban areas are challenged because "you have to create a highly vibrant, mixed-use community out of whole cloth. You don't have the bare bones of an interesting urban area. It can be done, but it must done right."
Residents weigh in
During open houses this year about the project, residents greeted the vision with awe. Although some are troubled by the project's high density and high cost, many welcome the idea and hope it will pan out during the next 20 years.
"I think it's great," said Kevin LaBreche, who's lived northwest of the property for a decade. "They're really putting a lot of thought into how these people are going to fit in this area. . . . Things are going to change."
Bob Martin, who lives west of the planned area, said he's "cautiously enthusiastic." The Beaverton School District employee said he likes that the city is planning this far in advance but worries about the quality of the development and the traffic headaches it could generate.
"I know there's no escaping it," Martin said about growth in the area. "I'm concerned whether they can maintain the original vision to make sure it's consistent and compatible so that the last building looks like the first."
With the long timeline, some wonder whether the city and property owners can deliver. Steve Cook, a retired dentist and businessman who lives on six wooded acres inside the planning area, welcomes the proposal. He just wonders whether the market will support it.
"Somebody's gotta say, 'This is so unique that I'm willing to go out on a limb to support it,' " said Cook, who wants to preserve the tree-filled land he's owned for 30 years south of Northwest Walker Road. "In order for this thing to be pulled off, there has to be instant attraction."
Potential roadblocks
Because the idea is so new, officials say they'll have a hard time testing market forces. The fact that real estate sales have slowed in recent months does not intimidate planners, because the project won't be built for at least five years, Brooks said.
Along with the market, other challenges have given developers and property owners pause.
The city must find savvy developers -- the fewer, the better -- willing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the idea. The project also will require significant changes to the surrounding roads to accommodate traffic, which will be one of the biggest hurdles, Campbell said.
In addition, because the 582 acres have more than a half-dozen owners, the city must coordinate a vision and keep property owners from selling and dividing the land. Officials say it will be difficult to settle on a master plan if there are too many participants.
Oregon Health & Science University, which owns 300 acres at the site, is the key landholder. In coming years, the university plans to maintain a presence on about 160 acres in the center of the site where its primate center, the Neurological Sciences Institute and the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute are located.
Last month, OHSU agreed to sell its 40-acre Oregon Graduate Institute campus at the site for about $44 million. The buyer has not been disclosed. Officials are discussing whether to sell about another 70 acres of the land.
"We're not sure who we would sell it to," said chief administrative officer Steve Stadum. "We're studying whether or not it makes sense to sell."
Esmeralda Bermudez: 503-221-4388;
[email protected]
http://www.oregonlive.com/waweeklyh/...940.xml&coll=7
Plan highlights
Thursday, November 16, 2006
The Oregonian
Here is a look at key components of the OHSU/AmberGlen Area Plan. Information is provided by the city of Hillsboro.
Housing
Buildings would range from three to 20 stories tall. About nine high-rise towers would rise from the center of the site, circling a central park. Building heights would decrease as they move out from the center to blend in with Tanasbourne's existing neighborhood. (The tallest buildings in the city now are the Hillsboro Civic Center and a Tuality Community Hospital building, each six stories.)
Area would include a mix of condos and town houses. Some apartments might be offered for rent.
Housing would be mainly high-end market-value developments, with some middle-income and affordable housing.
Area would be high and medium density.
Retail
The project would expand on the success of the Streets at Tanasbourne, at Northwest Cornell Road and Stucki Avenue. A mix of new stores -- such as those specializing in home decor -- restaurants and office space would be built to the south, across Cornell Road, and flow directly out of the existing shopping hub. The collection of new stores would function as a gateway into the new community. Planners also envision a high-rise hotel at the entrance.
Like Orenco Station to the west, restaurants and shops would be built on the ground level of high-rise condos and town houses.
Shops and restaurants would be clustered on the north end of the site.
Retail might include department stores and other shops, along with gyms, pubs, music venues and a variety of office space.
Transportation
A bus, jitney -- a small bus or car -- or streetcar would travel inside the community on three routes. Passengers would be taken around the new area to destinations such as a Kaiser hospital, scheduled to open at Northwest Evergreen Parkway and Stucki Avenue in 2009; the Streets at Tanasbourne; and MAX stops.
New north-south and east-west road connections would be built and existing ones expanded.
Efforts would be made to alleviate congestion on Northwest Cornell and Walker roads, 185th Avenue and Evergreen Parkway.
Northwest Walker Road would be widened and expanded to connect to Northwest 206th Avenue.
Northwest Stucki Avenue might be extended to connect to U.S. 26.
Road connections to two MAX stations to the south, Quatama and Willow Creek, would be improved.
Sidewalks would be widened and trees, benches and lampposts added.
Parking options would continue to be explored. Structures might be built. Parks
A 35-acre park, referred to in the plan as Central Park, would anchor the new community. Every building would be built around the park.
The lake in the AmberGlen business park might be enlarged as an attraction of the central park.
Walking and bike trails might be built along the west side of Bronson Creek. Officials want to make the creek an attraction without jeopardizing the security and buffering required at nearby Oregon Health & Science University research facilities.
Also planned for the area
A Portland Community College campus will go in on the west side of Northwest 185th Avenue, near the Willow Creek light-rail station.
Beaverton elementary and secondary schools might be built. The area is within the Beaverton School District boundaries.
Civic spaces such as plazas, libraries and public buildings are recommended.
Entertainment and cultural buildings are possible.
Who is expected to live there
One- and two-person households
Two-income households
Educated work force
Significant foreign-born population
High-tech workers with higher incomes
Potential financing
Funding from developers
System development charges
Tax increment financing
Local improvement district
Tax abatement
Funding from Metro, the regional government agency
Metro regional parks bond
State funding
Federal funding
Current major property owners in the area
Oregon Health & Science University
Principal Financial Group
SKB
Oregon University System
GSL
-- Esmeralda Bermudez
