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

[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]

Originally Posted by JoshYent

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]

Originally Posted by Drmyeyes

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]

Originally Posted by Drew-Ski

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

[zilfondel]

Originally Posted by JoshYent

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:

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by JoshYent

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.

[MarkDaMan]

Sustainability pitch gives The Round a leasing edge
Nearby power plant provides a cheap energy advantage
Portland Business Journal - April 6, 2007by Wendy CulverwellBusiness Journal staff writer

Lonnie Dicus figures he can sell users on the benefits of Beaverton's unique heating and cooling plant in about 20 minutes.

For 7 cents a square foot a month -- $70 for a 1,000-square-foot condominium -- residents at The Round can heat and cool their homes as they please. They'll never have to change a furnace filter, never have to call the air conditioning guy to make repairs.

Beaverton's Central Plant provides heating and cooling to nearly 70 condominiums, plus about 300,000 square feet of commercial space -- a small fraction of its potential. Now, Beaverton wants to use Central Plant's untapped potential as the centerpiece for a new round of sustainable development in its emerging urban core at The Round.

The big pieces already are in place: The Round mixes a light-rail station with housing, offices, a health club, restaurants and open space. All tap into the heating and cooling system known simply as Beaverton's Central Plant. Beaverton built the plant in concert with Portland General Electric Co. about eight years ago. The city later bought the plant from PGE and its then-parent Enron Corp.

Sustainability is a new message, Dicus said. But it's one he hopes will resonate with the developers who will complete The Round and advance on the next phase of redevelopment.

"I don't know to date that Beaverton has been really focused on sustainable development," said Dicus, who is the city's business services and plant manager.

Construction at The Round will wrap up within about two years and the city is looking ahead to the next stage. To that end, it teamed with Metro about 18 months ago to buy the 4.5-acre Westgate Theater property, which borders The Round to the west.

Dicus wants Central Plant to heat and cool whatever is built there, and believes developers and owners will see the benefits of a high-efficiency system with guaranteed prices.

"To a commercial user, it's huge," Dicus said.

The plant was sized to serve more than 2 million square feet -- three or four times the amount of space being developed at The Round, Dicus said.

Beaverton wants the Westgate property developed on the same scale as The Round -- with a mix of housing and commercial space. But this time, it is actively promoting the area for sustainable projects, which Dicus said it really hasn't stressed in the past.

The city got the ball rolling this week with the debut of an expansive and interactive Web site created for Beaverton by Real Living Solutions. The Vancouver, British Columbia, company is also working on the sustainability program for the 2010 Winter Olympics, which is of course being hosted by British Columbia.

The site it created for Beaverton mixed information with updates and lots of opportunities for the public and prospective builders to weigh in and influence how development proceeds.

The new initiative comes as Beaverton gains recognition for Central Plant.

The plant was recently identified as one of the 50 most innovative projects in the United States by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The award cites Beaverton for integrating energy conservation and economic development in a new approach to urban redevelopment. Beaverton is one of four Oregon honorees -- the others include a Clackamas program to engage residents in unincorporated areas in civic areas, a Eugene program to acquire land for affordable housing and a state sustainability initiative.

wculverwell@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3415


http://portland.bizjournals.com/port...ml?t=printable

[65MAX]

Great information about Central Plant. I didn't know that about The Round. And it's also great to hear that they want to develop the Westgate property next door to the same scale as The Round. There's hope for Beaverton after all. A ton of underutilized sites in the area just primed for mid- (and dare I say high-) rise development.

[MarkDaMan]

^I think Tigard is in a better position to erect some high rises with their new commuter rail. Their council seems a bit more urban minded.

[65MAX]

True, Tigard already has 12 story towers next to Washington Square, so it'd be an easy sell to add some towers to their downtown area as well. But Beaverton should be making that leap too.

[MarkDaMan]

should be, but gotta get rid of that mayor first. He seems to think he can keep Beaverton a small little hamlet, while turning his back to the massive potential, as well as all the current failures of his city...

[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/...700.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?...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.