Putting The "Urban" in Suburban

An article in this morning's Oregonian by David Anderson reported that DeCal Custom Homes of St. Helens (who?) hopes to build six condominium towers in Beaverton across from the Nike campus.

In what is now called the Tek woods, nearly 10 acres along Murray Boulevard, the glass-festooned towers would be designed by Myhre Group Architects of Portland. The firm is probably best known for the Mosaic Condominiums downtown, behind Museum Place on 10th Avenue. But it's my understanding that Myhre was really more the architect of record on that project, with the Canadian developer also relying on another architect for much of the aesthetics. But Myhre Group does have an array of multifamily and mixed-use projects in their portfolio (including a new housing project on Southeast Belmont called The Andria set to open soon), as well as lots of hospitality and resort projects. It seems to me this project, particularly in light of how thin and glassy the architecture seems to be, would represent a real step forward for this firm.

Although the Beaverton project is not yet a done deal, it seems to me that it would be an ideal transit-oriented development that might keep some of the thousands of tech industry workers off Highway 26 by creating a livable community on the doorstep of their jobs. It's true that some tall trees would have to be felled to make this project happen, and that is always a shame. But if that's the price of progress, so be it.

For all the talk of centralized Portland districts like the Pearl and South Waterfront, or even outer-suburban projects like Orenco Station or Villebois, the future of high-density development is arguably in established suburbs like Beaverton, Tigard and Gresham. Density is so low out there, and yet traffic is terrible. We can't pat ourselves on the back about MAX and other mass transit projects until they generate higher-density housing projects along certain key clusters of the light rail line. It's not to say there is no room for single-family housing in the suburbs any more. Far from it -- that will always be the norm. But as the Metro 2040 Plan stipulates, the only way to handle the region's ever-increasing population without sprawl is to build up, not out, in certain important clusters.

There is still a lot to be determined about this project, such as its sustainable features, a more detailed sense of materials and how they're put together, and so on. But I think at first glance this project looks pretty nice, especially for Beaverton, where cookie cutter faux-historicism dominates single family home design. What do the rest of you think of this project based on the look of the rendering and the background logistics of getting it done?

Comments

[anonymous]

its about time developers started to think like this but will it really be "urban" enough to be successful? the density is great but this seems to lack any "neighborhood" like qualities that would make this a decent place for living. then again it beats hands down the existing urban conditions. so i guess you could call it a step in the right direction even if it is a baby step.

[Kent]

Looks like an attractive project. I'm sure it will fill up fast if the units are nicely designed.

I frankly think the bigger problem in the suburbs is the lack of a traditional grid to disperse traffic. Too many cul-de-sacs and too few arterials. My wife is from Santiago Chile and we spend time there every year visiting her parents who live in an upscale suburban area that is a mix of high-rise and single family homes. Looks rather similar to parts of Vancouver. I've noticed that traffic is not nearly as bad as suburban Portland or Seattle despite having 4-times the population and I think it has to do with the street grid and the fact that every street has nice sidewalks.

Personally I would not worry too much about the lack of urban "neighborhood qualities" as long as the hardscape is done properly (sidewalks etc.) and the zoning accommodates commerce. They'll come soon enough if the demand is there.

[Nate Silva]

Is there a retail component to this project? Particularly interesting would be some non-boutique retail like a regular grocery store.

[scott partee]

Glad to see this approach, and hope it's successful. Personally, I don't like Mosaic much other than the exterior. I toured most of the units and I felt they were over-designed (the space was completely inflexible and poorly thought out at that). The deficencies in the interior design were used as a sales point -- their angle: americans should learn to use space as designers intend instead of wanting everything to be about "them".

I don't mean any offense to anybody who lives in or likes Mosaic, but it just wasn't for me.

[Ray]

Unhappy to see all the trees go too, but the Beavercreek MAX transit stop needs this area developed. It might be advantageous for a grocery store (Haggens or Whole Oats to name two) to look at this location if its planned for.

I can't think of a grocery store within easy walking distance (<100/200 yards) to any of the MAX stop from Hillsboro to Portland. It would make sense that all the carless condo and apartment dwellers should have a grocery store somewhere near MAX on the west side.

One of the only ones I remember was closed three years ago out in Rockwood (Freddy's). Rockwood is going to see some projects come up soon with a possible university/community college angle plus housing/retail.

Ray Whitford

[Justin Wells]

No. If that's the price of GOOD architecture, then so be it.

I'm just tickled pink to see such a project going to happen in...Beaverton! It's about time they stopped acting like a suburb, and got some more density. Maybe it'll even become a city one day (ok, this isn't exactly the urban planning forum here, sorry!).

The only other funny thing about this project I noticed is those nice little square balconies. Now, if they weren't the ones who designed the Mosaic, it's nice how they at least learned something from it, no? =)

[Dave Friesen]

Considering that the multiple apartment complexes currently residing next to the Max Station are usually not at capacity, what's the point of destroying the habitat of the deer, nutria and homeless people to put in more apartments?