Back to the Woods
There's a fascinating story in this morning's O about a dynamic, creative, innovative new real estate development being planned for the Tek Woods property, out by the Nike compound in Beaverton. This one is really going to put the West Side on the map. Stunningly beautiful, culturally sensitive, ready to rake in the awards. Unlike the unimaginative sort of Pearl District developer, who can think of nothing but building a condo tower, this builder has a far greater vision:
Six condo towers! Woo hoo! And those Tek "Woods"? Hey, he says he's going to leave a full 20 percent of the trees standing! How thoughtful.
Is Randy Gragg at Harvard yet? We need him more now than ever to tell us about the "beautiful six-story, digitally fabricated, zinc-clad" wonder of it all. Move over, Portland Architecture! Here comes Washington County!
The streetcar and aerial tram can't be far behind. Taxpayers of Beaverton, congratulations!
| Posted at 4:40 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (7)
I find myself *very* glad we haven't been annexed by Beaverton yet...
Posted by Shelley | July 13, 2005 5:47 PM
Warning! warning! warning!
Well, first, Jack, you must have been wired to my brain as I almost wrote about this same thing this morning. But with the added warning.
From the story,
---"The city wants dense development with a lot of dwellings because of the site's proximity to MAX light-rail"---
Warning!
This could be, or most certainly is, a TOD (Transit Oriented Development) on cue for public subsidies. Look for tax abatements, Metro money from their TOD program, waved system development fees, low interest loans, or other tax dollars for private development.
AND no consideration for any genuine planning. Like traffic or other considerations.
The Round in Beaverton or South Waterfront pick your model.
In fact let's ask the journalist.
davidanderson@news.oregonian.com
David, where is the rest of the story?
as I send him this post,,,
Posted by steve schopp | July 13, 2005 10:59 PM
Also,
I here many people are opposed to the Cedar Mill Walmart because of traffic concerns.
Does this six towers of condos crammed in where none were before bother anyone concerned about Walmart Traffic?
Posted by steve schopp | July 13, 2005 11:02 PM
Unlike many of your readers, Prof. Bogdanski, I am a young'un and a Beaverton taxpayer, and I say it's about dern time we build up instead of out. I have attended meetings (yes, we suburbanites have civic organization) where the Community Action Housing project has proposed increased Section 8 housing around these whereabouts.
I hate to harp on the word curmudgeon on your turf, but I think you'd like it out here in Beaverton, where you seldom hear the word 'livability' from the council folk.
Posted by Tom Powers | July 13, 2005 11:30 PM
I hope you enjoy the condos. Your property taxes (or your landlord's, which he or she passes on to you) will probably wind up paying for a good bit of the cost of building them, and the infrastructure that goes with them.
And take good note of how "affordable" they say they'll be... now. Then compare what they actually cost to buy after they're built.
If it's all built with private money, fair and square, and it's what the middle class folk want, fine. But that is clearly not what has happened in Portland, and I suspect you folks are next.
And FWIW they'll likely be poorly built and way ugly.
Posted by Jack Bog | July 14, 2005 1:22 AM
Good greif there is a commentary in Washington County Weekly in todays O declaring the Round in Beaverton a "promising development".
It is truly amazing how nothing succeeds like failure in Oregon.
I'm not even going into the many reasons why the Round is a total flop. Expect that the loser, Light Rail oriented, heavily tax spending, poorly planned, morphing development is now adding a 7 story parking structure making it the tallest in Beaverton. Wow how promising!
Our light rail has enabled city officials and planners to completely abandon all consideration for traffic, other detriments of overcrowding and any contraints on spending for "economical development".
If it's next to rail it must be good.
Posted by steve schopp | July 14, 2005 8:32 AM
The most recent chapter at the Round has the City paying $400,000 yearly over the next 20 years (8 million)for the Round's climate control system which was part of the Enron liquidation. The City was forced to buy it to keep it running for the development.
Thank you very much Mr. City planners.
That same commentary today suggested the unicorporated areas should be annexed to allow better planning like the Round.
We live in area of people who I can't label because I would get banned from blogging.
Posted by steve schopp | July 14, 2005 9:08 AM