Remaining Peterkort property to be annexed into Beaverton

Click map to view Beaverton's Annexation history map (very large PDF file)

The Peterkort family property in Cedar Mill stretches from just west of St. Vincent's Hospital, along both sides of Barnes Road to just past Cedar Hills Blvd. Originally agricultural, the family found their land under increasing pressure to urbanize as Highways 26 and 217 crossed nearby and the area's population grew. They still have holly plantations and flower greenhouses on some of the property, but the master plan, submitted to Washington County in 2004, calls for fairly dense urban development of all of their properties here.

Beaverton began an aggressive annexation program between the late '90s and the early part of the past decade that included annexing the roads in the area. The area surrounding the Sunset Transit Center was annexed in 1997. The adjacent portion of the Sunset Highway (26), Barnes Road and Cedar Hills Blvd. were annexed in 2001, and Beaverton performed an island annexation on the land on three sides of the intersection of Barnes and Cedar Hills Blvd., including the Peterkort Towne Square, in 2005.

At that time, the Peterkort family reportedly saw the Beaverton annexation as somewhat hostile, and initiated a lawsuit to stop it. It is widely assumed that they eventually dropped the suit when Beaverton agreed to omit these three properties from the annexation.

Beaverton has taken a much more business-friendly attitude in recent years, and the family and its agents have been working with them over the last couple of years to bring the remaining properties into the city.

Scott Eaton, an independent developer, has been working with J. Peterkort & Co. to move its projects forward. He says that having the whole property controlled by a single government will make it much easier.

"Our intent is to finish the entitlement process and then test the market for interest. We are responding to queries, but it will be some time before we have real deals to discuss on the development front," Eaton says. The city must assign Beaverton zoning to the parcels that are a reasonable equivalent to the county's zoning. "The city has been very responsive and patient with our requests. The process has taken a while, but that was largely due to our desire to understand everything very thoroughly."

The adjusted Master Plan for the entire property will need to be submitted to Beaverton after the annexation and zoning issues are sorted out. The Peterkort website includes an interactive map of their plans for the property (peterkort.com) with details of parcel size and planned development.

Two of the subject parcels will be part of the Valeria View Centre which is currently listed as mixed high-density office, residential and commercial buildings.

The remaining parcel is part of the Deveraux Glen Apartment Complex, with most of the land already developed and the apartments occupied. Steven Sparks, principal planner in the city's Community Development Department, notes that, "The apartment residents do not get to vote on the annexation. The annexation petitioners: 1) represent more than 50% of the affected land owners (they are 100% of the land owners); 2) own more than 50% of the land (they own 100%); and 3) control more than 50% of the assessed value of the land (again, they control 100%). The annexation is known as a triple majority consent annexation. Nevertheless, because there are residents on one parcel and presumably there are electors who reside on that parcel, a public hearing on the annexation is taking place."

The hearing on the annexation will be part of the regular February 8 Beaverton City Council meeting which starts at 6:30 pm. Beaverton posts agendas for City Council meetings on its website a few days before the meetings (beavertonoregon.gov). Aside from those who developed strong feelings against Beaverton's previous annexation campaigns, no opposition is expected.

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