Murray-Cornell lots up for auction

The long-vacant lot at the southeast corner of Murray and Cornell is finally going to be offered at a public auction on May 1, 2013, 10 am, in the Public Services Building Auditorium, 155 N First Avenue in downtown Hillsboro. The minimum bid for the two parcels, about three-fourths of an acre total, is $850,000.

The property was acquired by the county’s Department of Land Use and Transportation in 2008, in conjunction with the Murray-Cornell intersection improvement project.

The purchase price of $3.04 million included the value of the land and buildings. The county had to value the property from a “no impact” status—that means they paid for the property as if the road project was not happening. They also purchased the land and building of the Humdinger hamburger stand, since it would have been seriously impacted by the road widening.

The main property started at about one acre, but a large chunk was used for the right-turn lane from Murray onto Cornell and for sidewalks and other easements. In addition, all access points (driveways) were removed from both Murray and Cornell and the only planned access into the lot will be on Joy Street. This was required to assure a smooth and safe flow of traffic at the intersection. These factors, along with reduced property values following the recession, explain the large difference between the 2008 and current price. The current assessed valuation of the two properties is about $700,000.

The former Humdinger property, west of the tattoo parlor, includes an existing billboard lease with income.

The properties are located in the Transit-Oriented Retail-Commercial zone (TORC). The Town Center ordinance calls for the property to be developed as sidewalk-level commercial, with a two-story building at the corner, allowing for the potential of office or living space on the second floor. This type of “mixed-use” development can already be seen in some of the newer buildings that have been developed along Cornell. (However, Auto Zone was allowed to create a building with no functioning second floor.)

Because of chemicals that had seeped into the ground from the previous dry-cleaning business, the state Department of Environmental Quality required a cleanup effort that stretched over the three years since the roadwork was completed. Teresa Wilson, Real Property Management Specialist in the county’s Facilities and Parks Services department, says that, “DEQ sent us the No Further Action Letter on December 4, 2012.

Beaverton annexed the roads several years ago. Depending on the location of the pipes beneath them, the city may require the property developer to annex into the city to gain access to the sewers. http://cedarmill.org/news/311/auto-zone.html.

The auction website is http://www.co.washington.or.us/support_services/facilities/property-auction.cfm. For more information, contact Teresa Wilson at 503-846-3491 or Teresa_Wilson@co.washington.or.us

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