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Development News

• Life Time Fitness plans get a revision and a second hearing
  
• Milltowner update
  
• Lot opposite Bonny Slope School for sale
  
• Kirkland Place hotel and retail at Timberland
  
• Beaverton approves “Cedar Grove” affordable housing
  
• Somerset Park Improvements
  
• 20-lot housing development proposed for Laidlaw in Bonny Slope West

Life Time Fitness plans get a revision and a second hearing

Beaverton Planning Commission second hearing Wednesday, June 12, 6:30 pm, Beaverton City Council Chambers, 12725 SW Millikan Way

Life Time Fitness is proposing a large fitness center at the southwest corner of Cedar Hills Bl. and Barnes Rd. The land was annexed into Beaverton in 2005 when Peterkort Co. was developing its Planned Unit Development encompassing all their properties from the Transit Center to this corner. Beaverton views the ultimate buildout of the PUD as a dense urban development.

The proposed Life Time Fitness building from the corner of Cedar Hills & Barnes, showing the entrance to the shared work space.

The first hearing was on May 15. Dozens of responses were received during the hearing and afterwards, with some welcoming the facility, but many opposing it for various reasons, including traffic concerns, the high proposed cost of membership (around $200/month), and the height of the buildings. Beaverton would have had to grant a major exception to its height limit. (Comments can be read if you download the packet from Beaverton's site.)

A letter from the applicant’s representative, dated May 29, says, “In response to that feedback, Life Time has reduced the scope of the proposal by eliminating the tennis facility and relocating the Life Time Work facility. The modified proposal complies with the 60-foot height standard and eliminates the need for a height adjustment. As well, the modified proposal promotes a comfortable pedestrian environment at the corner of SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Barnes Road. The changes to the project include:

• eliminating the 10 indoor tennis courts from the parking garage building;
• relocating Life Time Work (office use) from the top floor of the fitness facility to the top floor of the parking garage building;
• relocating the ground floor entrance to the Life Time Work facility to interact with the plaza at the intersection of SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Barnes Road; and
• increasing the area of Life Time Work from 31,170 square feet to 45,000 square feet.”

“Beaverton Business Owners LLC” hired Michael Connors of the Hathaway Larson law firm to oppose the development. Many local residents received a postcard mailer urging them to do the same, but the mailer didn’t identify who sent it. The company is registered in Delaware. It’s not clear who its members are, however an email I received in late April only cited “a client.” They hired Kittelson & Associates, a traffic engineering firm, to contest the developers’ traffic reports. Their letters and responses are included in the “Staff memorandum dated June 5”on the Beaverton development website.

Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is concerned about the impact the development would have on traffic using the high-speed offramp from Highway 217 onto Barnes Road, among other issues. They responded to the revised application with these requests:

• Pay ODOT $276,797.50 as a contribution towards a variable message sign/variable speed sign to be installed by ODOT on OR 217 northbound between SW Walker Rd and the Barnes Road off-ramp.
• Pay Washington County $553,595 as a contribution toward the future construction of a bike/pedestrian pathway undercrossing at the westbound on-ramp to Highway 26, or construct the improvements as directed by ODOT and the County Engineer. This under-crossing was also part of the required improvements back when Walmart was proposed for the site.

Among other road improvements that will be included if the development goes forward, Barnes Road will be widened to five lanes from Cedar Hills to 117th.

Milltowner update

Redevelopment of the shopping center at Cornell and Saltzman is stalled awaiting final approval of their grading permit. The back wall of the former building functions as a retaining wall so it can’t be demolished until the permit is signed off by Washington County. Land Use and Transportation is backlogged because of staff departures and vacations. We hope they get that final signature soon so they can get back on track!

Lot opposite Bonny Slope School for sale

A nearly one-acre lot on McDaniel, just opposite Bonny Slope Elementary, is for sale. It’s zoned Neighborhood Commercial (NC), which allows for a variety of uses including housing, provided that the ground floor is used for NC uses. These can include grocery, daycare, restaurant, financial, personal service, professional office, and several other types of businesses.

The County code says this zone is “intended to provide for the shopping and service needs of the immediate urban neighborhood. Neighborhood Commercial locations should be easily accessible by car and foot from neighborhoods in the area. Centers should have minimal negative impact on surrounding residential properties.”

Owner Jaime Lim bought the property in 2004, and intended to carry out the development. Now, he says, he just doesn’t have the time to invest in the project. (He’s also the publisher of The Asian Reporter.) He had the general concept designs drawn up, and is willing to sell them along with the property if the buyer wants.

Any developer will be required to construct a half-street improvement on McDaniel that would include sidewalks. The concept design includes 60 parking spaces, 12,000 square feet of commercial space and 15 apartments.

The advertised price is $895,000. Lim can be contacted at jaimelim2010@gmail.com.

Kirkland Place hotel and retail at Timberland

An updated layout for the Kirkland development will be available prior to the meeting.

Kirkland Development proposes to construct a hotel, two retail buildings with associated parking, and site improvements, on an approximately 2.89-acre site at the corner of SW Barnes and 118th. This is the last remaining undeveloped segment of the Timberland commercial area.

A Neighborhood Meeting was held in October 2018, where the developers presented this preliminary site plan. Neighbors who attended were concerned about freight/delivery traffic on the side near the apartments.

Planning Commission hearing

Wednesday, July 10, 6:30 pm, Beaverton City Council Chambers, 12725 SW Millikan Way

The application will be considered at a Beaverton Planning Commission meeting in July. Full documentation, including revised site plans, will be available on the Beaverton Proposed Development site prior to the hearing.

Beaverton approves “Cedar Grove” affordable housing

A Beaverton Planning Commission hearing was held on May 29 to consider the proposal to build a four-story affordable housing facility at the southeast corner of Cornell and Murray.

The full design proposal is at the Cedar Mill Library. Ask at the reference desk for the location.

Somerset Park Improvements

Washington County has approved an application from Tualatin Hills Park & Rec District to begin proposed improvementsto this park in the Somerset/Rock Creek area of unincorporated Washington County. These will include “daylighting” a tributary of Rock Creek that has been running through Clean Water Services stormwater pipes.

Portland General Electric (PGE) crews are removing cottonwood trees in Somerset West Park along NW 185th Ave due to their costly and difficult maintenance and as part of the park's redevelopment. Additional improvements will be made to this area to reduce flooding during high waters. THPRD will replant the area with trees and native plants during the park's redevelopment, expected to start in late 2020. PGE will remove trees in two phases: phase 1 during late May and phase 2 after July 4, (exact dates will be announced as tree removal nears). Signs will be posted to alert visitors about the closure of this area during tree removal.

20-lot housing development proposed for Laidlaw in Bonny Slope West

Comment period closes June 19

A Development Application has been accepted by Washington County for “Bonny Heights,” a residential subdivision consisting of 20 lots for single-family detached homes. The current addresses for the lots are 11717 & 11735 NW Laidlaw. The lots would range in size from 4,239 to 6,071 square feet (Lot 20). The average lot size is approximately 4,725 square feet. The area is zoned R-6 (6 lots per acre).

A tract of approximately 0.51 acres is to be preserved as open space that will be privately owned, unless it is dedicated to Clean Water Services or the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District. The design for the site includes a half-street improvement of NW Laidlaw Road along the site frontage, and three interior public streets.

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