Projects on track for coming months

For years, much of the space in and around The Round at Beaverton Central has remained pretty much the same.

Roughly the same handful of retail tenants occupy the complex's ground floor. There's the same half-finished plaza and un-landscaped parking lots and the same vacant, 4-acre wasteland of the former Westgate Theater property. And the same street, Rose Biggi Way, heads north from Canyon Road only to peter out at a Jersey barrier just before Beaverton Creek.

Funny what ownership changes, refocused goals and a $1 million federal grant can do.

A handful of developing projects in or almost in play will gradually transform the look, feel and function of the largely stagnant urban space.

The completion of The Round's parking, landscaping and plaza; extension of Rose Biggi Way; and crystallization of the Creekside District Master Plan, funded in part by a $1 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, are all working toward goals outlined in the city's comprehensive 2011 Civic Plan.

n The Rose Biggi extension project, which will connect the thoroughfare with Hall Boulevard on the north side of Beaverton Creek, is set to begin soon and be completed later this fall.

n ScanlanKemperBard Companies, which purchased several properties at The Round, 12725 S.W. Millikan Way, earlier this year, is working with the city of Beaverton on plans to improve infrastructure, parking and landscaping at the newly acquired parcels. Construction could begin as early as this summer, according to city officials.

n City planners are now sorting through a handful of consultant proposals submitted in early June for the Beaverton Creekside District Master Plan.

Three-year plan

The HUD Sustainable Communities Challenge Grant fuels the latter plan, which will include a mix of affordable housing, efficient transportation and sustainable infrastructure components. The 24-acre area is bordered by Cedar Hills and Hall boulevards near the confluence of Beaverton, Hall and Wessenger creeks.

The $1 million grant was added to existing cash and in-kind contributions for a total around $2.5 million, said Community Development Director Don Mazziotti.

Laura Kelly, senior planner with the city's Community and Economic Development Department, said the Creekside Plan encapsulates key aspects identified in the Civic Plan, formulated from the community-fueled Visioning process.

"This project takes some of the larger pieces, some of the most critical strategies, and incorporates them into one planning project designed to catalyze development around the Beaverton Central (transit) station and The Round," she said.

Once a consultant is selected, the plan - with input from the public and city leaders - will be developed with an eye for adoption within three years.

"Whoever wins the (proposal request process) will be working with the city and various stakeholders to help us create a plan for the district," Kelly said. "By early 2015, we expect to have a plan adopted.

"The grant does not fund the construction projects," she explained. "What we're doing is bringing in the known projects in the area as far down the line as possible through this grant opportunity."

City by a stream

The overall vision, as outlined in Civic Plan documents, involves a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood incorporating the natural amenities of a restored creek bed and stream system.

Retail shops, restaurants and cafes would be supported by local residents - many living in affordable housing units - as well as transients using the MAX light-rail station adjacent to The Round.

The vacant Westgate lot would likely be part of the redevelopment, with the city-owned Central Plant supplying heating, cooling and hot water services to tenants.

Located in the South Office Building, which the city purchased earlier this year, the Central Plant now operates at a third of its capacity.

With a consultant in place, public input on the Creekside District Master Plan could commence as early as this fall.

"We'll start vetting ideas and distributing information about the district," Kelly said. "Throughout the planning process we'll be refining those ideas and working with the stakeholders."

Senior Planner Robert McCracken said elements from the completed plan would likely be used to apply for grants to the U.S. Department of Transportation and other entities to offset planning and implementation costs.

"At the beginning of 2015, we'll have a very detailed set of pre-engineering solutions, including an understanding of what will happen with the creek," he said. "The creek (restoration) plan is the most complicated and will take the longest."

Kelly said the district exemplifies a concentrated study in cutting-edge urban-design concepts.

"It's going to be a big project. It's a small project area, but a lot of big ideas here have the potential to really catalyze this area - this district and the rest of downtown Beaverton."