Oak Hills

Mar 04 2018

Homing in on Beaverton now – 5 ways you may still be underestimating this west side ‘burb

Suburbs often get a bum rap. Especially in the Portland Metro area, the usual stereotypes – sleepy, homogeneous, isolating, and stodgy – may not hold up. Take Beaverton, for example. Granted, it’s an incorporated city and has been since 1893. But in the Metro context, it’s a de facto suburb of Portland. Here are 5 ways this west side community defies stereotypes.

Want to see Beaverton homes for sale? Click here for 3BR+/2BA+ priced $500K and up

1. It’s not a “bedroom” community

With a population of about 97,000, Beaverton is home to one of 3 Fortune 500 companies based in Oregon. An engine of growth and creativity, Nike draws people to its corporate campus from around the Metro area, the country, and the world. Just a stone’s throw away, Tektronix is also a top local employer. So Beaverton is a place where Metro residents sleep and work. There’s plenty of life in the city throughout the day.

2. It’s not WASP-ville

In ranking Beaverton #12 on its 2017 list of the top 100 places to live in America, Money cautioned readers not to think of it “as just another cookie-cutter suburb.” The magazine cited its lively restaurant scene and one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the Portland area. (The two are probably linked.)

People of color account for 51.3 percent of Beaverton School District’s population and constitute the majority in a Census tract surrounding the Terpenning Recreation Complex on Walker Road.

Want to see Beaverton homes for sale? Click here for 3BR+/2BA+ priced $500K and up

The whole lifestyle in Menlo West (97005)

3. It supports public spaces…and community

Historically, suburbs have been seen as green havens from crowded cities. Big houses on big lots are private parks of a kind. But Beaverton is just as committed to preserving public green spaces as its much bigger neighbor to the east. It has 30 miles of hiking trails, a 25-mile network of bike paths, and 100 parks covering 1000 acres or one within a half mile of every home. The city partners with the Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District to offer classes and activities in 8 swim centers, 6 recreation centers and green spaces.

In summertime, for example, families congregate in City Park. Its fountains cool off kids, the adjoining parking lot is home to a farmer’s market, and the gracious City Library is just across the street.

Mugo pines – Rummer admired Japanese landscape design

3. Its real estate market is among the hottest in the Metro area

There’s nothing sleepy about Beaverton’s housing market. It looms large in the “hottest ‘hoods” rankings compiled by Portland Business Journal. Metro area zip codes are tracked against three criteria: 1) volume of home sales, 2) speed of sales and 3) average sale price. The three measures are then weighted equally to determine the hottest overall.

Want to see Beaverton homes for sale? Click here for 3BR+/2BA+ priced $500K and up.

At $436,400 in January of this year, the average Metro sale price is almost 19 percent higher than Beaverton’s, which stood at $367,600. While keeping it out of the top ranks for that measure, the city’s affordability attracts buyers. So it’s well-represented across 3 of 4 categories for 2017.

Volume of sales	Speed of sales	Average sale price	Hottest overall
#3 – 97007 #9 – 97006	#1 – 97006 #3 – 97003 #5 – 97005 #25 – 97007	N/A	#8 – 97007 #11 – 97006 #21 – 97008 #27 – 97003 #39 – 97005

Beaverton also stands out among the “most in demand” neighborhoods tracked by OregonLive. The number of homes for sale at the end of December are compared to how many sold during the last quarter of the year. Zip codes within or crossing the city’s boundaries claimed 5 of 15 top spots in 2017.

#1 – 97008
#5 – 97005
#7 – 97006
#9 – 97007
#10 – 97003

Some backyard! Taliesen Park flanks the Rummer enclave in Hyland Hills

5. It has a large share of the Metro area’s edgy Rummer homes

Though some neighborhoods have a uniform look and feel, there’s a lot of variety in Beaverton’s housing stock, especially in the city center (97005). And it’s home to many examples of an experiment with affordable Mid-Century Modern design that has stood the test of time. Named after the local developer whose wife admired California Eichlers and encouraged him to build spin-offs in Portland, Rummers are distinguished by:

Exposed vertical posts supporting exposed horizontal beams
In turn, sturdy post and beam construction supports an asymmetrical mix of flat and pitched roofs, vaulted ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows – with little help from interior walls
Open plan layouts oriented to atriums and the backyard
“Buttoned-up” facades that have no picture windows or porches
Clean lines and minimal orientation

Vista Brook (SW 84^th to SW 87^th off Garden Home Rd in 97223) is said to have the most Rummers of any neighborhood in the Metro area. But with 4 Rummer enclaves, Beaverton may have more of these homes than Portland.

Oak Hills neighborhood just north of Highway 26 (97006)
Denney-Whitford just east of Highway 217 along SW 105^th (97008)
Menlo West along SW Bonnie Brae St and Ct (97005)
Hyland Hills north of Hart Rd along SW 130^th Ave (97008)

In doing the research for this posting, I came across an anecdotal report that Nike creatives are overrepresented among Rummer homeowners today. It doesn’t surprise me. I also walked the 4^th enclave, which consists of 3 large cul-de-sacs flanked by Taliesen Park. Donated by Rummer when he built the development in 1966, its 1.5 acres are home to towering Doug Firs – quite the backyard.

It also doesn’t surprise me that Rummers – though very affordable for Modernist architecture – command a premium in the marketplace. Back at my desk, I discovered that they have sold for about 30 percent more than other homes in the Taliesen neighborhood over the past 3 years and about 5 times faster, averaging just 6 days on the market (DOM).

All in all, Beaverton is a pretty good place to call home.

Want to see Beaverton homes for sale? Click here for 3BR+/2BA+ priced $500K and up

Sep 20 2017

The clincher – hubbub around last blog post shows power of Oak Hills spirit, which spans neighborhood and generational boundaries

Wow! My last blog post about the new recreation center in Oak Hills broke all records. Here are the numbers:

Unique views of the post to date: 1,492
Views in a single day: 244
Reach of Facebook ad promoting the post: 11,618
Engagement with the ad: 57 likes, 9 comments and 11 shares
Registrations on my website to view homes for sale in the area: 12

I’d like to think it was the verve of my prose. But I have to credit the vitality of the neighborhood. Current residents probably felt a spark of pride. And past residents voiced nostalgia for their old homes and neighbors.

One member of a select group (fiercely loyal 2^nd generation residents) corrected me on the western boundary of the neighborhood. I still haven’t been able to find a definitive answer to the question of whether Oak Hills as a whole – or just its historic district – ends at Bethany Blvd.

It was a kick to see the Facebook ad become a virtual meeting point for relatives and long-lost friends. Even folks with 3^rd generation ties to the neighborhood chimed in. Grandchildren of a former resident asked each other about old photos of grandpa’s house on Oakmont Loop in the early 80’s. One has vivid memories of the rocket ship on the community playground and was happy to learn that the Homeowners Association is raising funds to rebuild it.

“The rocket ship found its way into many of my dreams,” she wrote via Facebook Messenger. “It seemed to reach the sky!”

The person with the oldest direct tie to the neighborhood – extending at least as far back as 1967 by my estimate – grew up there and attended Sunset High. His parents bought the 12^th house built in Oak Hills.

Want to see 1-level homes for sale on the west side? Click here

The bravest of those who commented on the Facebook ad agreed to meet me for coffee at Ava’s Roasteria in Timberland Town Center. Ronnie Augustynovich and her husband Ron raised a family in the neighborhood for 10 years before moving to their current home in Cedar Mill in 1992. She remembers eyeing Oak Hills when she and Ron first moved to Portland from Ohio. Though she was sold on the area, most properties went for about $10K over their maximum budget. That may sound like a small hurdle. We both laughed when she explained that the average sale price in Oak Hills was just $50K at the time.

Years on when they no longer needed a bargain, they happened to find one with the right layout – a foreclosure on Perimeter Dr with 5 bedrooms and an office on one level.

“It had purple shag carpeting and was a mess,” she remembers.

Ron promised Ronnie that it could be renovated into their dream home. And that’s what happened. In fact, he now says it was a mistake to leave since their current 2-story has no master on the main.

Want to see 1-level homes for sale on the west side? Click here

The rec center and youth swim team proved to be the family’s best entry point to Oak Hills. Ronnie remembers competitions in Toledo (OR), Junction City and at the Sunset Athletic Club. She cheered tirelessly for her son and daughter and their teammates from the sidelines.

See yourself or someone you know in this photo from the 80’s? If so, comment!

But Ronnie has always been much more than a spectator in life. A crackerjack secretary with a typing speed of 120 words per minute and shorthand of 80 words per minute, she worked for many years in Beaverton School District at Ridgewood Elementary and Meadow Park Middle School. She also found time to coach a girls’ soccer team in Oak Hills. Believe it or not, one of her players – now grown up and with a toddler in tow – visited Ava’s during our interview.

Back then the pool was 40 yds and had 4 lanes

Ronnie also served on the Board of the Homeowners Association. Asked about the issues of her day, she mentions speeding cars. The Board responded with a homespun public safety campaign in the Oracle, the newsletter that still serves the neighborhood.

With so many happy memories of the rec center, Ronnie was concerned about talk of getting rid of the pool toward the end the family’s time in Oak Hills. She and Ron visit the neighborhood now and then to walk their dogs and are impressed by the rebuild.

“It’s still a great place to live and raise kids,” she says.

Want to see 1-level homes for sale on the west side? Click here

Aug 06 2017

You can live well in close-knit, can-do Oak Hills – and own a piece of its new $4.3 million recreation center

How many Metro area neighborhoods can fund, build, own and operate a $4.3 million recreation center? I know of just one – Beaverton’s Oak Hills. On June 24 its Homeowners Association opened the gates to a rebuilt complex with a 5-lane swimming pool, kiddie pool, gym, locker room, meeting room, kitchen, playground and administrative office.

Though unusual, the achievement is of a piece with the neighborhood’s history. At its founding in 1965, Oak Hills was billed as “Oregon’s most complete family community.” Along with the rec center, its 240 acres are home to:

A highly rated elementary school
A church that also runs a preschool program
A 33-acre greenway with soccer fields, baseball diamond, walk/bike paths and open spaces
627 detached homes, 29 of which are historic Rummers, Portland’s contribution to Mid-Century Modern architecture
4 townhouse clusters
An RV parking space screened by mature trees and shrubs
A community garden for growing fruits and vegetables

Want to see homes currently for sale or pending in Oak Hills? Click here

An early example of master planning, the development served as a model when Washington County developed its land use regulations. And no wonder. As planners and architects know, built environments have a big impact on attitudes and behavior. When neighbors have lots of opportunities to rub shoulders in their daily routines, community spirit grows.

Two achievements in frame – historic designation and the new rec center

By 2011, the slogan “This place matters” had become a rallying cry for Oak Hills. The County planned to widen Bethany Rd, which runs right through the middle of the neighborhood. In part to block the plan, residents took on the challenging task of applying for historic designation, including winning HOA approval by a wide margin in May 2012. Though the County eventually proceeded with the road project, in July 2013 Oak Hills became – at age 48 – the youngest community in Oregon and one of the youngest in the country to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The road to rebuilding the rec center proved even longer and steeper. Efforts to improve the original complex started as far back as 1992, but failed to garner the two-thirds approval needed in a vote by the HOA. By 2014, the center had reached a crossroads. Key systems were at or near the end of their useful lifespans. Any repair involving a county permit would have triggered a cascade of costly code requirements and closure of the facility until all were met.

Though the issue had taken on new urgency, skepticism about finding an affordable yet high-value solution was unchanged.

“Community members were not about to write a blank check,” comments David Boyd, Vice President of the HOA Board and a 19-year resident of Oak Hills.

Want to see homes currently for sale or pending in Oak Hills? Click here

In particular, they balked at paying hundreds of thousands of dollars up front for a detailed design they might not like or that could prove too costly to build.

Meeting room roof lines have an Asian feel

“We didn’t take the traditional design-bid-build route,” Boyd explains.

Instead the Board thoughtfully phased research, consultation, planning, decision making and investment. Step by step, they were able to maximize transparency, build confidence and manage risk.

Early on they approached bankers to estimate the cost per household of different loan scenarios and found that a modest $50 per month would cover a ceiling north of $4 million.

Inside, a full kitchen for catered events

In meetings and surveys, community members gave input on the features they wanted in a center. Their opinions shaped 3 broad conceptual designs that went through a ballpark costing exercise by a contractor. The community weighed in on the 3 options in another survey, and the Board selected the one favored by a majority. Only then was the design fleshed out in more detail, a contracting bid accepted, and a loan of $4.225 million negotiated.

With these key elements in place, the Board submitted a proposal to the community in the summer of 2015. It was approved by a vote of 82 percent. Construction began the following summer and was completed in a year. Throughout the process, Boyd and other volunteers on the building committee kept a sharp eye on project costs and made adjustments to stay within budget. Overruns came to only about 3 percent, an excellent result in the building industry.

Close-knit and can-do, Oak Hills offers good living. In fact, it’s part of the zip code (97006) that placed 9^th on a list of 15 most in-demand Metro neighborhoods published by OregonLive last week. With the rec center rebuilt and in enthusiastic use, that ranking stands to rise.

Want to see homes currently for sale or pending in Oak Hills? Click here