Orenco Station
Encyclopedia
Orenco Station is a neighborhood of the city of Hillsboro, Oregon
, United States
. The planned urban town center was designed as a pedestrian friendly, high density community built in conjunction with TriMet
’s Westside light rail
. This award winning development for urban planning was built on land formerly occupied by the Oregon Nursery Company
that had built Orenco
as a company town around the turn of the twentieth century. However, during the Great Depression
the company went out of business, and much of the nursery land became vacant until re-development into Orenco Station beginning in 1997. Orenco Station is situated near the intersection of NW 231st/NW 229th streets and Cornell Road centered on the Orenco Station MAX stop
.
in its 2040 plan for the region.
Orenco Station was developed on 209 acre (0.84579374 km²) in the east-central area of Hillsboro. The master developer, PacTrust, along with its residential partner Costa Pacific Homes, designed a community that would mimic older neighborhoods and be more pedestrian friendly than traditional suburban neighborhoods to encourage the use of public transit. Developers also worked with the city to change the zoning ordinances to allow for narrower streets, side-yard easements, garages accessed through alleys, and measures to allow live-work homes among other changes. The development was a mixed-used neighborhood combining both retail
and residential along the light rail line and in the middle of high-tech employers. Residential options include apartments, single family dwellings, condominiums, and town homes. Orenco Station also contains a large park named Central Park located just north of the retail core, along with smaller parks spread throughout the development as a trade-off for smaller yards created by the smaller lot sizes in the development. Homes in the development are situated closer to the street than in traditional developments, and all were built with Category 5 cable
installed in the dwellings.
During late spring through summer Orenco Station is host to the Hillsboro Sunday Farmers' Market at Orenco Station. The farmers’ market
includes produce, crafts, and music.
development in a suburban context. Bruce Podobnik, a sociologist at Lewis and Clark College, completed a study in 2002 that showed comparatively high levels of resident satisfaction and "social capital
", or interaction between neighbors. Transit use was also relatively high in the study—22% for commuting, versus about 6% in the region overall. Use of other modes of transportation such as walking and bicycle were also relatively high. In part because of these successes, op-ed writer Alan Ehrenhalt wrote in the New York Times that Orenco Station was "perhaps the most interesting experiment in New Urbanist planning anywhere in the country" (July 19, 2000).
The development has won awards such as “Best New Burb” by Sunset Magazine in 2005. Other awards include the Oregon Governor's Livability Award in 1998, the Best Masterplanned Community in America Award by the National Association of Home Builders
in 1998, the Ahwahnee Award in 1999, and Transit Communities Livable Design Award awarded by AIA/ULI/FTA/STPP in 1999.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The planned urban town center was designed as a pedestrian friendly, high density community built in conjunction with TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
’s Westside light rail
MAX Blue Line
The MAX Blue Line is a 33 mile light rail line in the MAX Light Rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Operated by TriMet, the line runs between Hillsboro and Gresham, via downtown Portland...
. This award winning development for urban planning was built on land formerly occupied by the Oregon Nursery Company
Oregon Nursery Company
The Oregon Nursery Company was a nursery company founded and originally operated in Salem, Oregon, United States. The company later expanded to a site in Washington County, Oregon west of Portland. The entire operation was eventually moved to Washington County, where the company founded the town...
that had built Orenco
Orenco, Oregon
Orenco is a former company town in Washington County, Oregon, United States, located between Hillsboro and Aloha. The former community of Orenco now forms the Orenco neighborhood in Hillsboro, which is the site of the Orenco Station housing development.The community was established in 1905 as a...
as a company town around the turn of the twentieth century. However, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
the company went out of business, and much of the nursery land became vacant until re-development into Orenco Station beginning in 1997. Orenco Station is situated near the intersection of NW 231st/NW 229th streets and Cornell Road centered on the Orenco Station MAX stop
Orenco/Northwest 231st Avenue (MAX station)
Orenco/Northwest 231st Avenue is a light rail station in the MAX Light Rail system in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The station is the 14th stop westbound on the Westside MAX and is served by the Blue Line. Near the station is the award-winning Orenco Station mixed-use development, considered a...
.
History
The town of Orenco was named after the company, with OREgon Nursery COmpany becoming ORENCO. After the company closed, the town eventually unincorporated in 1938. In 1993, construction on TriMet’s extension to its MAX Light Rail began and planning for new high density neighborhoods along the line continued, including plans for Orenco Station. The area near the old town of Orenco was labeled a “Town Center” by MetroMetro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
in its 2040 plan for the region.
Features
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
and residential along the light rail line and in the middle of high-tech employers. Residential options include apartments, single family dwellings, condominiums, and town homes. Orenco Station also contains a large park named Central Park located just north of the retail core, along with smaller parks spread throughout the development as a trade-off for smaller yards created by the smaller lot sizes in the development. Homes in the development are situated closer to the street than in traditional developments, and all were built with Category 5 cable
Category 5 cable
Category 5 cable is a twisted pair cable for carrying signals. This type of cable is used in structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet. It is also used to carry other signals such as telephony and video. The cable is commonly connected using punch down blocks and modular connectors...
installed in the dwellings.
During late spring through summer Orenco Station is host to the Hillsboro Sunday Farmers' Market at Orenco Station. The farmers’ market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
includes produce, crafts, and music.
Significance
Orenco Station has been closely studied nationally and internationally as a case study of transit-oriented and New UrbanistNew urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement, which promotes walkable neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually continued to reform many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use...
development in a suburban context. Bruce Podobnik, a sociologist at Lewis and Clark College, completed a study in 2002 that showed comparatively high levels of resident satisfaction and "social capital
Social capital
Social capital is a sociological concept, which refers to connections within and between social networks. The concept of social capital highlights the value of social relations and the role of cooperation and confidence to get collective or economic results. The term social capital is frequently...
", or interaction between neighbors. Transit use was also relatively high in the study—22% for commuting, versus about 6% in the region overall. Use of other modes of transportation such as walking and bicycle were also relatively high. In part because of these successes, op-ed writer Alan Ehrenhalt wrote in the New York Times that Orenco Station was "perhaps the most interesting experiment in New Urbanist planning anywhere in the country" (July 19, 2000).
The development has won awards such as “Best New Burb” by Sunset Magazine in 2005. Other awards include the Oregon Governor's Livability Award in 1998, the Best Masterplanned Community in America Award by the National Association of Home Builders
National Association of Home Builders
The National Association of Home Builders is one of the largest trade associations in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NAHB's mission is "to enhance the climate for housing and the building industry...
in 1998, the Ahwahnee Award in 1999, and Transit Communities Livable Design Award awarded by AIA/ULI/FTA/STPP in 1999.
External links
- Natural Resources Defense Council: Orenco Station
- TrendWest: Orenco Station
- New Urban News: Orenco Station residents like the higher-density life
- Planetizen: Making TODs Work - Lessons from Portland's Orenco Station
- Research Study: The Social and Environmental Achievements of New Urbanism - Evidence from Orenco Station