| By
Nancy McCarthy
Special Writer for Homes & Rentals
Stroll
along Northeast 23rd Street in Astoria, and you may find yourself daydreaming
that you’ve stumbled across a fishing village at the turn of the
20th century. Some homes are built on pilings over a pond; others have
views of the Columbia River that also include the Astoria Bridge and the
Washington shore.
But
the scene wasn’t always so picturesque.
Astoria’s 16-acre Mill Pond Village was developed on a former industrial
site and —like residential communities Tualatin Commons in Tualatin
and Tidewater Cove in Vancouver—is an example of what vision, funding
and a commitment to environmentally responsible building can produce.
In the early 19th and 20th centuries, the Clatsop Mill Co.—which
supplied the lumber that built Astoria—sat on the 16-acre site on
the town’s east side. From 1870 to 1989, the company’s wood
products manufacturing left behind toxic chemicals such as petroleum hydrocarbons,
sodium hydroxide, benzene, asbestos and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).
The mill—owned then by Astoria Plywood—closed in 1989. In
1991, environmental site assessments began, and in 1993 everything on
the site was sold at auction.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality declared the site a “brownfield”—a
former industrial or commercial site that is vacant and underused with
environmental contamination that prevents reuse or redevelopment.
It took four years and $1.4 million for the city and DEQ to decontaminate
the site and refill the mill pond with 57,000 gallons of clean water.
In 1999, Venerable Properties, a Portland development company now called
Venerable Group, Inc.—bought the property from the city, with the
caveat that it would be required to follow environmentally sustainable
standards while developing the 85 residential lots.
Today, with its first phase sold and nearly all of the lots in the section
phase purchased, Mill Pond Village is selling lots priced from $30,000
to $100,000 in its third phase. Homes are estimated to cost from $200,000
to $450,000.
The houses were designed and built to avoid the cookie-cutter effect that
some master-planned communities suffer from. Every house has a front porch,
and most have view of the Columbia River from at least one window or an
upstairs “crow’s nest” or second floor lanai. Pier cottages
on steel stilts hang over the pond, adding to the fishing-village atmosphere.
Five parks, a river walk and a trolley that goes past the development
and into town every day in the summer add to the sense of community, said
Jennie Hillard, marketing agent for Area Properties, Inc., which represents
the developer in Astoria.
Although zero lot lines and planned developments are new to Astoria—which
may have caused an initially slow buyer response—none of the buyer
has expressed concern that the development once was a brownfield, Hillard
said.
“We’ve never had anyone back out after they have read the
agreement,” she said, referring to a contract between the city and
DEQ that exempts the developer and property owners from any liability
due to previous contamination.
Instead, Hillard said, buyers are increasingly being drawn to the development
because it is close to the river. Mill Pond Village is the only riverfront
village development in the area.
Other buyers like the live-work houses included in the plan. A gallery,
deli, salon or other small business could be established downstairs with
the living quarters above. Buyers can apply for residential loans for
these homes instead of more costly commercial loans, Hillard said.
“There have been several artists who have entertained the idea of
using that space for a studio or loft,” she said.
On the water
About 100 miles up the Columbia River east of Vancouver, there’s
another bit of heaven where an industrial site and a barge operation used
to be.
When Tidewater cover Condominiums is completed, 102 two– and three-bedroom
luxury condominiums will overlook the Columbia River. The units range
from 1,650 to 4,050 square feet and are priced from $550,000. Eleven are
still for sale in the first phase of 45 units.
In addition to the gated community, the 32-acre development also will
have 66,000 square feet of office space due to open in October.
Before the site was sold for development in 1999, Tidewater Barge Co.
did business there, sending loads of grain, fertilizer, petroleum and
wood products along the Columbia and Snake River system to ports from
Astoria to Lewiston, Idaho. Storage tanks dotted the landscape where now
there are three buildings of condominiums and walking paths on the edge
of the river.
With six acres of open space, Tidewater Cove eventually will include three
ponds, walking trails and waterfalls, a 96-slip marina and a restaurant.
An existing clubhouse includes a lounge, meeting room, workout room, pool
sauna and tennis court. The development lies between two waterfront parks,
Marine Park on the west and Wintler Park on the east.
“A lot of empty-nesters want to downsize and move into a home that
they don’t have to worry about when they travel,” said Paul
Schwabe, the development’s real estate broker.
Commons knowledge
In swimsuit weather, the three-acre lake in the middle of Tualatin Commons
is a natural gathering spot. Children run through the fountain, giggling
and shouting. The umbrella-shaded tables at the Century Hotel’s
restaurant are filled with diners, and across the lake, condominiums and
apartments offer casual living on the water.
In the summer, the Commons is the site of musical concerts and children’s
activities, said Janessa Couch, onsite manager of the Tualatin Mews and
Villas on the Lake, two rental properties.
In all, there are 57 apartments and 26 condominiums in the development,
Couch said. Rents range from $525 to $1,200.
While condominium sales are rare, there’s usually a vacancy every
couple of months, said Elena wells, property manager for Bluestone &
Hockley, which oversees the rental properties.
Until 1988, the site was a pet food company. Residents still remember
the delivery trucks emblazoned with “Going to the dogs.”
“It stank, it was horrible,” said Yvonne Davis, principal
broker with RE/MAX Equity Group, South Metro, about the factory.
Cleaning up the site where the former Blue Mountain pet food company once
stood required the removal of underground fuel tanks, as well as some
soil excavation and testing, said Mike McKillip, an engineer for the City
of Tualatin.
Now, the site is Tualatin’s community center, with shops, restaurants,
residences and a manmade lake. Would-be buyers often stop by the RE/MAX
office near the Commons to ask if anything is available for sale or lease,
Davis said.
“People who live in the Commons are looking for a sense of community
and for the amenities that are available,” Davis said. “It’s
within walking distance of a lot of shops. People find it pretty desirable.”
Condominiums in the Tualatin Commons area are popular, agreed Mary Herzog,
associate broker for the Hasson Co. in Lake Oswego.
“It’s not real often that there’s a vacancy, and, when
one does come up, they go quickly,” Herzog said.
Demand may be due to the average size and price of units near the lake,
she said. Most of the condos are 1,200 to 1,400 square feet and have two
bedrooms and two baths. Prices run from $169,000 to $199,000.
Herzog is listing agent for an attached townhouse currently on the market.
Larger than average, the 2,204-square-foot unit has three bedrooms, three
full baths, a bonus room and two sunrooms; asking prices is $275,000.
Built in 1997, the two-story townhouse originally was two units bought
by one buyer and combined into a single unit, Herzog said.
As though it weren’t popular enough, the Commons is set to be joined
by Bridgeport Village. On the corner of Southwest Bridgeport Road and
72nd Avenue, the 13-building complex will have stores, offices, restaurants
and a cinema. While the entire village isn’t expected to officially
open until spring 2005, a Crate and Barrel store is expected to be ready
for business in November.
What will the increase in shopping and entertainment opportunities do
to the Commons?
“It will become a hotter spot than it is even now,” Herzog
said.
(Nancy
McCarthy is a Portland free-lance writer. She can be reached at createxp@teleport.com)
Back
to top
|
For
more information on Mill Pond Village residential lots for sale see
www.millpondvillage.com
Developer
saw potential where saws once buzzed
When
Art DeMuro of Venerable Group, Inc. began developing Mill Pond Village
in Astoria, he faced a 16-acred site that had been contaminated over 129
years by chemicals used in the manufacture of wood products.
“The project was a real gamble for us, but I’m feeling great
satisfaction,” DeMuro said. “It’s had such a major impact
on Astoria.”
When Venerable Group purchased the site in 1999, “eight jillion
tons of goop” had already been removed, DeMuro said, and much of
the site had been cleaned up.
Still, more remediation was necessary. Venerable was required to restore
the south shore of the pond, replace the weir or tidal gate, seal contaminated
“hot spots,” restrict the pond from recreational use and monitor
groundwater for 10 years.
The company also demolished remaining structures, cut blackberry bushes
and weeds, and graded the site.
Despite the hurdles, DeMuro, whose company specializes in historic preservation,
remained particularly interested in Astoria.
“Astoria is the most historical town in Oregon,” he said.
“I fell in love with the feel of the site and the location of the
community. I felt like it was a ‘can’t miss’ opportunity.”
The contamination, he said, wasn’t an upfront deterrent because
the City of Astoria and the Oregon Department of Environmental quality
promised the site would be “near ready” for development.
The government entities also produced an agreement that freed the property
owners from liability due to the prior contamination.
Before the site was developed, DeMuro knew the company would have to “overcome
the cloud” of doubt that Astoria residents had regarding the mill.
“They had watched the mill operate,” he said. “It was
noisy and smelly, and they had read about the contamination. The site
had been an eyesore for many years.”
During brainstorming sessions, DeMuro and community members developed
strategies for further improvements to the site. They agreed that more
needed to be done to ensure that storm runoff didn’t enter the pond.
Oil traps in storm sewers were installed, and streets were narrowed to
reduced the amount of impervious surface in the area. Wetland plants were
incorporated into landscaping to filter pollution in water that might
end up in the pond.
--
Nancy McCarthy
|
