Survey takers also say they want more homes containing no stairs to make them accessible for all

The future River Terrace 2.0 development should include requests for a wide range of affordable homes available for those in all income brackets, with many preferring residences containing no stairs. 

So say the majority of a little over 100 surveytakers, who also said they would prefer to have three slightly smaller commercial sites over two larger ones. 

The city is in the process of gaining feedback on the River Terrace 2.0 Community Plan, a document that will create policies and standards for the future 500-acre development, which will be situated on both sides of Roy Rogers Road, abutting the current River Terrace development.  

“We have consistently heard that the community’s top priority is to see a wide variety of housing types in River Terrace 2.0. They want to see undersupplied housing options provided so that everyone’s needs are met,” Brittany Gada, a Tigard senior planner charged with overseeing the River Terrace 2.0 residential area, told the Tigard City Council during a June 10 meeting. 

Those preferences for no stairs point to creating homes that can accommodate seniors and those who have mobility challenges in a community that could result in between 3,000 to 4,500 residences when complete. 

Also, according to the survey, prepared by JLA Public Involvement, residents would like to see homes with yards, and 60% prefer three smaller commercial/retail locations — what planners refer to as “commercial nodes”— over the remaining 40% who said they would prefer to see two larger commercial sites. 

Potential maps for River Terrace 2.0 show several locations for small-scale retail shops, with many residents telling the city they would like to see a grocery store in the future community. Any larger retail venture would likely be sited along Scholls Ferry Road, west of Roy Rogers Road, and directly south of Beaverton’s Mountainside High School, planners have said.

Other preferences the community is big on include having lots of trees, walkable neighborhoods and safe transportation infrastructure. That infrastructure should encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation than cars, the survey says. 

In addition, most folks prefer wide sidewalks, adequate street lighting and ensuring bikeways have curbs or greenery to separate cyclists from traffic. They also are concerned about habitat destruction and worry about tree canopy deterioration, or the reduction of the top layer of trees joining together, generally found in older neighborhoods or where trees have been left to grow. 

Meanwhile, area developers have responded to building in River Terrace 2.0, saying they want not only clear development rules but also streamlined and efficient land use processes along with opportunities for flexibility if they are to build in that area.

“We’re also hearing feasibility concerns about providing a mix of housing types, and this is stemming from the fact that most developers — at least not those very large scale developers — they don’t typically provide multiple housing types in their repertoire,” Gada said. 

As a result, developers said they would need strong incentives to provide a mix of housing, asking for centralized density hubs, which is in contrast with what the community has said it wants, Gada pointed out. 

Gada told the council that higher density housing would be focused around commercial areas, adding that “if you think about Progress Ridge off of Scholls Ferry, it has higher density apartments right around that town center and then it’s still a relatively medium to high-density development. But as it moves away from the commercial areas, you get more town houses, rather than apartments.”

Surveys were either filled out at an in-person open house or online in April. 

Planners are expected to return to the councifl July 15 to give officials an update on transportation preferences for River Terrace 2.0.