A COMPLETE COMMUNITY

So far, the first of three single-family neighborhoods is going up at Villebois. The mix of architectural styles—French Revival, colonial-inspired American Classic, English Revival, and American Modern—reflect the established architecture of many of Oregon's pre–World War II neighborhoods. Work is also under way on the 48-acre town center, which will offer townhomes, loft-style condominiums, and rental apartments, as well as retail and commercial space.

A state-of-the-art rainwater management system is being put in place to help address a significant stormwater-runoff problem that began when the hospital was built in the late '50s.

“When the state built here, they dried up some wetlands and piped everything into a stormwater pipe that became a seasonal creek,” says Kadlub. “Now it's become a big gully. We're working with the Army Corps of Engineers to reinstitute the historic wetlands and reduce the flow into this legacy creek, which will stop the erosion.” Villebois' street grid system has also been designed so that it follows the sheet flow of water, with streets designed to act as dams to slow the movement of water toward the open space. Porous pavers also help filter large amounts of water.

“There have been quite a number of new things to deal with here and still come up with a great place that will have a mix of uses, social gathering places, and provide people with the daily services that they need,” says Kadlub. “And rounding out what we have dubbed a ‘complete community.' We think complete communities add value to people's lives.”

Kathleen Stanley is a freelance writer based in Washington.

Project: Villebois, Wilsonville, Ore.; Size: 470 acres; Unit size: 500 to 4,312 square feet; Total units: 2,700; Price: $675 per month (rental apartments) to $699,900 (single-family homes); Builders: Arbor Custom Homes, Beaverton, Ore.; Costa Pacific Homes, Portland, Ore.; Legend Homes, Portland; Trammell Crow Residential, Atlanta; Developer: Costa Pacific Communities, Portland; Architects: Iverson Architects, Newport Beach, Calif.; Fletcher Farr Ayotte, Portland; Land planner: Iverson Architects, Newport Beach; Landscape architects: Walker Macy, Portland; Mayer/Reed, Portland; Civil engineer: Alpha Community Development, Beaverton