Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Villebois named ‘community of the year’

• By: Josh Kulla  
• Published: 2/4/2010 11:19:28 AM
• Last Updated: 2/4/2010 11:21:48 AM

Photo By: Josh KullaNew development
Polygon NW will join Costa Pacific in an effort to build homes in Villebois this year.

Portland’s Costa Pacific Communities announced last week it has received the Community of the Year award from the National Association of Home Builders for its work on Wilsonville’s Villebois development.
 
The company, which is celebrating its 20th year in Oregon, received the honor Jan. 19 in Las Vegas at the NAHB’s national awards ceremony. In addition to the top prize, Costa Pacific also received Gold Awards for best blog, best community Web site and best product design of an attached home plan. It is the second time Costa Pacific Communities has received the Community of the Year honor from the NAHB. The company earned the award in 1999 for its work on Hillsboro’s renowned Orenco Station development.
 
“Obviously, there was a lot of excitement, it being our second such award in the past 10 or so years,” said Andy Green, sales and marketing manager for the Villebois Village Center. “I don’t believe there’s another developer that’s won that award once, let alone twice, in the Northwest. And also, I believe it’s the only time a transit-oriented community has won the award and we’ve done it twice now. To specialize in a niche market like new urbanism, we’re very excited we’re being recognized for the progressive development we’re doing.”
 
Costa Pacific Communities CEO Rudy Kadlub agreed he is pleased to be recognized for the green nature of its developments, including Villebois.
 
“It was thrilling to be selected from such prestigious company,” Kadlub said. “Villebois is a unique community, unlike any other in the world and I’m proud it’s already being recognized for its progressive vision.”
 
At its core, Villebois is a new urbanist, pedestrian- friendly and transit-oriented community with a mix of housing types and a village center adjacent to the Westside Express Service (WES) rail line.
 
Costa Pacific Communities purchased the former site of the Dammasch State Hospital on the western edge of Wilsonville from the state of Oregon in 2002. Following a two year public planning process, infrastructure for the first of over 2,700 planned housing units began late in 2004.
 
Economic slowdown has curbed the pace of new home construction in Villebois over the past two years, and at present Villebois is not yet complete as originally envisioned. One of the original homebuilders involved, Legend Homes, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008. But the project continues to grind on in the face of a stubborn economic recession that has hit the homebuilding industry particularly hard.
 
“The judges were so impressed by the story of Villebois, how thoughtfully the team crafted a new sense of place and community,” Peter Mayer, NAHB judging chairman told the media. “From the product chosen to the way it was brought to market, they were spot on.”
 
Villebois residents agree that the sense of community they’ve found more than vindicates their decision to purchase a home there.
 
“One of the reasons we chose Villebois is because of its lovely parks and common areas,” said resident Dianne Knight. “It also has a slightly urban feel, compared to other developments we looked at, with the potential for so much more.
 
Villebois promotes getting out there and meeting your neighbors.”
 
Knight also noted she and her family like the economic, social, and ethnic diversity compared with other areas in the suburbs.
 
“Living together and understanding different points of view and lifestyles are all great experiences we can give our children,” she said. “That’s why we love it here.”
 
Forty-eight new homes were sold in Villebois in the past 12 months, Green said, along with an even dozen resales. That’s tops in Clackamas County, and is “great news in an economy like we were dealt last year.”
 
Marta McGuire and her family moved from S.E. Portland to Villebois, in part because of a desire for better schools, as well as a closer knit neighborhood.
 
“We were looking for a community that would have all the walkable amenities of the city, preserved green space and parks, access to excellent schools, diverse housing options,” McGuire said. “We were looking for more than a neighborhood, we wanted a community where people are connected to each other. We have that here.”

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