Wilsonville, Oregon's Only Farmers Market

Running May 23 through October 3, the Villebois Sunday Market offers a variety of local entertainment, seasonal produce, baked goods and other Oregon farm-fresh products.  Additionally, local artisans, florists and nursery vendors have booths at each event. The market is held in the Village Center in the heart of Wilsonville’s award-winning Villebois community.

Market Entertainment:

May 23rd AM: The Dixie Cups Coffee Appreciation Society Dixie Band are a motley collection of musicians who do not let their respectable lives get in the way of playing Dixie music. Their repertoire includes Dixie classics such as Rampart Street Blues and Just a Closer Walk with Thee, as well as Lynard Skynard’s They Call Me the Breeze and a Dixie version of Raffi’s Baby Beluga.

May 23rd PM: Michele van Kleef Michele has been singing for as long as she can remember. After piano and  voice lessons, theater and musicals through high school, she went to Oregon State University and minored in Vocal Performance.  *Michele has been one of my favorite vocalists since the mid 90’s.  You don’t want to miss her!!

Soon after graduating, she joined the very successful, NW-based Indie band Calobo. They started out playing the NW Colleges, house parties and local bars. After everyone was done with school they decided to go full time in 1994 and toured the country for the next 6 years. They played the Wetlands in NYC, House of Blues in Chicago, The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, and the epic music festival, Bumbershoot, on the Stadium Stage in Seattle. When all was said and done, Calobo released 5 full length records, the final being recorded Live at the Crystal Ballroom in our hometown of Portland, Oregon.

After Calobo, Michele joined up with LazyBones Recordings as Mackabella in Seattle. They released the self-titled album Mackabella in 2001. Many of these songs have been placed in the TV/Film Industry. Willing has had the most placements:   a  movie trailer for the Johnny Cash story Walk the Line, and spoof of the same film, Walk Hard, among many others.  Additional recent song placements includes VH1, Fox, NBC, T-Mobile, 90210, Lifetime, MTV, South of Nowhere, and Roswell.

Michele took some time off to start a family, but is thrilled to be playing music again. She’s been focusing on her own songs that are true from her heart, sometimes funny, and she is more than ready to share them.
Call 541.206.2471 or email villeboissundaymarket@gmail.com to learn more.

The Village Center itself will be a mix of condominiums, row homes, cafés and shops as well as other retail services, such as a dental office, spa, specialty grocery store and boutique hotel. There will also be a farmer’s market opening this spring in the Piazza Villebois – a lively plaza and dedicated community space in the heart of the community.

Visit ChangeHowYouLive.com or call 866-580-2836 to learn more about the Villebois Village Center.

Funding

The Villebois Rainwater Management Program (RMP) contains funding supported by two grants.  Collectively, the grant money and private resources make this a $1.1 Million Project.  Portions of this project include designing and implementing innovative rainwater management techniques, testing and monitoring these techniques, and education.  Overall, the federal money that has been granted allows Villebois to go beyond a system that is sustainable and aesthetically beneficial to the surrounding community.

Rainwater Methods

Utilizing a variety of innovative approaches to rainwater management will help the environment and will also enhance the aesthetic value of the community.  For these reasons, a variety of different methods will be used to manage rainwater within Villebois.  These methods include mitigation ponds, porous pavers and pavement, bio-retention cells, and experimental parcels of green roofing.

Ponds:

A large portion of the rainwater from the Village Center will be managed through a series of ponds along the 20-acre Villebois Greenway.  These year-round ponds are engineered to hold and release rainwater at a natural rate to remove pollutants, thereby improving water quality.  This system is able to hold and filter rainwater from the Village Center and neighborhoods within Villebois.

How it works:

Rainwater from surfaces such as streets, roofs, and sidewalks is first directed into a bio-swale, a natural area designed to receive and disperse rainwater.  It is here where soil and

plants cleanse the rainwater. As more rainwater is directed toward the swale, the bio-swale overflows and rainwater is allowed to flow into the neighboring pond system.  It is then directed across the pond and into an area called an infiltration bed where it is allowed to seep into the soil at its natural rate and quality.

Pavers:

The next largest portion of rainwater will be managed through sets of porous pavers.  Pavers are considered alternatives to conventional pavement.  They work just as well as pavement, but are able to filter large portions of water through unique openings where water is allowed to penetrate soil.  Porous pavers are environmentally superior to pavement by allowing water to enter the soil naturally and they reflect sunlight allowing the surface to stay cooler during the summer months.  In addition, pavers add an attractive look that cannot be achieved though conventional pavement.

Bio-retention cells (example – planter boxes):

This component is a method that keeps runoff in the soil allowing plants to remove pollutants from contaminated rainwater.  This is similar to other methods that use plants and soils as a way to treat water runoff from pavement and roofs.

Porous pavement:

Concrete and asphalt that contain “pores” allow rainwater to pass through small openings in the surface.  This allows runoff to soak into a rainwater treatment area below the surface where it is treated for water quality and quantity.

Experimental parcels of green roof:

Green roofs (also known as eco-roofs) help lower the amount of runoff from rooftops.  Tar and roof shingles are replaced with soil and plants.   Instead of rainwater rushing off of the roof, green roofs allow water to soak into the soil atop the roof as it would in a natural setting.  Plants and shrubs are a key component of this method to help hold and clean the rainwater.  Green roofs also allow buildings to remain cooler in the summer months by using soil and plants, which act like buffers between the hot summer sun and the building below.

To learn more about the Villebois or its sustainable development and building practices in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.

Villebois: A Sustainable Neighborhood

Sustainability is a term most often used to describe environmental conservation and protection.  Sustainability at Villebois, however, has a larger meaning: to create a community that is sustainable socially and economically, as well as environmentally.  This kind of far-reaching sustainability creates true community; neighborhoods that are safe because neighbors know and look out for one another; streets built for pedestrians as well as for drivers; thriving local businesses that reflect and meet the community’s interests and needs and a wide variety of green spaces that encourage outdoor activity and social interaction, while protecting natural habitats.

Social Sustainability

• According to annual statistics gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 30 to 40 percent of Americans engage in regular, sustained exercise, while an additional 30 percent are completely inactive.  Villebois’ design encourages physical activity with numerous green spaces, bicycle paths, and pedestrian trails throughout the community. In addition, the Village Center shops and restaurants are within a comfortable walking distance of each neighborhood.

• “Green streets” encourage walking and biking while managing rainwater.

• Every aspect of the Villebois’ pedestrian-friendly design encourages community-building, from front porches and rear access garages to wide sidewalks that separate pedestrians from traffic.

• A lively Village Center will provide residents with opportunities for passive and active recreation, from enjoying a latte and reading a book in the plaza to playing a game of bocce ball in a nearby park.

Economic Sustainability

• Villebois will increase Wilsonville’s population by an estimated 7,000 residents.  Currently, there are 10,000 more jobs in the city than workers. The Villebois community will help the jobs to housing imbalance.

• Villebois’ Village Center serves the dual purpose of providing residents with convenient access to basic needs — whether a quart of milk or a cup of coffee — and supporting merchants to help grow the local economy.

Environmental Sustainability

• Villebois contains extensive areas of wetlands and wildlife habitat, mostly associated with the Coffee Lake Creek wetlands and floodplain. In addition, a large number of mature trees are being preserved and act as a primary amenity for the community.

• A state-of-the-art Rainwater Management System will improve water quality and quantity control more than a conventional stormwater system.

To learn more about the Villebois or its sustainable development and building practices in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.

The Benefits

Community:

The Rainwater Management Program is a significant component to developing a community that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.  The visible rainwater features, such as ponds, porous pavers and bio-retention cells, incorporate a natural system into an urban setting at Villebois.  These visible rainwater features allow for a greater understanding and appreciation of our natural resource. Overall, this Program fosters relationships between residents and the community, while linking the community with the environment.

Environment:

Pervious Pavers in Villebois

The goal is to mimic the natural condition to benefit the environment in a number of ways.  Instead of entering a system of pipes, rainwater is allowed to enter the soils naturally, thereby utilizing the benefits of the natural soil system.  This includes natural filtration, which allows soils to cleanse the rainwater before reaching rivers and streams.  It also regulates the rate by which water enters the watershed.  By allowing natural filtration to occur, it ensures that rivers and streams are not overwhelmed with large, polluted quantities of water.  At Villebois, planters, ponds, and greenways will allow rainwater to naturally filtrate back into the soils and waterways.  Employing these natural systems helps to preserve the habitat and wildlife that live in these nearby watersheds.  In addition, the increase in grasses and plants used in this system provide new habitat for birds and squirrels;  this would not be possible using conventional methods.

To learn more about the Villebois or its rainwater management program in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.

Legend Homes, Portland Oregon

Our building partner in the Villebois community, Legend Homes, looks forward to the spring as they plan to emerge from Bankruptcy.  It looks like their new philosophy of building more efficient, green homes will fit in nicely in Villebois.

When Costa Pacific Communities created the master plan for the Villebois neighborhood they made a conscious effort to incorporate green building and development practices.  Did you know that when they created the CC&R’s they made it mandatory that each and every home would be built to Earth Advantage guidelines?  I do not know of another developer that require that in a 500+ acre master planned community.  Taking it a step further they wanted to create a transit oriented development to help to improve the air quality in the region and give residents an alternative mode of transportation.  Throw in a cutting edge rainwater management system that the EPA is studying as a model for the rest of the nation and you have one of the most progressive communities in the nation.  Oh yeah, did I mention that  we recently were named the Community of the Year throughout the nation by the National Association of Home builders.

Come and visit Vileebois for yourself and take a tour of this exceptional community for yourself and find out why people LOVE to LIVE here.

To learn more about the Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.

Costa Pacific Homes recently announced that its latest development, the Villebois neighborhood in Wilsonville, Oregon, is a finalist for the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) most prestigious builder award: the Community of the Year Award.

This nomination is nothing new for the award-winning master planner and developer. In 1999, Costa Pacific received the prestigious Community of the Year Award for another development it designed: Orenco Station in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Villebois offers area homebuyers a broad assortment of home styles and amenities from which to choose. Based on the intimacy and character of traditional European villages, the Villebois Village Center features everything from condominiums and row homes to apartments and buildings with ground level retail or office space. The Piazza Villebois, a dedicated community space and plaza, will serve as the heart of the Villebois Village Center and will be the future site of community events and other activities.

The NAHB will announce the winner of this year’s Community of the Year Award in January. Stay tuned.

For more information about the award-winning Villebois or Orenco Station communities, please call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com. You may also visit www.CostaPacific.com to learn more about Costa Pacific Homes’ latest projects.

Last week, President Obama signed legislation that extends and expands the first-time home buyer tax credit originally made

The new legislation extends the $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers for sales contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30. In addition, the law has been expanded to now include a $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes who are buying a new principal residence. Current homeowners can claim the $6,500 tax credit if they lived in their home for five consecutive years out of the last eight.

In other news, the income eligibility limits for the tax credit – now for both groups of buyers – has increased from $75,000 to $125,000 for individuals and from $150,000 to $225,000 for married couples. Additionally, the new law also provides relief to cash-strapped home builders by providing broader tax benefits for businesses with net operating losses (NOLs).

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released a statement last week saying the new legislation will “provide a much-needed boost to the fragile housing market and economy”. In addition, NAHB estimates that the new and improved homebuyer tax credit will create 211,000 new jobs and generate 180,000 additional home sales over the next year. NAHB also expect the tax credit to generate $9.6 billion in wage income and $6.9 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

This means that now – more than ever – is the perfect time to purchase a new home.

And why not purchase that new home in the award-winning Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon?

Villebois is the latest master-planned community to be developed by Costa Pacific Communities. Featuring a vibrant mix of single-family homes, row homes, condominiums, retail and commercial space and 160 acres of parks and open green space, the Villebois neighborhood has something for everyone. And with new homes priced starting in the mid-$100,000s, Villebois is a sweet surprise for buyers looking for homes in today’s real estate market.

To learn more about the Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.   

For more information about the new tax credit, visit www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com.

Seville Rows - The Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon

Award-winning master planner and development company, Costa Pacific Communities, recently announced that it has moved office locations from 4724 SW Macadam Avenue in Portland to 11416 SW Barber Street in Wilsonville, Oregon’s Villebois Village Center.

Since 1990, Costa Pacific Communities has been building communities up and down the West Coast that enrich the lives of residents. Costa Pacific has been recognized nationally for excellence in design, master planning and marketing and is the most awarded builder/developer in the history of Oregon. Most notably, Costa Pacific received a Gold Nugget Award for Best on the Boards Site Plan for Villebois at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in 2005. The master planner’s Orenco Station community in Hillsboro, Ore. received the prestigious “Master Planned Community of the Year” award in 1999 from the National Association of Home Builders.

Additionally, Costa Pacific has been named Developer of the Year by Oregon’s environmental watchdog group, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and twice been named Oregon’s Builder of the Year by the Oregon Building Industry Association.

Costa Pacific Communities chose to move its corporate headquarters to better serve buyers searching for homes in the Villebois neighborhood and to oversee the continued development of the industry-touted Villebois Village Center. 

To learn more about Costa Pacific Communities, visit www.costapacific.com. You may also call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com.