Villebois Bioswales

What’s Next?

The next steps are to begin the testing and monitoring program, and to start construction of the rainwater management techniques.  The mitigation ponds will be the first to be built, followed by porous pavers, bio-retention cells and, finally, green roofs.

Going Beyond Rainwater

In addition to rainwater, other sustainable endeavors have been incorporated to enhance Villebois’ environmental stewardship.  Some of these enhancements include:

Rehabilitating wetlands near Coffee and Arrowhead Creeks

Utilizing a herd of goats to clear blackberry bushes in a more sustainable, non-wasteful manner

Placing debris from tree pruning into the wetlands and parks

Providing pedestrian and bicycle friendly roads throughout Villebois to promote alternative forms of transportation

Using Smart growth design principles of alleys and street grids promoting connectivity

Preserving and enhancing over 155 acres of land dedicated to parks, trails, and natural areas

Providing access to a new mass transit system which travels to and from Beaverton linking Villebois with the regional light rail system (MAX)

Developing a comprehensive Recycling Program

Villebois Wetlands

Using Earth Advantage and Energy Star Programs in homes

Forming a partnership with Portland General Electric (PGE) to promote homes and business within Villebois to buy “green energy”

Building a LEED Building with an unprecedented Platinum certification

Working with the proposed elementary school and community housing to produce energy efficient green buildings

Establishing the Villebois Action Committee (VAC), comprised of members of the community, to continue building on the three guiding principles of Villebois: connectivity,    diversity, sustainability

Building of Community gardens to encourage small scale fruit and vegetable production that’s both sustainable and community enriching

Your input is important on how to make Villebois even more sustainable!

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.

The neighborhood is just a short walk or bike ride from TriMet’s new transportation option, the Westside Express Service commuter rail. Dubbed “WES”, the new commuter rail connects residents living in Wilsonville to suburbs like Tigard, Tualatin and Beaverton. Once in Beaverton, commuters are just a hop, skip and a latté from downtown Portland, Beaverton and all other corners of the metropolitan area. The Wilsonville WES Station is minutes from Villebois and includes 400 Park & Ride spaces and 48 bike locker spaces, helping foster a pedestrian- and bike-friendly atmosphere within the community. Villebois residents not only can avoid rush-hour traffic but they can also feel good knowing they’re reducing their carbon footprint by spending less time on the road.

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

“My name is Dan and my wife is Allison.

We have two daughters, (8 and 3). I mention their names because they factor greatly when we delve into the reasons we love Villebois. It’s a GREAT community to live in if you have kids. But let’s see… where to start….

Let’s start with the unique architecture. Let’s pretend you had magical powers and you took any average American observant female (let’s use a female since males can’t typically tell you what color socks they’re wearing at that moment) and you could snap your fingers and she would appear in our neighborhood for 1 minute and then she was magically transported to other neighborhoods around here and around Portland for 1 minute each. Let’s say she saw 20 neighborhoods in this magical ride she was on. The only one she’d remember is Villebois. It reeks of authenticity and uniqueness. Almost every other neighborhood’s designers, for whatever reason, love to operate from the same architectural playbook. I don’t know why that is. When we went looking for a home, almost every place we came to was either a craftsman or the garage sticking out with front door recessed…etc. Villebois, although we do have standardized plans, doesn’t look so bland and blah. Especially with the intricate European flavored details. Of course, the emphasis on green space is important, too, but it’s the front and center front doors, in relation to the sidewalk, that gives the architecture it’s crowning friendliness.

Now let’s get to the people. In any other neighborhood I’ve lived in, you would typically know some people around you. Either through your kids or from being out front… over time. We’ve lived here about 3 years and as I sit here and count, I can tell you the first and last names (and their kid’s names if they have them) of the residents of 27 houses, that are within a 1 minute walk from my house. In any previous location we’ve lived, that number would probably be, at the max, five.

When the word “community” is used in Villebois, you could capitalize it. It’s on steroids here. There is no other place, that I’ve ever seen or even visited or read about, that has the same sense of community that this place does. During the summer, it’s not unusual to see 3 or 4 families closing down a park with the kids playing and the parents talking at the park bench. We have a camp out each summer, in one of the parks, and roast marshmallows and watch a movie on a big screen projector. This last one we had probably over 100 campers participating. We have an Easter Egg hunt each year and the Easter bunny actually shows up. We’ve had an ice cream social, I’m sure you’ve heard about. We even had a touch football “turkey bowl”, in the rain, Thanksgiving morning. Then there’s the 4th of July parade we have each year (our own… not a joint one.) Not many cities have their own parade, let alone a subdivision. Every year, we have a Christmas party where all the kids come to our house and then grownups go to someone else’s house and all the attendees live within a 500 ft radius from one another. This last year, we had about 40 adults attend. We had over 30 kids at our house that night. That was just the party we attended. There were others going on, too, with different demographics attending each.

What Costa Pacific has done with Villebois is just short of amazing. Wilsonville probably deserves some credit too, for supporting such a unique concept in community living. I just wish the economy had not got in the way of the build out. It would be even more incredible if we had the resources for the community center and pool…etc. But it’ll come with time, I’m sure.

It’ll be exciting to see Villebois in 20 years, with mature vegetation and everything built out. It’ll be a very, very sought after community, then. Even more than it is today.

I once tried to characterize Villebois to my brother-in-law and I said, for lack of a better term… we just have “quality” people living here. Then of course, that became a joke for him, as if I was implying all other places didn’t have “quality” people. But it’s an apt phrase. There’s not one person I’ve met, who lives in Villebois, that I wouldn’t be happy to call my friend. Again, I’ve not had that experience anywhere else I’ve lived.

My only complaint (gotta have ONE, right?) is that the master plan didn’t call for another category of house that would have been larger (maybe in the 6000 to 8000 sq ft) with a larger plot of land. There are plenty of folks out there, with enough resources to purchase a mansion on the river, that would LOVE to live in a community like this, but they want something a bit more substantial then a 4000 sq ft home, on a 6000 sq ft plot. Too bad, because it would have been a crowning jewel in an already beautiful crown.”

Dan & Allison – Happy Villebois Residents

Click here to find out what others are saying about living in their new home and community Villebois Testimonials.

Villebois residents of all ages and lifestyles discuss what their families enjoy the most about the unique Wilsonville, Oregon, neighborhood from the close-knit social atmosphere to the variety of community events and activities that bring neighbors together.

For more information about the Villebois community, please call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com. You may also visit ChangeHowYouLive.com.

The 3rd Annual Villebois

Easter Egg Hunt

Friday, April 2

(rain or shine—dress appropriately!)

4pm @ Sofia Park

This event is open to EVERYONE – not just Villebois neighbors. But to make this egg hunt a success, we need your help!

If your child is planning to participate, please contribute at least one dozen plastic eggs filled with something (an M and M, a Skittle, a sticker, etc). We need A LOT of eggs so please contribute AS MANY EGGS AS YOU CAN.

We also need the plastic eggs that look like rocks or grass to make it more challenging for the big kids. These are typically available, pre-filled, at Costco or Target.

Please bring your eggs to 29507 SW Venezia on or before Friday, April 2nd at 11 a.m. or bring them to Sofia Park at 1 p.m. on April 2nd to help hide them.

Please consider contributing to the prize basket. These baskets will be filled with new, inexpensive, age-appropriate prizes for the kids who find the golden eggs. You can drop off prizes when you drop off your eggs, but it would help me plan if you tell me you’ll be donating prizes too.

Don’t have kids? Just want to watch or help? No problem! We could really use egg or prize donations, or help hiding the eggs. Or just come and join the fun!

Questions/Comments: Contact Allison Sherman at

allison@sherman.me or 503-709-2317.

OR

For more information about Villebois or the Bunny is Coming Event, please contact Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or Blog@CostaPacific.com. The Costa Pacific Homes sales office in the Villebois Village Center is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. You may also visit ChangeHowYouLive.com.

Find all of the new homes for sale in the Villebois community by visiting homes.villebois.com.

Here are just a few of the Wilsonville new homes on the market:

http://www.postlets.com/res/2343140

http://www.postlets.com/res/2035098

http://www.postlets.com/res/2035029

http://www.postlets.com/res/2034851

http://www.postlets.com/res/2343478

http://www.postlets.com/res/2343347

For more information about the new homes for sale in the Villebois community, call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com. You may also visit www.ChangeHowYouLive.com.

The holidays are the perfect time for creating perfect memories.

Isn’t it time you lived in the perfect place for creating memories too?

The Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon, will change how you live.

With our brand-new Seville Rows, Carvalho Condominiums and upcoming Les Bois Collection, you can live a carefree lifestyle in the hip and urban, yet relaxed Village Center. Build life-long relationships with your neighbors. Participate in exciting community activities and events. Live a more sustainable life in a green-certified home and eco-conscious neighborhood.

The benefits of living in the Villebois Village Center are endless.

Aren’t you ready for a change?

Listen to what happy residents say about life in Villebois.

Contact Costa Pacific Homes in the Villebois Village Center today! A Costa Pacific New Home Specialist would be happy to take you on a private tour of the distinctive community whenever is convenient for you. Call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com for more information about Villebois. www.ChangeHowYouLive.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.