Hillsboro Intermodal Transit Facility
History
A parking garage was part of Pacific University's original plan for the Health Professions Campus, and by September 2007 the city and school had received commitments for $7 million in funding out of a planned total price tag of $16 million. At that time, officials hoped to begin construction in 2009 on a four-level structure. In April 2009, the project was awarded $2.34 million in federal stimulus funds. In February 2009, the city approved a contract with Skanska USA for construction of the project with a bid of $13.1 million. Officials hoped to begin construction that spring, though the city still needed to find $4 million to fully fund the project.
In August 2009, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the construction site, featuring U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Mayor Jerry Willey, state representative David Edwards, and Pacific University president Lesley Hallick, among others. Construction had already begun at the time of the ceremony. The city hoped to attain LEED silver certification for the project due to its environmentally friendly aspects, including solar power and space for bicycles.
As of August 2009, the facility was expected to cost $16 million, with $7 million in funding coming from the city in the form of bonds backed by the lottery, $4.2 million in federal funds ($2.3 million of which were federal stimulus funds), about $1.6 million from Pacific, and the donation of the land by Tuality, valued at around $1.6 million. Hillsboro would own the facility, with Portland Community College signed on as a tenant for the first-floor commercial space.
Construction was scheduled to begin in late July 2009 on what had been a parking lot for the hospital. At that time the project had secured all funding needed, and due to lower costs caused by the recession, the construction was to be completed in a single phase instead of several phases as had been originally planned. Besides the parking spaces, the project called for Bike Central, 15 electric vehicle charging stations, and 19,000 square feet (1,800 m) of commercial space on the ground level. Additionally, the roof was to include solar panels and possibly wind turbines at a later time.