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Gresham’s budding got one step closer to embodying the concept of transit-oriented development today, with work starting on the Civic Drive MAX light-rail station. The station is scheduled to open this fall.

R&R General Contractors is the prime contractor on the project, which has a construction budget of $1.76 million.

The Civic Drive station had been planned for years, but development hadn’t reached a point where another stop on the blue line was needed. “We committed that we would build the station if development would support it,” said Mary Fetsch, spokeswoman for transit agency TriMet.

“It’s the city of Gresham and (regional government) Metro’s vision for that Civic Neighborhood,” Fetsch said. “The Civic Neighborhood is a very vibrant place, and there really is enough development now to make it ready for a new MAX station.”

The future MAX stop will serve residents of The Crossings, Gresham’s tallest building. Developer Mike Rossman of Peak Development said he built the building with transit in mind and hopes MAX traffic boosts the building’s retail businesses.