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Crews last week started constructing two of the three buildings at the Platform District at Orenco Station, a mixed-use development in Hillsboro.

The Central and East buildings, as they are now being called, will be completed by January 2015 and June 2015, respectively, said Gary Vance, development director for Vancouver, Wash.-based Holland Partners Group. The Central building will have 124 units and the East will have about twice that many, he said.

“The project will be similar to popular apartments in downtown (Portland) and the Pearl District,” Vance said. “It will have all the luxury amenities in the kitchens and bathrooms that the high-style renter desires in the current market.”

Construction of the so-called West building will begin in summer 2014 and be completed by early 2016, Vance said. The buildings will be named soon, he added.

Holland Construction is building the $120 million development north of the Orenco light rail station and west of Northwest 231st Avenue. The Platform District will include about 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a public plaza. The new buildings will include two levels of above-ground parking, plus four levels of housing. Additional parking will be made available behind the retail space and on the street, Vance said.

Ava Roasteria, a Beaverton-based café, restaurant and catering business, has signed a lease to occupy one of the spaces, Vance said.

“We are talking to other food retailers, (a) brewpub and other restaurants,” he said. “I anticipate this being a food-oriented retail cluster.”

The developer also is building a public plaza in exchange for credits on parks system development charges, Vance said. The plaza will have an interactive fountain, trees and a canopy feature, which will provide weather protection and be able to accommodate events like food festivals and concerts, he said. Hillsboro’s Parks & Recreation Department will own and operate the plaza.

Demand for housing in Hillsboro has been prompted by strong growth at Intel, Nike and other employers as well as aging inventory, Vance said.

Another developer, Portland-based REACH Community Development, plans to break ground in April on the Orchards at Orenco, a 57-unit apartment building on two acres nearby.

“When we were doing our research, we thought it was a prime location,” said Jessica Woodruff, a REACH project manager. “Hillsboro is booming with jobs.”

The $14 million project will be built using low-income housing tax credits and create mostly one-bedroom units geared toward single, employed people who each make $15,000 to $30,000 per year, Woodruff said. The build-out is expected to take a year, she said.