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One of the newest developments along light rail in the Portland-metro area, Hub 9, is set to open later this month. The six-story mixed-use building sits within Hillsboro’s Orenco Station neighborhood, directly across from a MAX station offering service throughout the metro area.

This is merely the latest step to ensure the neighborhood is connected, according to Megan Gibb, transit-oriented development program manager for Metro.

鈥淚f you go back a long time ago, there was a large public-private partnership around Orenco,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was a long history of planning for that station. It’s really been a very phased neighborhood development over time.鈥�

The history of Orenco Station dates back to the 1800s, when it was homesteaded. Eventually the land became the town of Orenco, named after the Oregon Nursery Co., which owned the land for a time. When the business closed in 1938, the town disincorporated.

Flash forward to 1993, when the entire area around Orenco was zoned for industrial use. A decision was made to bring light rail to the metro area’s west end, and Metro and the city of Hillsboro agreed to require that use of surrounding land be transit-oriented. The city then decided it wanted the Orenco Station area to be a 鈥渢own center鈥� in Metro’s 2040 Growth Plan.

The area has developed over three real estate cycles. The first included the mixed-use town center and adjacent residential space north of Cornell Road. The second phase included three-story apartment and condominium buildings built around 2005 and 2006 slightly south of Cornell Road. Hub 9 is part of the final phase.

Hub 9 was developed by Holland Partner Group, which also served as the contractor. Leeb Architects LLC was the architect. The building’s 124 apartments 鈥� either studios, one-bedroom units or two-bedroom units 鈥� were leased completely within three months.

鈥淚t’s clearly been well-received by the market,鈥� Hillsboro Planning Director Colin Cooper said. 鈥淲e’re excited about being able to provide a place where our tech workers 鈥� consider urban and some of our older residents 鈥� choose to downsize and be in an exciting pedestrian environment.鈥�

Hub 9 has three eateries 鈥� Ava Roasteria, 9 Dang Thai and Schmizza Public House 鈥� that are expected to contribute to the area’s vibrancy and safety. Other amenities include bike parking, secure car parking, a rooftop courtyard, multiple social gathering spaces, proximity to Orenco Plaza for community events, and a fitness center.

鈥淲e’re seeing that people are really starting to understand the value of transit access,鈥� Gibb said. 鈥淧art of it is appealing to a different demographic. Millennials like to be in urban areas, they like walkable districts, they like having choices for transportation. Some older people are doing that too. They’re moving back into the city to be with grandkids, or because they’re tired of driving. There’s kind of a dual shift going on there in terms of the market economics and the demographic shift that’s increased the interest in transit access.

鈥淓mployers are also recognizing that if they want to attract employees, they want to be in places that have options for people other than driving 45 minutes to get to their job.鈥�

The grand opening for Hub 9 is scheduled for Oct. 26, from 4 to 5 p.m.