The Oregonian - Thursday, October 20, 2005
DAVID R. ANDERSON

BEAVERTON -- The Round at Beaverton Central is about to get a little more luster, thanks to a $200,000 grant from Metro.

The developer will use the money to design a sister cities garden at the Round and improve the appearance of the fountain next to MAX light rail.

The Beaverton City Council approved the transfer last week. It's one more sign that the relationship between Dorn-Platz Properties and city officials is improving since the city threatened to seize the development because the project had fallen behind schedule.

Metro, the regional government, approved the grant in 2002, but the money sat unused as the city and Dorn-Platz bickered. The dispute was resolved in June when the two sides settled a pair of lawsuits and created a new schedule for Dorn-Platz to finish the project by spring 2008.

The $120 million development, along light rail west of Southwest Hall Boulevard, eventually will have eight mixed-use buildings with offices, stores, condominiums and two parking garages.

The grant comes from federal transportation money in Metro's Transit-Oriented Development program. The total amount of the grant is $600,000. The city hasn't decided how it will use the rest of the money, said Linda Adlard, the city's chief of staff. It might be spent in other parts of the downtown.

However, the remaining $400,000 is earmarked for the Round, said Karen Kane, a Metro spokeswoman.

The grant's purpose is to improve public features required of the developer.

The sister cities garden, which will be created in an area west of Southwest Watson Avenue and south of the light-rail line, will honor Beaverton's five sister cities.

The garden will be installed after the adjacent office building is finished.

The grant will also pay for decorative stone to cover the plain concrete face of the fountain.

At the Round, work is continuing on a seven-story parking garage expected to be finished by Jan. 1, said John Morrow, Dorn-Platz vice president.

After the garage is completed, Dorn-Platz will begin construction on a three-story office building between the 24-Hour Fitness building and the light-rail line.

"Things are going very well," Morrow said.

The developer is drafting a lease for a tenant who will use about half of the vacant office space on the top two floors of the 24-Hour Fitness building. Morrow declined to name the tenant. The new tenant will mean that building is 80 percent leased, Morrow said.

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David R. Anderson: 503-294-5199; davidanderson@news.oregonian.com

©2005 The Oregonian