Much Ado About Mosier

Lean Green Development Scheme

By Tomi Owens, 1-04-07

The tiny town of Mosier lays five miles east of Hood River just across the border of Wasco County and within the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. Founded as a farming community in the mid-1800’s serving primarily as a train depot for Mosier Valley orchards the town is now under intense pressure to grow.

Local Media silence has finally been broken on Mosier Creek Place. Not by the HRNews or TDChronicle but by Columbia Gorge Magazine, a lifestyle glossy distributed throughout the Northwest. In a sugary article titled “Pace-setting Innovation and Style” CGM certainly puts the development project’s best foot forward—way, way forward.

Mosier Creek Place, a 34 unit townhouse development that stretches conspicuously alongside Hwy. 84, is lauded as a “high performance,” sustainable, and green building project, part of the nations “LEED for Homes” pilot project. By covering the roofs (all south-sloping) with solar panels, adding extra insulation and Energy-star appliances, and incorporating recycled building materials Seattle developer Peter Erickson has done his utmost to “go green” with his first Gorge undertaking. But green doesn’t mean cheap—the price tag for a two bedroom (1,537 sq ft) unit run between $349,000 and $385,000.

While the prices are not outrageous for the area—they seem steep for a modest condo that sits only a few hundred yards from a busy freeway and more or less on a heavily utilized commercial railroad.

Situated on a narrow, 5 acre strip of land between the Columbia Historic Highway and Hwy. 84, and within the town of Mosier's urban growth boundry, Mosier Creek Place is not subject to Scenic Act building restrictions. According to the Columbia Gorge Magazine article architects “made a conscious effort to minimize impact of the two-story townhomes’ exterior design by replicating the natural repetitive patterns that are found in the land formations that surround them.” Perhaps, more than anything else, it is the repetition that has earn Mosier Creek Place local nicknames such as “the Tenements,” “the Chicken Coops,” and the odds on favorite to stick “The Great Wall of Mosier.” A “crisp, modern look” is fine and even welcome—but the monotonous, nearly unbroken edifice has rankled Gorge residents’ sense of aesthetics from the beginning of construction. It seems likely that these condos will become occasional crashpads for the wealthy windsport elite who divide their time between Hood River, Baja and Maui.

But, despite its trendy-Green price tag, noisy location, and drone-like exterior, no one can fault the view from Mosier Creek Place. The town of Mosier sits on a wide, graceful bend on the Columbia. To the west sheer basalt cliffs frame summer sunsets in the Gorge. And across the river the grassy-green upsweeping hills of the Syncline are blessedly un-maimed by any land development. Yet.

Frankly, I can’t imagine anyone fighting harder to preserve those beautiful, unspoiled hills than the residents of Mosier Creek Place. After all, today’s Suckers are tomorrows NIMBYs.
[End of article]

Tomi,

Thank you for bringing some non-promotional attention to these townhomes. As a resident of Mosier, a professor of urban planning, and a former student of environmental studies, my attitude toward the development is extremely mixed. On the one hand - the selfish one that is, our view of the Columbia River is now littered with the rooftops of these "chicken coops", and I'm probably going to have to start sharing my dog-walking trail. On the other hand, they do have solar panels (which helped appease the environmentalist in me), they do - now that they're finally near completion - blend in with the landscape quite well, and at least they're compact and are not destroying our hillsides - unlike the rest of the developments now facing (or should I say de-facing) our little town of Mosier.

In all seriousness, though, my main disappointment in the project is this: In an area that is slowing pushing out the very residents it depends on (its service-sector employees), how can we justify allowing such a development without requiring any affordable housing units? This would have been a perfect opportunity to provide some entry-level housing for lower-wage residents who are invested in and committed to the area. Instead, what they'll likely turn into is summer homes for Californians (since I don't know any Northwesterner who would pay this much for a railroad-adjacent home with no property). Oh, if only all developers were as generous and community-minded as Michael Kitts (I couldn't find a project or company web link, but Michael Kitts Homes, Inc. developed the Katie's Way and other developments in Hood River that provide first-time home buyers with almost at-cost housing in exchange for "sticking around" for at least 2 to 4 years).

My real curiosity about the Mosier townhomes though, is how they're managing to coordinate open houses and property viewings around the train schedule! If any one has actually been inside one of the units when a train came barreling through the front yard, I would love to hear about it!

Thanks again for the article Tomi, and for bringing some attention to our "little town" of Mosier! Hollie

I know what you mean by "appease the enviromentalist in me." How can any of us 'green types' do anything but praise developers who make, no matter how small, an effort to make housing more sustainable.

However, I wonder if strings of condos lining the Columbia doesn't just go against the grain. Although, the do bet the heck out of the McMansions that a spreading on the hills.

Appreciate the "non-marketing, not paid for by the developer" article. Every article (newspaper and magazine) has been geared towards promoting the development. Everytime I drive by, I think of living there with the freeway and frequent train basically in the front yard, and the Historic Columbia Highway backing the property. I don't see any marketing mention of the noise. Even with a degree in environmental science with a focus on planning, I tried to envision the architecture taking into account the basalt cliffs in the backdrop, but I guess I am not that creative with my imagination. I also agree, they should have built them in two's or three's, not a long strip or "chicken coop."

Although the "chicken coops" are billed as being "green" energy homes, there is a serious catch. Purchasers of the units do not own the solar panels and do not have "free" energy. Instead, purchasers can buy, yes buy, energy at 15 percent below retail from the "chicken coop" developer. The solar system itself is available for purchase for $29,000 added to the already high listed prices. Even then, homeowners will not be able to sell their produced power back to the grid, as single-family homeowners can do. http://www.mosiercreek.com/alt-energy.html
Check it out for yourself.

Also, the developer, in my view, did nothing to conform to the scenic act. The homes are red and orange, which do not blend in with the natural beauty of the Gorge.

It's unfortunate that the town of Mosier is so short-sighted as to have approved this project. We can only hope that the "coop" will be leveled someday. Think of that potential as a facelift for Mosier, 50 years down the road.

You're right Temira, that the solar company (Mosier Creek Solar) will own the panels for the first 7 years. The units are a lot more energy efficient than more typical developments, though, which at least has environmental benefits if not economic ones. And as much as I hated to see the townhomes going up, I have to admit that the red and brown tones (http://www.mosiercreek.com/proj-photos.html) do blend in a lot better than the pink and yellow homes we have scattered across some of our hills. Again, design-wise, they could be worse.

As for the astronomical prices, I'm holding out that maybe, if they don't sell, market forces will make them affordable after all. (As of right now, only two or three units out of the 34 have sold, and - according to one of the property managers - most interest has come from Portlanders, Seattlites and others seeking second homes and summer retreats, not people who would be here contributing to the economy - or the community - year-round. There's a surprise!)

Many of the beautiful unspoiled spots in the Gorge--including the Coyote Syncline area, Pocket Park in Mosier, and the Twin Tunnels--remain undeveloped because of philanthropist Nancy Russell. I had the honor of meeting Nancy in Mosier last spring at a tribute lunch for her. I learned that some years ago the Coyote Syncline area had been slated for development of small acreage residential parcels which were dubbed "Farmettes". If Nancy and her late husband Bruce had not stepped in and purchased the land for protection, we would have a much different view of the Coyote Syncline. Thankfully, the land is now protected indefinitely, as part of Columbia Gorge Land Trust.

There is constant pressure on Federal, State and Local governments for development. Even when zoning and land use laws are in place, they can always be challenged in the courts (Big Box WalMart in Hood River; Rock Quarry in Mosier), at great expense to the governing agency. Or they can be overturned by "the will of the people" (Measure 37 referendum). Even the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve is at great risk from oil exploration, despite its "protected" status.

One of the ways that individuals can make a difference here in the Gorge is through support of The Columbia Gorge Land Trust. The CGLT is continuing Nancy's vision of protecting land in perpetuity, regardless of challenges in the courts, changes in land use laws or swings in the political environment. You can link to their website
http://www.gorgefriends.org/land/landtrust/index_html/view?searchterm=landtrust