2008 Woodie Awards
Hillsboro Campus to Expand
City approval leads to new additions of Hillsboro campus
Geoffrey Pursinger
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News
Pacific is growing by the day. The recently completed Hillsboro campus, home to Pacific's health professions, is in the works to receive a second building as well as parking garage sometime in the near future.
But what seemed like an easy idea became harder when Hillsboro residents who live near the campus filed an appeal to the land use Board of Appeals to stop them from building the structures.
"The city has a code that a buildings height inthat area can't be over two stories if they are closer than 100 feet to property line," said Sara Hopkins-Powell, dean of Health Professions.
"The problem with that is the block we're building on is not square. In a square block it would give room to build, but we don't have that so we requested variance of 32 feet to the planning commission."
The planning commission initially turned down the variance - which would allow them to bypass the building code - but the city of Hillsboro later overturned decision.
The building will move the psychology department, who currently split their time between Hillsboro and downtown Portland campuses, it will allow for research space for the pharmacy faculty. It will be home to the anatomy and physiology departments - currently being housed in Price Hall - as well as have room for occupational therapy to new building and a psychology clinic.
To help build the structures the school has applied for federal support. "We received $7 million from the state last year," said Hopkins-Powell. "We are asking for another $5 million from the federal government."
The parking garage, or intermodal trasit facility, and second health professions building are joint operations between Tuality Hospital, the city of Hillsboro and Pacific University."It's a shared facility," said Hopkins-Powell. The city of Hillsboro would technically own the facility.
As of press it was unknown exactly what the neighborhood appealists were upset about or why they had submitted the appeal.
"They don't have to say why," said Hopkins-Powell.
"We were hoping to start right away," said Hopkins-Powell.
Production is currently halted until the appeal is decided.
But what seemed like an easy idea became harder when Hillsboro residents who live near the campus filed an appeal to the land use Board of Appeals to stop them from building the structures.
"The city has a code that a buildings height inthat area can't be over two stories if they are closer than 100 feet to property line," said Sara Hopkins-Powell, dean of Health Professions.
"The problem with that is the block we're building on is not square. In a square block it would give room to build, but we don't have that so we requested variance of 32 feet to the planning commission."
The planning commission initially turned down the variance - which would allow them to bypass the building code - but the city of Hillsboro later overturned decision.
The building will move the psychology department, who currently split their time between Hillsboro and downtown Portland campuses, it will allow for research space for the pharmacy faculty. It will be home to the anatomy and physiology departments - currently being housed in Price Hall - as well as have room for occupational therapy to new building and a psychology clinic.
To help build the structures the school has applied for federal support. "We received $7 million from the state last year," said Hopkins-Powell. "We are asking for another $5 million from the federal government."
The parking garage, or intermodal trasit facility, and second health professions building are joint operations between Tuality Hospital, the city of Hillsboro and Pacific University."It's a shared facility," said Hopkins-Powell. The city of Hillsboro would technically own the facility.
As of press it was unknown exactly what the neighborhood appealists were upset about or why they had submitted the appeal.
"They don't have to say why," said Hopkins-Powell.
"We were hoping to start right away," said Hopkins-Powell.
Production is currently halted until the appeal is decided.
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