Jay
Your Hillsboro, Oregon development does not really represent urban sprawl, Hillsboro is its own entity, the development in blocks from the Hillsboro Airport. It is located in the appropriate area in that it is filling in gaps. It is areas west, Cornelius and Forest Grove that remain agricultural communities that are wary of Metro and are ready willing and able to be heard at town halls and in council chambers. Washington county commissioners need to be stout.
My house is 11 miles from downtown Portland, 15 minutes drive I-5, 25 minutes tops in"bad" traffic – I'm on a half acre. My school district provides a quality education mostly reserved for private schools, in fact LO charges tuition for out of district residents, our Foundation (PTA) generates more revenue to supplement the school budget every year than some larger districts can muster in a decade.
So… what do retirees have to do with anything? Most of them will have shrugged this mortal coil before twenty years time. Your development is a subdivision in the Tualatin Valley, it is a part and will be part of Hillsboro, It is not the city with the flavor of Portland,
In short, it isn't a choice between a house with a yard or living off a hallway. Your residential lots will be a fifth the size of my property and twice the distance to Portland. There are lots available in my neighborhood.I go to Portland or through it daily , residents in your development will work close to home shop and eat close to home will go to Beaverton. Portland will only be an occasional destination. A buyer is buying one lot, they are looking for value, large tracts of land converted to comprehensive new communities is too canned, too vanilla unappealing. Fortunately for those that cannot read the writing on the wall there is bankruptcy court, that statement does not apply to you and this development, in fact our Aussie colleagues would do well to invest in it ,.REALLY HERE IS THE LINK  http://www.americanrealestateinvesting.com/ .Gee property sales seem slow today, I have time to be on this forum, I wonder why?

Thank-you John. Like most things, if your good at something it is easier. When I was an educator and counselor working with gang effected teenagers it was easy to get up for work and easy to feel good about what I did, the work…well, it was never easy but most of my college educated friends thought the job seemed impossible let alone difficult.If you are an effective PM then you are obviously taking to heart what people say in those exit polls and care about the conditions within which they live. in the long run happier tenants make fewer problems. and that in turn reduces costs and keeps the rent flowing and makes for happy owners. It is an old fashioned idea that good business keeps everyone happy not just merely satisfied. Your buildings likely have a good reputation, on the street where the renters lurk, and among owners. Keep up the good work'
Did urban sprawl lead to urban blight and is that as large a problem as it hasbeen made out to be in KC?.

One last note, money spent on a bridge over Highway 26 to accommodate potential traffic on the outer west side would have been better spent on the Sellwood Bridge an essential artery…all done.

Thank-you. I am very familiar with the area, my best friend worked at Jackson Middle school and managed apartments a few blocks from this project. I have forwarded the link to the powers that be. I will say this though, Metro does not always make friends where it goes and there is organized opposition to it development plans. Farmers and family businesses surviving in these tough times are not hip to having industry and its effluent moving in next door. Growth, progress and the opportunity for investors to make a buck are not as high a priority as maintaining community dynamics. Also, this development will require roads to be widened, more traffic equals more traffic control. In short Metro's development plans will most certainly inconvenience the people already in place, certain businesses holding on by a thread won't be able to survive the construction period. A company like Walmart, on the other hand, can bank on the potential, build a store and operate at a loss for two or three years while jobs and housing are created. This is a classic "not in my backyard" issue. Portland area grows by about 40,000 people per year. Locals would prefer learning the lessons of our recent past and would prefer Metro stop encouraging urban blight by having a comprehensive plan to create a complete community 40 minutes from town when there are empty buildings and entire blocks available in the NW industrial district and half empty office buildings in downtown. These locations already have the port of Portland, is at the hub of the highway system (I-5), adequate roads for high volume truck traffic, and has integrated rail.
OK, the cat is out of the bag, I do not like Metro's plan. Politicians want more revenue from taxes, corporate CEOs want to build and maintain a company town. Many people believe that the politicians are working for the money and that lobbying, campaigning, graft, corruption and blatantly selling out has replaced common sense and public service for the greater good. Imagine that, where do some people get their ideas?
Intel through its aggressive hiring and firing practices has made enemies of ex-employees and vendors as well as competitors. Their campus is a shining example of transforming an area.
Be careful.

There is what has been called the Small House Movement starting here in the US and its effects are going to have a major impact on the way people live in mid-west cities that have been subject to urban sprawl. Kansas City comes to mind, simply put there were no physical boundaries to prevent developers from building pleasant suburbs within a reasonable drive from town. People given the same pocketbook often made the choice to buy a new house and send their children to the new school,.. I'm sure the story is familiar to everyone, sorry.
It is truly an ugly situation to buy an apartment building and end up having to take your lumps and throw in the towel, but imagine how it would be to be the tenant that never paid late and perhaps took time to help decorate for the holidays. Moving sucks.
In a "pocket neighborhood" a developer builds individual tiny houses – from 350' sq. to 1350' sq.- and places them on small lots. The effect is great. I always come back to energy costs, these houses address that issue. Efficient living, more simple living, less work to maintain, having a space that meets your needs…I would love to have tenants that find this appealing. In this situation individual tenants aren't a bad apple, they are not abusing community resources such as utilities, and liability issues are less and insurance is less. Even if the developer decides to have an HOA and provide a recreation/community center the costs and issues will be less than in a conventional apartment building. The developer can also sell individual homes, or sets of homes, and could opt to lease them.
With tax incentives and ever lowering costs for energy efficient choices; new small homes, tiny homes and cabins are going to be a popular choice. At over $3.00/gal for gas that commute from the suburbs is a cost many (most) Americans will consider.
On a more personal note, my son will soon be getting his Engineering degree. When in high school he and his smarty pants friends did not seem to care about getting a driver's license or  to work out how to get a car. Some more affluent families gave their kid's cars. It seemed parents wanted their kids to get a license so they would stop asking for rides, or so they could help with siblings or errands.With the emergence of the laptop, we may be seeing an end of America's love affair with the automobile. It is just as well for environmental reasons but honestly the American automobile industry has been far from lovable.
Anyway check out Tumbleweed Tiny House Co., Texas Tiny Homes and Ross Chapin Architects on-line to see a range of possibilities
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Seems like a cruise ship without the water. Once "on board" you don't pay for anything. Hopefully the Pacific Northwest is in the itinerary. I'm sure we will hear more details as the dates get closer.

The history lesson is valuable, I personally inherited a 5 acre parcel in Lucern Valley California, desert. It had been presented as a soon to be developed subdivision where you could live your wild west fantasy. This was in the 1950's and indeed the development was a fantasy – my father received it from his elderly friend for back taxes in the 80's then it became mine. It was unsellable, until Bally Fitness and a theater chain corner-stoned a strip mall at the intersection of Apple Valley Road and The Pearblossom Highway. When the power grid and other utilities reached out into the desert to that point, tens of thousands of acres suddenly went from zero value to +/- $5000/acre.
With Google Earth, the internet and my telephone I can determine which properties are solid choices when buying. Most vacant land is buildable, some may require engineering. Honestly it would take about 10 minutes of actual work to determine from a given county if there are building restrictions on a given parcel. Local real estate agents can also let you know if a given street or area are compromised by environmental issues, bad neighbors or blight. This is the 21st century, you can build almost anywhere if you are willing to pay to do so. Spending $40K to put in a well and pump may be daunting – but it does represent a potential money maker. Once you bring water to the surface, your property and your neighbor's land becomes more valuable. If your well is deep and expensive, then your water will be less expensive to buy than it would be for your neighbors to get their own.
In short it is true companies in the US buy properties for pennies on the dollar as described above, but with the recent readjustment in the US market, IE crash, there are a ton of properties available. These companies buy and sell many parcels, why would they, we, want to buy a stinker?  Buyers are gold, we want testimonials, referrals and repeat business, all companies in competitive business in a tight market do. If a company finds out one of their properties is not worth the dirt it is, then they are better served to sit on it – put it on the back burner – sell it to a next door neighbor or wait until urban renewal or civilization corrects the issue.
Be wary of businesses that have no history or an obscure one, they may be a shell attempting to unload "swamp land". On the other hand, if a company has been in business and survived through the last 5 years, through recent events, then the company's owner is reputable and likely has a keen eye.

 One of the tools I use every day is Google Earth. I can view properties and in most urban and suburban areas in the U.S.A. – take a virtual drive down the street.