Andy Green

Calling all local companies! As September approaches so does the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's (BTA) Bike Commute Challenge: a month-long competition between workplaces throughout Oregon and SW Washington to see who can bike to work more. Registration for this year's Challenge opens next Monday, August 17th. Visit www.bikecommutechallenge.com and stay tuned for more details about this year's Challenge.

Residents living in the Villebois neighborhood in Wilsonville, Oregon, will have a leg up (or rather, a pedal up!) on their competition by living in a transit-oriented community. Located just a short walk or bike ride from the area's Westside Express Service (WES) station, Villebois allows residents easy access to all corners of the Portland metropolitan area via the new commuter rail.

As a transit-oriented community, Villebois works in tandem with the BTA's mission of creating a healthier environment by reducing carbon emissions and other environmentally adverse effects of driving cars. Not to mention, bicycling to work and beyond is a wonderful way to stay healthy.

For more information about the bike and pedestrian-friendly aspects of the Villebois Village Center, please visit www.ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with New Home Specialist Andy Green with Costa Pacific Homes by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.

Dreyer's Ice Cream recently hosted its Slow Churned^® Neighborhood Salute ice cream party contest, and the award-winning Villebois community in Wilsonville, Ore. was selected as a Grand Prize winner TWICE out of hundreds of thousands of neighborhoods from across the nation. The neighborhood-wide ice cream social will be held at 7 p.m. on Aug. 15 in Sofia Park at the heart of the Villebois neighborhood.

Earlier this Spring, Villebois residents submitted essays to Dreyer's, nominating their community and explaining why Villebois should be selected to win FREE Dreyer's Slow Churned^® Light ice cream and a Party in a Box with all the necessary supplies to host a summer block party for friends and neighbors. Two Villebois residents, Andy Green and Allison Sherman, submitted well-written essays that were selected by Dreyer's amongst this year's winners.

Both Green and Sherman received disposable cameras, ice cream scoops and paper products supplied by Dreyer's in their Party in a Box. The popular ice cream company has requested the cameras be used to chronicle the event with photos that can be posted by Dreyer's on their website.

"While we residents knew it all along, we are excited that Dreyer's recognized what a wonderful community Villebois is by awarding us with this party," says Green. "I can't think of a better way to bring neighbors and families together than over a bowl of ice cream."

Located just south of Portland, Ore., the Villebois neighborhood is a transit-oriented, master-planned community that will eventually host 2,600 single- and multi-family homes, more than 35,000 square feet of retail space and 160 acres of parks and communal green space.

The Villebois Events Committee (V.E.C.) will host the Villebois ice cream party at 7 p.m. on Aug. 15. For more information about the Villebois Village Center, please visit: www.ChangeHowYouLive.com or call 866.580.2836.

Costa Pacific Homes recently announced that it is now taking reservations on the newest homes to be constructed in the Village Center of the renowned master planner and developer's latest neighborhood, Villebois in Wilsonville, Oregon.

The next homes to grace the hub of the award-winning Villebois neighborhood will be the Trafalgar Flats. These one- and two-bedroom single-level homes will range in size between 725 and 1,102 square feet and will offer buyers open, airy great room floor plans including living rooms, dining area and kitchen. Together, the two 3-story buildings that constitute the Trafalgar Flats will soon break ground and will host 39 homes. Priced starting in the mid-$100,000s, these elevator-served condominiums include a secured garage and access to the Villebois community's many amenities.

"We have accepted the first reservations on the new Trafalgar Flats and we are now taking reservations for the remaining homes in these unique buildings," says Costa Pacific CEO Rudy Kadlub. "These homes offer a complementary lifestyle to the homes currently constructed in the Villebois community, and yet we are pleased to offer a housing product that is so affordable in today's real estate market."

In addition to the Trafalgar Flats, Costa Pacific Homes will also break ground soon on the new Carvalho Carriages, which will feature a 594-square foot, one-bedroom, one-level floor plan. These new homes will join the homes already in existence in the Villebois Village Center, the Seville Rows and the Carvalho Condominiums. These new homes range in price between $291,900 and $518,900.

For more information about the future construction plans in the Villebois Village Center, please visit: www.ChangeHowYouLive.com or contact Costa Pacific New Home Specialist Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or Info@CostaPacific.com.

Salem-News.com recently reported that Oregon's Governor Ted Kulongoski has proclaimed this week (August 2nd through August 9th) to be Oregon Farmers' Market Week. With more than 100 farmers markets operating in Oregon and 90 markets belonging to the Oregon Farmers' Markets Association (OFMA), this new proclamation from the Governor's Office further emphasizes the Beaver State's growing trend toward sustainable living.

According to Salem-News.com, over the past 10 years the number of Oregon farmers markets has more than doubled. This success is due to the support and resources of OFMA. Farmers markets in Oregon provide income for more than 1,000 local family-owned farms and supply fresh produce to more than 100,000 customers each week during peak market season. Farmers markets in Oregon also help support low-income families through the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Senior Farm Direct Coupons. They also give customers the opportunity to learn about locally grown, fresh food.

With the help of the Health Hunger Nutrition Initiative from the Governor's Office and the Department of Human Services, more than half of Oregon's farmers' markets participate in the Oregon Trail Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) program. This includes several new markets founded in 2009. According to an article by Salem-News.com, the Oregon Farmers' Market Association's (OFMA) mission is to sustain and promote Oregon farmers' markets while building community support and economic stability for Oregon's family farms, small food producers, processors and artisans. To read the full article or to watch a video of the news coverage of the Governor's declaration, please click here.

The Villebois Sunday Market in Wilsonville, Oregon's award-winning Villebois community was founded in 2009 and offers a variety of fresh food and Northwest-grown goods for neighbors to sample and purchase. From fresh vegetables and herbs to homemade crafts and tasty treats like kettle korn, barbeque and gelato, Wilsonville's farmers market is a great place for local residents to shop for everything from groceries to gifts. Click here to watch a video featuring the Villebois Sunday Market. To see a full list of market vendors, visit www.VilleboisSundayMarket.com.

THIS WEEKEND AT THE VILLEBOIS SUNDAY MARKET!

Goldenwood Farm, which sells goat milk soap at the Villebois Sunday Market, recently celebrated the birth of two goats! Come to the market this Sunday, August 9th, to meet them yourself!

For more information about the Villebois Sunday Market, including driving directions and details about volunteering or participating in the farmers market, visit www.VilleboisSundayMarket.com. Or call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com for additional information.

Graham Oaks Nature Park near the award-winning Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, recently received a $500,000 grant earmarked for a parking lot, restroom, picnic shelter, trail system, bridges, boardwalks, interpretive signage and public art. These upgrades will be funded through the Measure 66 Parks and Salmon lottery funds administered by the Oregon Recreation and Parks Department.

The upgrades to Graham Oaks Nature Park begin this month. The nature park eventually will connect to the region via the Tonquin Trail, which will allow people to experience woodlands, wetlands and meadows. The looped trail system will serve as a link to Wilsonville-area neighborhoods with two connections to the Villebois community and a connection through Graham Oaks Nature Park at Merryfield Neighborhood Park to Wood Middle and Boones Ferry Primary schools.

The developer of the Villebois neighborhood, Costa Pacific Communities, believes a vibrant community needs to have open space so residents can experience the great outdoors without having to load up a car and take a trip. That's why almost one third of the Villebois neighborhood is comprised of breathtaking parks and open spaces. In addition to bike and pedestrian paths, there are also formal parks for hosting neighborhood gatherings and activities. A 30-acre greenway wraps around the Village Center, and a natural upland forest houses preserved oak and fir trees. Villebois will also feature a variety of mixed-use parks for skating, tennis, and basketball, and dog parks for man's best friend.

For more information about the Villebois Village Center and the community's commitment to sustainability and the environment, visit www.ChangeHowYouLive.com or call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com.

* Content contributed by Vickie Kavanagh