Former Beaverton’s Buffet Palace property to soon receive breath of life with mixed-use development

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, July 29, 2025

A developer will be selected to renovate 1.6 acres of property on the corner of Hall Boulevard and Center Street

A long-shuttered Beaverton restaurant will soon get a facelift as the city gears up to select a developer to build a mixed-use, multi-story housing development in a gateway to the Cedar Hills retail district.

On June 19, the Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency closed the application period for those who want to redevelop 1.6 acres of property that includes the former Buffet Palace restaurant at 12570 S.W. Center St.

The 10,000-square-foot, buffet-style restaurant fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the building has been tenantless ever since.

“The selected development team will deliver a transit-oriented, mid-to-high-rise, mixed-use housing development with ground-floor commercial space that helps further an Arts and Innovation District identity,” stated a city document sent to prospective developers.

The future development is just a stone’s throw from the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.

Agency asking for a few extras

The acreage was purchased by the redevelopment agency and is separate from the adjacent Hall Street Center complex — which includes Decarli restaurant and John’s Marketplace — according to Janiene Lambert, the Beaverton Community Development’s senior development project manager.

“We are selling the land to the prospective developer, like any private property owner would, and we’re asking for a few extra things,” Lambert said of what is being dubbed the Hall + Center Site. “I feel good that we got more than one response.”

Among those extras is a request for a “landmark structure with active ground-floor commercial uses anchored at (the) corner of Southwest Hall and Southwest Center.”

The developer would be allowed to construct a structure up to 120 feet tall with a focus on incorporating unique architecture and public art.

The city also wants attention paid to sustainability, with the Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency asking for a “green building” that retains mature trees in the area and is mindful of the  geese that cross the street into the area because of property’s proximity to Beaverton Creek.

In addition, the agency wants the project to serve a wide range of individuals with an emphasis on inclusivity.

More area construction expected

Lambert said city staff plans to interview developers in August before making a recommendation to the city redevelopment agency in late September.

Meanwhile, just down the block, Beaverton is moving forward with development of a 2-acre site known as Lombard West. Near the Beaverton Transit Center, plans call for a mix of affordable and market-rate, multi-family housing.

“We actually acquired both the Lombard West site property and (Center Street) property from the same owner at the same time,” Lambert said.

The plan calls for the construction of 131 affordable housing units and 100 market-rate units in two buildings along the TriMet MAX light rail line. Community Partners for Affordable Housing, a Tualatin-founded nonprofit that has built affordable communities around the Portland metro area, will build the affordable housing portion of the project. Urban Development Partners, a real estate acquisition and development company, will be responsible for the market-rate units.

Both agencies will receive significant BURA subsidies, Lambert said.

.