Happy Valley Crossroads East Featured in DJC Oregon

DJC Oregon
More commercial space for a growing metro area

A new retail venue in Happy Valley is nearly ready for tenants.

Happy Valley Crossroads East is being built on a 6-acre lot at the northeast corner of Southeast Sunnyside Road and 172nd Avenue – directly east of the existing Happy Valley Crossroads anchored by Fred Meyer. This new, six-building center will have 60,720 square feet of tenant space.

It’s the seventh retail center Gramor Development has brought to the Sunnyside Road corridor. For every 3,000 homes in a development plan, a shopping center anchored by the likes of Fred Meyer, Safeway or New Seasons can be supported, said Gramor’s director of leasing, Marc Strabic.

Roughly 30 years ago, the developer’s only retail venues in the area were Sunnyside Plaza and Sunnyside 205. But Happy Valley’s population has since climbed to more than 23,000 people with a median household income upwards of $125,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That enabled development of Sunnyside Marketplace, Sunnyside Village Square, Happy Valley Town Center and Happy Valley Crossroads.

Currently, approximately 28,000 housing lots either exist or are planned under Happy Valley’s development plan, Strabic said.

A number of retailers – including Stickmen Brewing Co., Willamette Valley Vineyards and Domino’s Pizza – have signed for space in Happy Valley Crossroads East, according to Gramor’s website.

“We really noticed that Happy Valley is becoming a big draw in the suburbs,” said Carissa Cook, development manager for Willamette Valley Vineyards.

The winery will open its third off-site tasting room, as well as a restaurant, at the new center. Happy Valley was selected in part, Cook said, because some customers already reside there and because the area is a little farther than other Portland-metro areas from Oregon wine country.

Strabic said he’s seeing more retailers and restaurateurs consider suburban opportunities because there’s less competition and consumer bases already exist.

Willamette Valley Vineyards’ 3,563-square-foot space will feature an outdoor seating area, and Stickman Brewing’s space, on the opposite side of the lot, will as well. Outdoor dining options are being constructed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Strabic said.

Happy Valley Crossroads East was designed by LRS Architects and built by CSI Construction. The center can hold 20-25 tenant spaces depending on how suites are split – currently, slightly fewer than half have been leased, Strabic said.

The project team expects core and shell construction to wrap by the end of the year. Then spaces will be turned over to tenants in January.

“As fast-growing as (Happy Valley) is, it’s going to continue to grow for a decade or more,” Strabic said