Three adjacent single-family housing developments on a ridge in Clackamas, Ore., located about 15 miles southeast of Portland as the crow flies, symbolize the unprecedented housing boom in the Pacific Northwest and United States as a whole that started in the mid-1990s. Well, at least insofar as their location's topography is concerned, anyway.

A look at the Southern Ridge 1 and 3 and Lyon Crown Ridge developments that total more than 150 lots would have one believe that "They're building houses everywhere these days"-even on a ridge that rises the equivalent of several stories above the nearest main road to the south, providing a view of Mt. Hood over the area's treetops.

Of course, by mid-2008 the housing market had slowed dramatically here. But when it rebounds, this will be prime real estate in the Portland market and high-end homes will be built here, largely due to the location and the views that it will afford. The largest of the three developments, 24-acre Southern Ridge 1, was put on hold until the market rebounds but eventually will have 73 lots with an average size of nearly 11,000 square feet. The developer, SR One Development, LLC of Portland, notes that the development is close to several shopping areas and work centers and has a direct connection to Interstate 205. The development will also include about five acres of open space with a trail system, as well as a community park to be developed by the Sunrise Water District. Not surprisingly, the site appraisal notes that most of the lots will slope downhill, sideways or both.

Development of Southern Ridge 3, which will have 40 lots, is dependent on completion of Southern Ridge 1, according to developer Sunnyside Construction and Development, Inc. of Clackamas. The lots will average 8,000 square feet and sit on the same topography as the ones on Southern Ridge 1. The third development on the ridge, Lyon Crown Ridge, will also have 40 lots. The developer, Sequoia Custom Homes of Wilsonville, Ore., reports that the lots would be available for presale by fall of 2009 and that five custom home floor plans from Haggart Luxury Homes, Clackamas, would be available.

Topographical challenges
That topography was what Brian Clopton Excavating, Inc. of Sherwood, Ore., faced when it began grading the entire 50-acre site in mid-2007.