Raleigh HIlls Townhomes | First Forty Feet

Raleigh Hills Townhomes

Project

Year

2024

Location

Washington County, Oregon

Client

Jared Revay

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The Challenge

Where Oregon’s housing future meets its timber future

In Washington County, Timberlab’s Jared Revay is building something deceptively modest: a cluster of middle-housing units on his own property. On the surface, the development reads as thoughtful infill — well-scaled buildings, generous daylight, and community-forward spaces. But the project is far more than its footprint. It represents a model for two of Oregon’s most urgent priorities: delivering housing options under the state’s new middle-housing code, and advancing mass-timber construction as a cornerstone of the regional economy. Oregon’s housing need is immediate and staggering, yet the state also possesses one of the most advanced timber innovation ecosystems in North America.

This project unites those imperatives. By pairing the flexibility of duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes with the strength and sustainability of glulam and GLT systems, the development demonstrates how infill housing can be built faster, cleaner, and with true regional benefit. The result is a place that expands housing choice and affordability while advancing the state’s mass-timber economy.

Middle Housing

Attached and detached townhouses join the existing home to form a small community within the neighborhood. Attached units define the street; detached homes gather around shared green space behind. The design shows how context-sensitive infill can add new housing while preserving the scale, character, and landscape of the neighborhood.

Site Design

Across the U.S., roughly 75% of residential land is still zoned for single-family homes—even in cities facing severe housing shortages. Middle housing, like the Raleigh Hills Homes, helps unlock this potential by introducing duplexes, triplexes, and cottage clusters that fit the scale of existing neighborhoods. Nationally, townhouses—the fastest-growing middle housing type—have increased by 29% since 2005, but that growth is still far outpaced by demand. Our work is about closing that gap, creating walkable, diverse communities where more people can find a home.

Cladding

The environmental benefits are equally compelling. Mass timber stores carbon rather than emitting it, offering a meaningful reduction in embodied greenhouse gas emissions. Prefabricated GLT panels accelerate construction and limit site impacts, reducing waste, noise, and truck trips — a significant advantage when building within existing neighborhoods. Inside, exposed wood and tall ceiling spans create warm, healthy, biophilic living environments, elevating everyday residential experience without relying on costly finishes. The buildings are fully electric and designed for high performance, extending the sustainability story beyond structure to long-term operations and occupant comfort.

Mass Timber Structure

Rather than relying on conventional wood framing or high-carbon materials, the project employs locally sourced glulam beams and glue-laminated timber (GLT) panels — value-added products manufactured here in the Pacific Northwest. That decision reverberates well beyond the site boundary. Every mass-timber member supports jobs across rural and urban Oregon: foresters, millworkers, fabricators, engineers, transport operators, and installers. By proving the viability of mass timber at the scale of neighborhood infill, the project opens the door for a new class of “right-sized” developers to follow suit — homeowners, small builders, and community-based organizations who can now see a path to delivering climate-positive housing with Oregon-made materials.

The Impact

Mass Timber as a Model for Middle Housing

This project is also a demonstration of Oregon’s evolving zoning and land-use vision. It leverages HB 2001 to bring middle-housing typologies to life in a way that feels natural and welcome within the neighborhood. Homes are intentionally right-sized, offering pathways for young households, first-time buyers, workforce renters, and downsizers seeking community without the cost or scale of traditional single-family lots. Carefully considered site planning balances privacy and shared spaces — stoops, courtyards, and bike-friendly amenities that support community interaction and healthier mobility patterns.

Together, these qualities position the project as a blueprint for a new development model in Oregon — one rooted in climate-smart materials, gentle density, and locally inspired craft. It shows that the future of housing is not about choosing between affordability, design quality, and sustainability. With mass timber as a structural foundation and middle housing as a planning framework, we can advance all three at once.

Jared Revay’s work in Washington County is not simply adding homes. It is demonstrating how Oregon can grow: by turning innovation into place, policy into lived experience, and local timber into lasting community value.