The Hillsboro Civic Center is a government-built, mixed-use development in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The development includes the city hall for the county seat of Washington County, located west of Portland, Oregon. Covering 6acre, the Civic Center has a total of over 165000sqft in the complex. The total of six stories for the main structure makes the building the tallest in the city, tied with Tuality Community Hospital. In addition to government offices, the Civic Center includes retail space, public plazas, and residential housing. The complex was built to centralize city government functions under one roof.Design of the complex began in 2002, with construction beginning in 2003. After completion in 2005, the building was awarded the LEED Gold certification for sustainability, the second city hall in the United States to earn that distinction. Environmentally friendly technologies used include occupancy sensors, ventilation that monitors carbon dioxide levels to determine when to activate, high performance exterior glass to reduce heat loss, and solar panels to generate electricity.HistoryPlans for the 6acre complex began as part of the city’s 2020 comprehensive plan. Development plans from six teams of developers and architects were submitted to the city in October 2001. These plans included designs for public plazas, a library branch, residential units, retail space, and a new city hall. Formal design proposals were submitted in early 2002. The project was designed to consolidate city government and to anchor redevelopment of the downtown core that would reinvigorate downtown. This included the plan to turn the area into a zone with 18 hours of activity each day, instead of businesses closing at 5:00 pm when the city and county governments closed. Additionally, conference space was planned to accommodate use by both city and county governments, and by private groups.
