Problem Made Pretty
Designing Access at Our Nye Beach Project
Some of the best design solutions come from the most stubborn problems.
We're currently wrapping up a 12-unit development just a three-minute walk from the shops and restaurants of historic Nye Beach, one of the more charming corners of the Oregon coast. The site has a lot going for it. What it doesn't have is an easy relationship with gravity. One side drops steeply enough that for most of this build, it has looked less like a residential hillside and more like a beginner ski run.
Access has been on our minds since day one. The site has narrow driveway entry, shared and street parking, and a grade that makes carrying groceries feel like an athletic endeavor. So we got thoughtful about the staircase.
Mark and Josh keeping each other and the level honest. Keeping the stair stringers perfectly level helps keep the stair decking stable and long lasting- which keeps the user safe for many years to come!
The result is something we're genuinely proud of. At street level, a wide concrete stair creates a welcoming threshold, broad enough that a tenant can wheel their bike down while catching up with a neighbor. At the first landing, a compass rose is set into the ground, oriented true north. It's a small detail, but it's the kind of thing that makes a place feel considered.
From there, the stair widens as it transitions from the public sidewalk into the quieter privacy of the residential entry. Flanked by stone-terraced landscaping, a wooden stair carries residents the rest of the way home, leaning into the surf cottage character that defines this part of Newport. Below, a finished basement houses the site's bike lockers and storage units, tucked away and secure.
We're excited to have clean secondary site access as we push toward completion this summer. But more than that, we're happy with what this staircase became: a genuine amenity, not just a workaround. That's the goal on every project.
Still under construction, we can’t wait to see the compass rose landing when we have the site graded, the landscaping in, the finished stair treads installed, all the exterior paint finished….. We have a lot to do still! But look at how nice this is going to be!
