Urban Meadows is a 68-lot neighborhood on NE Lockwood Creek Road in La Center, right next to La Center Middle School and about ten minutes from I-5. Most of the lots belong to Urban NW Homes, which builds 15 one-level and two-story plans here from $599,900 to $849,900. Generation Homes Northwest has built on a few lots as well. The lots run about 7,500 square feet, bigger than most new subdivisions closer to Vancouver, and many of the plans have three-car garages.
What makes it worth a look is the combination: a small-town address with all three La Center schools within a five-minute drive, and homes that Urban NW certifies to the National Green Building Standard and ENERGY STAR. It suits families who want room and a short school run, and buyers who care about energy performance and indoor air. The tradeoff is the commute: downtown Vancouver is about 30 minutes away and Portland about 40 in light traffic.
Community overview
Builders: Urban NW Homes (most lots) and Generation Homes Northwest; at least one other local builder has also built and sold a home here Location: NE Lockwood Creek Rd and E 24th Ave, inside La Center city limits, next to La Center Middle School (October 2026) Status: Now selling; about 32 of the 68 homes have closed to owners, and Urban NW lists five homes for sale (October 2026) Pricing: Urban NW base plans $599,900 to $849,900; Generation "starting in the low $600s" (October 2026) Home sizes: About 1,450 to 3,370 sq ft, 3 to 6 bedrooms, 2- and 3-car garages (October 2026) Homesites: 68 lots on the Urban Meadows plat, recorded July 2024 (October 2026) Lots: About 7,300 to 10,100 sq ft, most near 7,500 (October 2026) HOA: About $96 to $97 a month, per recent MLS listings (September 2026) Schools: La Center School District: La Center Elementary, Middle and High (October 2026) Sales office: Urban NW model at 2313 NE Lockwood Creek Rd; Urban NW lists daily hours of 10 to 5, while its home listings say Wednesday to Sunday 11 to 4, so tell us when you'd like to go and we'll confirm the hours and set up the visit (October 2026)
The homes
Urban NW Homes
Urban NW publishes 15 plans for Urban Meadows. Bedroom and bath counts are the base configuration; several plans add rooms as options.
| Plan | Sq ft | Bed / bath | Garage | Base price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont | 1,447 | 3 / 2 | 2-car | $599,900 |
| Woodbridge | 1,627 | 3 / 2 | 2-car | $639,900 |
| Ashton | 1,931 | 3 / 2 | 2-car | $679,900 |
| Chapman | 2,006 | 3 / 2 | 2-car | $704,900 |
| Arbor | 2,242 | 5 / 2.5 | 2-car | $709,900 |
| Albina | 2,072 | 3 / 2 | 3-car | $729,900 |
| Magnolia | 2,172 | 4 / 2 | 2-car | $739,900 |
| Holbrook | 2,136 | 3 / 2 | 2-car | $749,900 |
| Kearney | 2,265 | 3 / 3 | 3-car | $754,900 |
| Woodstock | 2,521 | 5 / 3 | 3-car | $759,900 |
| Pettygrove | 2,621 | 3 / 2.5 | 3-car | $769,900 |
| Heathman | 2,815 | 3 / 3 | 2-car | $789,900 |
| Cambridge | 2,930 | 5 / 3 | 3-car | $809,900 |
| Dayton | 2,982 | 4 / 3 | 3-car | $829,900 |
| Laurelwood | 3,370 | 6 / 3 | 3-car | $849,900 |
Homes for sale now (October 2026):
- 169 E Airedale Ave (lot 56): Chapman, single-level, 2,006 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath, $699,900, ready now
- 2341 E Foxtrot St (lot 25): Cambridge, 2,930 sq ft, 5 bed, 2.5 bath, 3-car, $799,900; Urban NW listed it for September; if it's on your list, we'll find out whether it's finished
- 225 E 24th Ave (lot 19): Pettygrove, 2,621 sq ft, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 3-car, $769,900, ready in November
- 140 E Airedale Ave (lot 39): Woodstock, 2,521 sq ft, 5 bed, 3 bath, 3-car, $749,900, ready in December
- 2214 E Dalmatian Dr (lot 3): a "Pick Your Plan" corner lot near the park, listed from $599,900 with completion in January; the final price depends on the plan you choose
Urban NW's site still shows the Albina at 151 E Airedale Ave as available, but it closed in September 2026 at $640,000, which is a useful recent comparison for the single-level plans.
What's included: 9-foot ceilings on the main floor, alder cabinets, granite or quartz kitchen counters with a full subway-tile backsplash, laminate wood floors in the kitchen and great room, LVT in the baths and laundry, a heat pump with air conditioning, a heat-pump water heater, front landscaping with sprinklers, a fully fenced backyard and a covered back patio of at least 100 square feet. The homes are ENERGY STAR certified and third-party verified to NGBS Silver or better, with MERV 13 filtration, radon venting, R-23 wall and R-49 attic insulation, and EV and solar readiness. Ranges are electric, with a gas option on propane.
Incentives: Urban NW's listings mention builder and preferred-lender incentives without publishing an amount or end date. A recent Urban Meadows listing described them as usable toward closing costs or a rate buydown. Tell us which home you're considering and we'll get the offer in writing, then compare it with a quote from an outside lender.
Generation Homes Northwest
Generation markets Urban Meadows from the low $600s with one-level, two-level and multigenerational plans, most with three-car garages. Its two most recent homes here have both sold: a Rockford plan at 220 E 24th Ave (2,276 sq ft, 4 bed, 2.5 bath plus an office) and a Richmond plan at 2329 E Wolfpack St (2,006 sq ft, 4 bed, 2 bath, 3-car). Generation doesn't list an available home or homesite here right now, so let us know if one of its plans appeals to you and we'll find out whether it holds any remaining lots. Its standard features include a Mitsubishi heat pump, a heat-recovery ventilator, an EV charger, a gas fireplace, quartz counters and a tiled owner's shower. Fenced and landscaped yards come on its move-in-ready homes only.
One strategy call before your next visit to the model home.
We’ll walk through your situation, show you where the leverage is in this community, and put what we find in writing before you sign anything.
Book a Strategy Call →The builder
Urban NW HomesSemi-custom · Custom · Builds on your lot · Spec homesUrban NW Homes is a Vancouver builder owned by Jerud Martin that builds semi-custom homes in its communities and custom homes on buyers' land in Clark and Cowlitz counties.Builder profile →
Urban NW is a Vancouver builder owned by Jerud Martin and named the Building Industry Association of Clark County's 2024 Builder of the Year. Urban Meadows is its main community right now, alongside custom homes on buyers' land. Its warranty is described as a comprehensive builder warranty with an in-house warranty manager for the first year; we'll get the written terms for you so you know what's covered after year one.
Generation Homes NorthwestCustom · Semi-custom · Builds on your lot · Spec homesA Vancouver builder founded in 2008 by third-generation home builders Aaron and Mary Helmes.Builder profile →
Generation was founded in 2008 by Aaron and Mary Helmes and builds in Paradise Pointe in Ridgefield and Stephens Hillside Farm here in La Center. It publishes a one-year warranty and maintenance guide, with an 11-month walk-through request. Its Washington model is at Paradise Pointe, by appointment.
Both builders sell through their own sales teams, so the person at the model represents the builder. You're welcome to bring your own representation, and it helps to do that from your first visit.
Schools
Urban Meadows is in the La Center School District, which has one school at each level, according to Clark County's attendance-area maps (August 2026) and the county's property records for these lots:
| Level | School | Grades | Drive time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | La Center Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 4 minutes |
| Middle | La Center Middle | 6–8 | 2 minutes (next door) |
| High | La Center High | 9–12 | 4 minutes |
Drive times are free-flowing from the community. La Center Middle School opened in fall 2021, built for about 550 students with a bond voters approved in 2018; it had about 430 students in 2025-26. We didn't find any announced boundary changes or new schools for 2026-27. Tell us which home or lot you're considering and we'll confirm the school with the La Center School District before you write an offer.
Inside the community
Urban Meadows has a neighborhood park with a playground and walking trails, and the middle school's grounds sit just to the west. There's no clubhouse, pool or gate. HOA dues were about $96 to $97 a month on listings that closed in August and September 2026, and those listings named the commons and front-yard landscaping among what the HOA covers; Generation also describes professional front-yard maintenance. The management company and the CC&R rules on fences, RVs and rentals aren't published, so we'd ask for the CC&Rs, the budget and the reserve figures early.
Parks and outdoors nearby
- Holley Park: 3 minutes; La Center's main park, with a seasonal splash pad, ball fields, tennis and basketball courts, a playground and the community center
- Sternwheeler Park: 5 minutes; on the East Fork of the Lewis River in downtown La Center, with an amphitheater, gazebo, kayak rack and walking trails
- Heritage Park and the Heritage Trail: in La Center; a 6½-acre wetland park with a three-quarter-mile trail
- La Center Bottoms: 8 minutes; a nature area at the edge of town
- Paradise Point State Park: 13 minutes; a state park on the East Fork of the Lewis River near I-5
- Lucia Falls and Moulton Falls Regional Park: 23 to 28 minutes; waterfalls and trails on the East Fork of the Lewis River
Getting around
Drive times in free-flowing traffic; rush hour adds time, especially at the bridges.
- I-5 at Exit 16 (La Center Road): 10 minutes
- Downtown Vancouver: 30 minutes
- Interstate Bridge (I-5): 32 minutes
- Glenn Jackson Bridge (I-205): 32 minutes
- PDX airport: 40 minutes
- Downtown Portland: 41 minutes
- Transit: La Center is inside C-TRAN's service area. Route 48 was extended to La Center in January 2025, with a stop at E Birch Ave and 6th St downtown, connecting to Ridgefield and ilani.
Daily life
- Groceries: La Center Market Place downtown for quick trips (4 minutes); Costco and Rosauers in Ridgefield (14 minutes)
- Coffee and dining: Stonehill Coffee House, Sadie and Josie's Bakery and Podunk Pizza Co. in downtown La Center (4 to 5 minutes); restaurants at ilani (10 minutes)
- Healthcare: clinics in Ridgefield (about 13 minutes); Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center (21 minutes)
What it costs to own
- Jurisdiction: City of La Center. Police are La Center PD; fire and EMS are Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue.
- Utilities: Clark Public Utilities for water and power; City of La Center sewer.
- Property tax: the 2026 levy for this tax code area is about $9.31 per $1,000 of assessed value, which works out to roughly $6,500 a year on a $700,000 assessment. About $3.13 of that is La Center School District bond and enrichment levies. A new home's first-year assessment may cover only part of the year or the land, so we'll find out what the current tax bill reflects for the home you choose.
- HOA: about $96 to $97 a month.
- Impact fees: paid by the builder and built into the price. The city's 2024 fee sheet lists a school fee of $3,502, a park fee of $2,842, a traffic fee of $7,561 (with an increase proposed) and a sewer connection of $7,800. Our custom homes guide compares fees across the county.
What's changing nearby
La Center is growing on its north and east sides. Lennar's Vineyard Vista is coming soon about a mile north, near NE North Fork Ave and E 24th Cir, with one- and two-story homes and more than five acres of parks. Stephens Hillside Farm and Golden Grove are selling across town. Two large undeveloped parcels, about 65 and 15 acres, border Urban Meadows; we didn't find a filed plan for either, so we'd check with La Center's planning department for anything new. Inside Urban Meadows, about 19 lots are still open on Urban NW's map, so building will continue for a while.
What to check before you buy
- School-day traffic. La Center Middle School is next door, which makes for an easy walk and some drop-off traffic on Lockwood Creek Road. Visit at 8 a.m. and mid-afternoon to see it for yourself.
- Drainage on your lot. County maps show a seasonal-stream buffer touching the site and some poorly drained soils. Tell us which lots you like and we'll find out which sit nearest the buffer and how stormwater is handled, and have the inspector look at the crawl space and grading.
- The open land next door. The large parcels to the east and south have no published plans. Before you choose a lot along that edge, reach out and we'll check with the city on what's zoned there.
- Ongoing construction. With about 19 lots open, expect crews and trucks for a while. Let us know the lot you like and we'll ask Urban NW which lots are planned next.
- Builder listings that lag. Urban NW's site still showed a home that had closed. Tell us which home you're considering and we'll get availability, price and the ready date in writing.
- The incentive. The amount, lender conditions and deadline aren't published; reach out and we'll get them on paper and compare the offer with an outside lender's quote.
- HOA documents. The CC&Rs, budget and reserves are worth reading before you commit, especially the fence, parking and rental rules; tell us you're interested and we'll request them.
- Inspections. A licensed inspector before closing, and again before the builder's first-year warranty ends, keeps fixes on the builder.
How we help here
At Urban Meadows we'd start by narrowing the choice between Urban NW's 15 plans and its five listed homes, comparing each against the recent closed sales in the neighborhood, including the $640,000 Albina in September. If you're choosing a lot, we'd look at where it sits relative to the park, the middle school, the stream buffer and the undeveloped land, and confirm the drainage plan with the builder. We'd get the incentive in writing and compare it with outside lender quotes, request the HOA documents early, and coordinate the licensed inspections before closing and before the warranty walk-through. Our construction background helps us spot what to look at in a new home before you sign off on it.
Before you commit to anything, you'll have a written Engagement Proposal with the exact scope and fee.
Also looking nearby? See Stephens Hillside Farm and Golden Grove in La Center, Paradise Pointe in Ridgefield, and the full La Center new-construction page.
Last updated: October 2026