 Plans for a commuter rail line running between Beaverton and Wilsonville began as early as 1996.A design proposal in 2002 envisioned a station serving the Washington Square mall on Scholls Ferry Road west of OR 217 called "Scholls Ferry/Washington Square", later shortened to just "Washington Square".An environmental analysis resulted in the steering committee's support for a northerly shift of this station to just south of Hall Boulevard to leverage opportunities associated with nearby developments and anticipated transit improvements.