Month: August 2022

Infrastructure

Building a Better 82nd Open House

This month, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) launched an online Open House featuring current plans to improve 82nd Avenue. On June 1st, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) transferred ownership of 82nd Avenue within the City of Portland to PBOT. The jurisdictional transfer includes $185 million in project funding from the state legislature, ODOT, and the City of Portland. City staff refers to the collection of infrastructure upgrades and deferred maintenance projects along the former state highway as Building a Better 82nd. Now, City planners want community members to participate in a survey, setting priorities for future enhancements.

Work on 82nd Avenue is already underway as PBOT invests $80 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to address Critical Fixes. The City must use the federal funds before the end of 2026 or risk losing access to the money. Consequentially, PBOT is implementing pre-identified projects focusing on lighting, crossings, repaving, curb ramp upgrades, and traffic signal replacements. The Survey results will guide planners as they spend the remaining $105 million on projects breaking ground after 2026.

PBOT is working on translating the survey into Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. To request a translated copy of the survey, contact the program team at 82ndavenue@portlandoregon.gov or 503-865-8282. Providing input now is the most effective way for the public to shape future investments in the corridor.

By

Jacob Loeb

Images in this article are provide courtesy of PBOT.

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Construction, Infrastructure

Lane Closures at SE 92nd and Division

Today, road crews closed multiple lanes of traffic along SE 92nd Avenue and Division Street to repave the intersection. Over the last several weeks, workers have reconstructed corner curb ramps at this junction as part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Outer Division Safety Project. This fresh layer of asphalt will smooth and level the roadway, erasing the rough seams caused by recent construction.

All users of this intersection should practice caution and patience while navigating this area. Drivers should expect delays as crews divert traffic around the worksite, and pedestrians may need to detour to other crossings. PBOT expects repaving work to continue through Friday, August 12th.

By

Jacob Loeb

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Business Relocating, Food and Drink, New Business

Mia and More Opening on SE 82nd

Update – December 15th, 2022: Mia and More is open, read about it here.

Later this year, the Mia and More restaurant will relocate from its original Beaverton shop to 326 SE 82nd Avenue. The store’s menu features fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, milk tea, fruit smoothies, and Vietnamese street food. Located in the Annex building near SE Stark Street, the retail space previously housed Las Tres Flores and All-Ways Warm fireplace store. Remodeling crews are now waiting on permit approvals before they begin transforming the space.

The Mia and More brand originated in Kent, Washington, several years ago. The owners license the name to other independent store operators across the country and supply licensees with sugarcane sourced from trusted farms in Vietnam. The Beaverton location was the first Mia and More in Oregon. Local restaurant owner Michelle Tran wanted to open her Mia and More location in Portland. However, an existing commercial lease in Beaverton allowed Tran to test the market before committing to a dedicated space.

Image courtesy of Mia and More

Tran is no stranger to Portland eateries, having owned The House of Ramen on SW Columbia Street for many years. However, with a 22-year-long career in the medical industry, Tran wanted to expand her food service work to include more fresh and natural products. The Mia and More brand had built a reputation for high-quality ingredients that appealed to her. “We blend the sugarcane juice with real fruit instead of powder. The only powder that we use with the taro powder, chocolate, and matcha, those are the ones we can’t help,” explained Tran.

Mia and More Beaverton Store, pressing sugarcane. Image courtesy of Mia and More

After a short time in Beaverton, Tran began looking for a location closer to her most active customers and a community with an appreciation for the menu items. “So when we were in Beaverton, people had to drive all the way from Portland, Vancouver, Salem to get to the Beaverton location. We chose the Montavilla area because it’s quite packed with Vietnamese population right there.” Said Tran. Designers started work on the new location in March, but City permitting delays stalled construction. Tran could not staff both sites simultaneously and had intended to close the original restaurant around the time of opening the SE Portland spot. However, construction delays have pushed the opening date past August, and it is still uncertain when renovations will be complete. The old location is now closed, leaving customers eager for the Montavilla restaurant to open.

Image courtesy of Mia and More

Michelle Tran explained that the new storefront is smaller than her old location. Consequentially, the staff will need to cut down the menu some. However, the popular drink offerings will remain the central focus of the store. Look for an update within the next few months announcing the official opening date for Mia and More on SE 82nd Avenue.

Las Tres Flores has relocated down the street to 24 SE 82nd Avenue, inside the Santa Cruz Bakery and Taqueria. 

By

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, Food and Drink, Restaurant

Crash Damaged McDonald’s Repaired

Three months after a car collided with the McDonald’s restaurant at 8149 SE Stark Street, workers have begun to repair the damages. On May 4th, a vehicle jumped the curb and collided with the SE 82nd Avenue facing dining-room windows. Witness reports indicate the driver “was doing donuts” before crashing into the building.

Video of the post crash scene

Portland Police received the hit-and-run call at 9:43 p.m. A video posted on Instagram shows the store manager making the call. The vehicle entered the restaurant, destroying the aluminum framed storefront windows and the short wall underneath them. Fortunately, the dining room was vacant, and no one suffered injuries inside the restaurant. Crews have reconstructed the support wall and brick exterior, making way for the glazers to install replacement windows next week.

A similar crash occurred at this same restaurant last year. In both incidences, Police identified unsafe driving as the cause of the wrecks. The reoccurrence of damage at this location has not deterred the franchise owner from rebuilding. With luck, this will be the last restoration work at this location for a while.

Photo from May 5th 2022

Update August 18th: Glazers installed new windows in the repaired wall.

By

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, Infrastructure, View of Montavilla

NE 97th Avenue LID Grid Restoration

Next summer, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will begin a multi-year project to reconnect portions of the City’s street grid east of Interstate 205. This work will slice up several long blocks, opening the way for new housing developments emphasizing walking, Biking, and public transportation. The project will span from NE 94th Avenue to NE 100th Avenue, with work occurring in two phases.

PBOT intends to begin Phase 1 work in mid-2023, completing sidewalk infill on NE 97th Avenue. Previous developments and public works projects added modern road infrastructure to NE 97th from NE Glisan Street to NE Davis Street. Crews will continue that work south to E Burnside Street. That area currently lacks curbs and sidewalks. This phase will also improve conditions on E Burnside Street from 94th Avenue to 97th Avenue. Portions of the sidewalk and road surface have deteriorated, particularly near the TriMet Max tracks that cross the westbound lane.

E Burnside Street at 94th Avenue Looking east

Planned for the Summer of 2024, Phase 2 of the project has a greater impact on the local streetscape. This work will create new streets and require significant private land dedication to complete. PBOT crews will build new segments of NE Couch Street from NE 97th to 99th avenues and NE Davis Street from NE 97th to 100th avenues. The project’s scope includes new streets, sidewalks, and stormwater improvements.

NE 97th Avenue and NE Couch / Davis LIDs from Portland Maps

As a Local Improvement District (LID), property owners will supply funding for this $15 million project with tax increment financing (TIF) from the Gateway Urban Renewal Area and a transportation system development charge (TSDC). PBOT will cover overhead costs incurred by managing this project.

Developer Joe Westerman and his companies own the majority of the affected properties in the LID. That concentrated ownership likely helped drive the City’s efforts to reconnect streets and will allow a significant change in road use. Although near the I205 Multi-use Path, this section of Portland is challenging to navigate outside of a car. Long blocks force pedestrians onto busy roadways and extend walking distances as people double back to reach a destination. Walkable and bike-able streets near public transit reduce the number of parking spaces needed, allowing for larger developments that maximize land usage and housing density.

NE 97th Avenue at NE Davis Street looking towards E Burnside

In 2019, this area received a surge in development interest, with one project at the corner of E Burnside Street and NE 97th Avenue receiving design approval. Other projects stalled in the Early Assistance phase of development, including a six-story building with 77 units. These planned improvements could help reignite developer interest in this area and spur a new wave of housing construction. Look for road crews to begin work next summer and prepare for new streets in 2024.

East Montavilla Sanborn Map 1928

By

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, Infrastructure

Updated Crossings at NE 92nd Pl and Glisan

Road crews have one eastbound lane on NE Glisan Street blocked while reconstructing the corners at NE 92nd Place. Workers removed the old sidewalk infrastructure and have staked concrete forms into position. Last month they relocated stormwater inlets to handle drainage with the new curb configuration. Soon, masonry specialists will pour and finish the concrete at these corners before moving work across NE Glisan Street. When completed, pedestrian crossing at this intersection should be safer and more accessible.

Original article published February 23rd, 2022

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to reconstruct two sidewalk corners and add curb ramps on NE Glisan Street at NE 92nd Place. In conjunction with a similar project to the south, this work prioritizes 92nd Place as a multi-modal connector between NE Glisan and E Burnside. Crews will expand the pedestrian zone by constructing a curb extension at the southeast corner and improving stormwater control with new street drain inlets. Across the T intersection, on the north edge of NE Glisan, workers will add two new curb ramps in alignment with the corners on the south side of the street.

NE 92nd Place Crosswalk

Degraded sidewalks along this portion of NE Glisan Street often force pedestrians to cross flooded intersections with substandard ADA ramps. Both corners rebuilt during this project will add new stormwater inlets to NE 92nd Place and install a larger grated drain along NE Glisan’s sidewalk to the east. Last year, crews moved lines and equipment off a utility pole on the southeast corner, placing them onto a new pole installed five feet to the south. Workers will remove the now unused utility pole during construction, making for a clear pedestrian path on the sidewalk.

NE 92nd Place ends at NE Glisan in a T intersection. Consequentially, designers placed curb ramps on the north edge of Glisan mid-block. The TriMet 19 bus line currently stops within a few feet of where PBOT intends to install the new curb ramps. A TriMet spokesperson explained that PBOT staff have not communicated with the transit organization about this project. As of yet, they have no plans to close the stop during construction or relocate the stop outside the crosswalk zone. However, Trimet expects to coordinate with PBOT before construction begins.

North edge of NE Glisan Street

Enhancing pedestrian crossings at this location is essential to making this area more accessible to those not traveling by car. Over a year ago, PBOT released an East Portland Arterial Streets Strategy for NE Glisan Street spanning 82nd to 102nd Avenues. If approved and funded, this plan could add protected bike lanes that would provide a buffer to pedestrians from adjacent traffic. Along with the improvements planned for this intersection, a bike lane buffer will make NE Glisan a more enjoyable place to walk. Look for work on this project to begin sometime later this year.

Curb extension markings at the southeast corner

By

Jacob Loeb

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