On September 30th, contractors working for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) began installing speed bumps on SE Harney Street, working northward towards SE Division Street. The roughly ten-day project will connect the southwest corner of Mt. Tabor Park with people walking, biking, and rolling from the South Tabor, Foster-Powell, and Mt. Scott-Arletta neighborhoods.
Brix Paving Northwest crews will work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to construct the traffic-calming devices on the new Greenway route. Asphalt speed bump application requires outdoor temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so construction is weather-dependent. Crews will not need to close roads during installation. However, drivers in the area may experience delays and need to follow signage instructions and flagger directions to navigate around work sites. Motorists parking along the 60s Greenway may find some curbside spaces temporarily prohibited in spaces near construction activities.
Portland Maps image with the 60s Neighborhood Greenway route shown in blue
Street painting contractors will return to the greenway next month to apply sharrows, new crosswalk striping, and bike boxes to the road surface. Crews will also install new wayfinding signage along the route to help travelers navigate this part of the Safe Routes to School network. PBOT will daylight intersections as needed by removing some parking spaces near intersections where a stored vehicle blocks visibility at crossings.
In addition to painting and signage, PBOT plans to improve seven intersections along the new greenway. Road crews will add enhanced crossing treatments along SE 67th Avenue at SE Foster Road, SE Harold Street, SE Woodstock Boulevard, and SE Duke Street. Other intersections include SE Flavel Street at SE 68th Avenue, SE Harney Street at 72nd Avenue, and SE Division Street at SE 64th Avenue. Each of the seven intersections will receive new signage and high-visibility crosswalk striping. Workers recently completed curb ramp reconstruction at the SE Duke crossing.
Temporary enhanced crossing at SE 64th and SE Division near Mt. Tabor Park multi-use path
PBOT placed temporary crossing enhancements at SE Division Street and SE 64th Avenue as part of Portland Parks & Recreation’s new paved bike path and pedestrian accessway leading to Mt. Tabor Park. Contractors working for TriMet will reconstruct this crossing at a future date with input from PBOT staff during TriMet’s Powell-Division Safety and Access to Transit project.
When complete, the 60s Neighborhood Greenway will provide a comfortable route for people to walk and bike between Mt. Tabor Park and the Springwater Corridor. Portland has more than 100 miles of neighborhood greenways throughout the city that encourage lower traffic and low speeds for non-motorists safety while still allowing local access for people living on those streets.
Article and Photos by
Jacob Loeb
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On Friday, September 27th, the Publican Beer Room opened inside the Collective Oregon Eateries (CORE) food hall, supported by the bartending skills of Chris Shimamoto of Barrio fame. The CORE food cart pod and dining hall at 3612 SE 82nd Avenue recently took in carts displaced from Eastport Food Center’s closure. Now, they have made space for Shimamoto, who lost his Barrio Bar during the Portland Mercado fire on January 3rd. The grand opening weekend is as much a celebration of CORE’s growth as it is a homecoming for a beloved bartender and member of the community.
From left to right: Hanry Ho, Chris Shimamoto, and Mandy Kao behind the bar
Shimamoto met CORE’s owners, Mandy Kao and Hanry Ho, in April as they worked to open their Publican Beer Room. The fortuitous introduction gave Shimamoto an option to get back to his craft and join like-minded bar owners in launching the community space they have envisioned for years. “I didn’t do anything for nine months, so today’s about coming back and being part of the community. After owning a bar for ten years, that community is really important,” said Shimamoto. “I missed that piece of it, seeing people’s lives, and I missed all the dogs.”
Regulars greeted Shimamoto on opening day, with some making a significant effort to attend. “Rosie doesn’t leave her house [much], but she came once a week with her friends for nine years to my bar every Thursday at 1:30. So today, she made an exception and came out for the opening,” explained Shimamoto. It is the many customers like Rosie that motivated him to get back to work. “When your community shows up for you, you want to show up for the community,” said Shimamoto. He also wanted his college-age daughters to see how to face adversity. “You always want to show your best example to your kids, so I wanted to show them that after having something tragic happen you get back up. That’s just part of life.”
After the early morning fire destroyed his bar last January, Shimamoto received significant support from people who wanted to help with the recovery. Like many losses in life, it takes time to process, and even now, he is not ready to rebuild what the fire took. “It wasn’t time for me to reopen a bar, but I wanted to work for somebody that had a shared vision and a love of community, and Hanry and Mandy have that,” remarked Shimamoto. The opportunity to grow CORE’s offerings is the right fit for this next chapter in his life. Chris Shimamoto has a passion for wine, and Publican Beer Room has a wide selection for people to choose from. However, the bar owners plan to expand into a secluded neighboring space in the food hall with a second shop called Publican Wine Room. Shimamoto will also tend to that business, featuring a stone wine cellar motif and dedicated seating for a focused experience. Shimamoto will create a rotating menu of wines that will stand alone or pair well with the food served by CORE’s many vendors.
Chris Shimamoto knows many of the Barrio fans will follow him to this new location, and he intends to stock a full selection of Mexican beer along with the sangrias and micheladas he served at the Portland Mercado. However, he is excited to adjust the bar’s selection to serve the community surrounding 82nd Avenue. “We didn’t have the Asian population there [at the Mercado], but we have a huge Asian population in this area. So we’ll have a full selection of soju, sake, and makgeolli, which is Korean rice wine. And we’ll have a full selection of Asian beer,” explained Shimamoto. As remarkable as his old bar was, it had only five beer taps and 18 indoor seats, and this new bar offers much more variety than was possible in Barrio. “There’s ten beer taps. We could never do cider on tap there. Here, we can do two cider taps. I have Nitro taps. We have a full bar. I didn’t have a full liquor license at Barrio, just beer and wine. So now, I can make cocktails,” said Shimamoto.
Publican Beer Room features a dual-sided bar serving guests from the outside cart area and the interior food hall. Guests can take their drinks anywhere within the CORE seating areas, making it easy to grab meals and beverages wherever patrons are comfortable. Mandy Kao designed the bar and seating area. It creates a warm, defined gathering space at the center of the hall without walls, allowing guests to expand into the open seating of the naturally illuminated food hall. Soon, five televisions featuring a variety of programming will hang on the walls. “It’s not necessarily a sports bar per se. We’ll have sports playing, but we’ll have a little bit of everything,” said Hanry Ho. He explained that the bar and TVs are essential to creating a space where people can feel comfortable gathering and hanging out.
People attending the opening weekend can enjoy live music from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The September 28th performance features Hannah Sloane-Barton. “Hannah is a union organizer, she’s an activist, but she also has a background in opera. She plays violin and is one of the loveliest singers that played at my old bar,” remarked Shimamoto. In addition to a unique and varied selection of drinks, people can find an assortment of food from cart and food hall vendors. CORE has always offered a place for people to stop for a meal, but now the owners hope it will become a destination for the neighborhood to gather and feel connected. The bar is now open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the owners invite everyone to come see the bar and meet the bartender. “Chris is actually quite the character himself; he is definitely a big draw just being in a community for ten-plus years. So we love having him here,” said Hanry Ho.
In mid-August, residents began moving into the newly completed Montavilla 80 Apartments at 241 SE 80th Avenue. This three-story, 11-unit multifamily building is the tallest residential building in the surrounding blocks and offers convenient access to the historic Montavilla downtown. The modern-styled building features a double-gabled roof evenly split over conjoined rectangles framing the second and third floors. Designers of this structure worked to create housing density that architecturally responds to the nearby two-story single-family homes while providing a warm home with communal space for residents.
Main floor hallway with Portland posters on display
This apartment building is the first multifamily development over five units for the out-of-state developer. Consequentially, the building avoids the institutional bland features sometimes seen other midsized apartment buildings. The leasing agent, Eseta Taufoou with KJK Properties, explained the property owner wanted a building that reflected Portland through the color pallet he used in public spaces and artwork hanging in the hallways. He chose natural woodgrain cabinetry that reflects the Pacific Northwest character and installed pet-friendly flooring in each unit’s living rooms. Although fitting 11 units on a single lot required designers to use modest floor plans, the owner built the property with stacked laundry facilities in each unit, and designers placed additional storage wherever possible.
Secure bike, storage, and mail room
Residents can reserve secure lockers in a main-level room for extra storage capacity. That room doubles as the building’s mailroom. A keypad-protected external door allows postal workers and delivery people to drop packages in this safe location for added parcel security. Some of the steel cages in the room include wall-mounted bike hangers, making this one of the most secure communal bike storage rooms in the area. Quality bike parking is ideal for this apartment building located on the new 70s Greenway that extends along 80th Avenue as a priority pathway for pedestrians and cyclists.
The three ground-floor units have external entrances accessed from each side of the building, with one having additional access to the internal hallway. Ground units are accessible for people with special mobility needs, and under-sink cabinet doors are removable for wheelchair access. The front door opens onto a hallway that leads halfway back to a staircase used by residents of the upper levels. The second and third floors share a similar floor plan. Each upper story contains a pair of single-bedroom and a pair of two-bedroom apartments. The top floor units have vaulted ceilings. Each unit has a mini-split heating and air conditioning unit for the main room and Cadet Wall Heaters for bedroom heating.
Eseta Taufoou said that the development team did an excellent job placing windows in places with decent views that avoid looking into neighboring buildings. Many early renters have gravitated to the back units with views looking west. She believes it is primarily to avoid the street view but noted that the church across the street offers free showers and food for the houseless. Taufoou always discloses neighboring land use to potential renters but says most Portlanders looking at the units seem accepting and have not voiced concern.
Building residents can access a shared backyard with seating and a small covered porch. Landscapers will return to plant grass and add string patio lights to the secluded outdoor space. Building trash and recycling are stored in an externally accessible locked room, keeping smells contained and people from picking through containers.
This building is the most recent development taking advantage of the Residential Multi-Dwelling 2 (RM2) zoning near the SE Stark Street commercial corridor. That designation encourages three to four floors of housing built to an urban scale but blending in with smaller-scale zoning. The Montavilla 80 Apartments stand as a prime example of housing density that meets Portland’s goals for efficient land use that also responds to the existing built environment. It is next to smaller apartments built decades ago along a street that was once part of Portland’s streetcar network, where this type of density naturally occurred. KJK Properties is running leasing promotions this fall, and Eseta Taufoou hosts reoccurring open house viewings on Saturdays. You can reach her by text or phone at 503-734-7881 to schedule a viewing or hear about available units. She speaks English, Spanish, Greek, and Tongan.
Central stairway with mustard colored accent walls and natural light
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On September 23rd, Sunshine on Glisan Coin Laundry & Cleaners closed for a multi-week renovation. Crews removed several old machines and used jackhammers to break up interior concrete at 7914 NE Glisan Street. Over the last year, the business’s new owner, Nader Fakhry, replaced aging machines and other systems to improve operations and upgraded washer capacity for the patrons who rely on this business for household washing needs.
Fakhry purchased the laundromat on NE Glisan Street in 2023 after several years running Alpine 24 Hour Laundromat on N Lombard Street. He registered both businesses under the Splash and Relax Laundromat name. However, Fakhry has no plans to change the name because he believes that it is essential that customers continue to see the traditional name of their trusted laundry facility. He wants people to feel confident returning to his business and has taken a paced approach to upgrades. Over the last year, customers have seen systems swapped out and payment options expanded. During the business’s transition to new equipment, customers would use one of several cashless payment systems, including the in-store loyalty program Fastcard, the Speed Queen app, or credit cards, depending on the machines available. The business owner’s gradual upgrades have created some inconsistency between units using old or new payment options, but those should dissipate when renovations are complete. The move to all Speed Queen equipment will enable people to use smartphone apps to track washer progress and not need to wait inside the laundromat.
When Fakhry took over the Sunshine Laundry, most machines were 20-pound capacity washers, similar in size to units found in people’s homes. Previous owners installed those shorter units on a large concrete platform in the center of the building that put washers at an ergonomically advantageous height for loading. The business owner is transitioning to new, larger capacity machines, some of which they installed during a March refresh, and others will be part of this latest renovation. The modern Speed Queen equipment supports loads ranging in capacity from 40, 60, 80, and 100 pounds. The larger equipment sits higher off the ground and will not work on the old raised platform.
Consequently, demolition crews are removing the concrete island in the center of the floor. Fakhry explained that this lowers the taller washers back to a reasonable height and allows patrons better movement between the washers and dryers without traveling the length of the laundromat to navigate around the podium. With the floor open, crews can upgrade the existing drainage system to higher capacity pipes needed for the bigger washers. Cement masons will need to increase the floor slab’s thickness in areas to support the heavier 100-pound equipment. Those are some of the largest capacity washers in Portland, and they can process five times the clothes as a home-sized unit.
Renovations at this nearly 100-year-old building were inevitable as the past owners retrofitted it for this use decades ago. MacMarr grocery stores built this storefront in 1930 under the old street numbering system. The City originally addressed the building as 1979 E. Glisan Street before the great renumbering of Portland. A few years later, before 1935, Safeway purchased the MacMarr Stores chain. It remained a Safeway store into the 1950s. Around 1961, the property’s owner converted the building to support a coin-operated laundry. At one point in the late 1970s, the laundry’s name was “Laudrymat Village” before other owners changed it to modern variations of the current business’s name.
With the laundromat’s long history of serving residents who need access to washers and dryers, its temporary closure will likely disrupt people’s lives and require them to visit other locations. However, these renovations will enable this business to grow to meet modern laundry needs while supporting programs people depend on. The pre-existing Fastcard system will remain with new, more secure cards, giving people $22 in credit for every $20 loaded on the card. Future equipment upgrades will also allow mobile tap-to-pay and direct credit card payments. Larger machines allow for more efficient service for all users, and they can also attract customers who have at-home machines but need larger capacity for bulky items or faster washing. Nader Fakhry plans future updates to expand his business’s wash and fold service and continue his equipment modernization efforts. Construction could take two to three weeks for contractors to complete work. Watch this article for updates on the reopening of this affordable neighborhood laundromat.
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On September 11th, Prosper Portland presented a report to Portland City Council on six proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. After the presentation, Commissioner Rene Gonzalez questioned the merits of the city code requiring 45 percent of TIF funds set-aside for affordable housing in those districts. Based on comments during the session, the pending changes to the city’s form of government and a shift from past developer-friendly policies by the bureau prompted his objection. It is a sentiment supported by a business development advocacy group whose CEO recently penned an opinion piece published in the Oregonian.
Portland City Council adopted a TIF set-aside Policy for affordable housing in 2006, and that percentage of funding dedication increased from 30 percent to 45 percent in 2015. A 2024 ECOnorthwest TIF district investment impact report highlighted the policy’s effects across nearly two decades of development post that City Council change to TIF. The report found that 47 percent of all affordable housing in the city now resides within former TIF districts, and those areas experienced subsequent market-rate housing production growth four times greater than in other comparable segments of the city. Portland’s modern application of TIF differs from its historic Urban Renewal past, which removed housing for freeways and large civic projects. Current district proposals and recently approved TIF districts take a more holistic approach to economic development that aims to prevent displacement. Those new priorities strengthen communities before investing in large transformative projects like new parks, MAX light rail, or street grid enhancements similar to the Broadway Corridor Redevelopment plans.
Commissioner Gonzalez’s post-report comments did not question the need for housing or directly challenge the efficiency of past affordable housing production funded by TIF districts. However, they contested Prosper Portland’s ability to develop significant projects within TIF districts due to the current level of affordable housing required. “All of these choices have trade-offs. It’s great to talk about the plusses but also understanding the opportunity costs. And one of the biggest critiques that we discussed about Prosper over the last 15 years is the ability to deliver big projects, and we’re taking away tools from Prosper again to solve specifically one of the many problems we have in our community,” said Gonzalez.
Members of Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau addressed the Commissioner’s questions, supporting the current integration of affordable housing in TIF spending while reframing the assertion that Prosper Portland’s current approach has pulled back from all other areas in favor of affordable housing. “My top line assumption is that affordable housing and the resources that have gone to affordable housing if you compare the year 2000 to the year 2024, there’s a much higher level of investment in affordable housing. If you were to compare the kinds of investments that we’re making in public, private partnerships that support commercial development or major Community priorities, it’s probably about the same. What I think has declined precipitously since 2000 is the amount of funding that’s going into infrastructure,” explained Kimberly Branam, the outgoing Executive Director of Prosper Portland.
Although infrastructure support from TIF funds has declined in recent decades compared to past urban renewal spending, they have not disappeared. Infrastructure investment and projects that hasten gentrification are now shifted later in the TIF lifecycle. Modern TIF planning focuses on community stabilization ahead of significant project investment, strengthening existing residents and businesses against displacement before rents rise. This approach attempts to improve neighborhoods for the people already there, using the tax dollars collected in that district for its benefit. These programs now encourage private development and transportation funding but share economic growth with existing communities instead of predominantly benefiting private investment. “Historically, when you look at many TIF districts that were neighborhood TIF districts, a lot of them were anchored by a potential for new light rail lines. The challenge with having the first [TIF] investments out of the gate focused on the local match for federal [transit] investments is that then, you don’t have resources for the first five to ten years for other priorities. So the desire that we’ve heard is let’s learn from the lessons [of past TIF districts] and make sure that we’re stabilizing communities early on as those major infrastructure investments take place,” said Branam. “So along 82nd, as you’re planning for major investments, I think there’s a desire to make sure that early investments go towards the kinds of things that help small businesses purchase their property and homeowners stay in their homes,”
Portland Housing Bureau Director Helmi Hisserich reinforced the need to stabilize housing ahead of infrastructure investment as a tactic to fight gentrification and make more efficient use of public funding. “There is a direct corollary between major investments in the public sector, such as transportation and open space –which are very desirable– and the increase in property value, housing prices, and displacement,” said Hisserich. When public works projects increase area property value, the inflated costs for land will eat into the government’s budget for affordable housing developments. “Our current approach to affordable housing is to invest at the tail end, taking all of that value increase into our cost of that housing. So I think we need to be talking about a strategy where we’re investing early,” remarked Hisserich.
Commissioner Gonzalez expressed a perspective that the city is more vulnerable than when City Council first enacted this affordable housing funding policy. “Set-aside and the theory behind it goes back to 2006 [when] the city was booming. We were doing quite well at creating big projects and doing quite well at building. We were concerned that we were leaving people behind and so that it was not shared economic prosperity. I want to make space for this Council not to just hand off policies to the next Council that are based on very different assumptions. I think we are in a very different place in 2024 than we were in 2004. We’re not generating big projects, market [rate] housing has collapsed. I mean, we’re looking at a downtown armageddon if we don’t significantly change this trajectory,” said Gonzalez. He also noted that middle-income housing production is still relatively weak, and many Portlanders earn too much to qualify for the affordable housing TIF funds create. However, the greatest need for housing remains in the regulated affordable segment.
Lisa Abuaf, the Director of Development and Investment for Prosper Portland, addressed the agency’s efforts to support middle-income housing and the headwinds to working as a catalyst for middle-income housing creation. “We actually set aside a portion of our citywide funds to support middle-income housing. I want to acknowledge middle-income housing is not regulated affordable and you don’t have the federal programs to tap into. So it’s really challenging because we’re very dependent on what’s happening in the private debt and equity market. I think that’s actually what we’re seeing right now, and the volume of resources we have today in TIF can’t take the place of what has been private investment to date.” said Abuaf. Helmi Hisserich also cited an increased need for regulated affordable housing above all others. “While middle[-income] housing is a great area when we talk about affordability, 53 percent of the housing need is in households earning below $81,000 a year.” In 2024, a household of three people earning 80 percent of the Median Family Income would make $84,960 and could qualify for many TIF-funded affordable housing.
In Monique Claiborne’s opinion piece published in the September 15th Oregonian, she echoed the Commissioner’s desire to reexamine the affordable housing requirements. Claiborne is CEO of the regional economic development group Greater Portland Inc., a private agency that bolsters business development in Portland and surrounding areas. The article reiterates Commissioner Gonzalez’s perspective regarding TIF’s required affordable housing percentages and argues for returning Prosper Portland’s independence from the City Council before the new year’s changes to City Council. Since 2007, city leaders have gained increased control over Prosper Portland’s activities and budgets. Changes to Prosper Portland control and TIF allocations are not yet under consideration at City Hall. However, these comments could represent a test to see if there is support for rolling back changes made to TIF district project allocation and Prosper Portland’s operational stance.
With many officials and research pointing to housing costs as a leading factor for Portland’s social problems, initiatives removing funding sources for affordable housing would likely fail to receive widespread support. However, Commissioner Gonzalez’s suggestive inquiries and Monique Claiborne’s opinion piece show signs of a growing cohort seeking change in TIF district set-aside percentages. People should expect more discussion of affordable housing set-aside in the coming months before a new 12-person City Council takes control. Prosper Portland staff committed to bringing additional information to the October 23rd City Council public hearing on TIF District Exploration.
Disclosure: The author of this article served on the 82nd Avenue TIF Working group and voted in favor of forming the district that includes a 45% affordable housing set-aside.
Commissioner Rene Gonzalez is running for Portland Mayor. Montavilla News does not endorse candidates or ballot measures.
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ZenTech Auto Repair opened on August 3rd at 145 SE 82nd Avenue in the former auto spa location next to Hong Phat Food Center. This three-bay repair shop services all vehicle types, and the staff speaks Vietnamese and several Southern Chinese dialects in addition to English. Their fluency in people’s native languages sets this shop apart from other service centers, and the owner hopes it will allow his family-run business to support local residents and the broader Asian American community.
Wayne Zhen operates ZenTech with his father and mother. His father developed decades of experience servicing vehicles in China before moving to the United States 30 years ago and passed along his knowledge to Wayne. The family, with another employee, works on all makes and models. They specialize in full engine replacements and transmission work but pride themselves on fast, affordable work for whatever vehicle people bring in. They welcome walk-ins and offer a free check engine light diagnostic.
Trust and communication are vital to vehicle service work, which is why ZenTech Auto Repair considers its multi-lingual staff a great asset. “We mostly serve the Asian populations because [some] Chinese and Vietnamese people don’t speak English well. Then they’re afraid to go to dealerships and other shops. They find us more convenient, language-wise,” said Wayne Zhen. He also explained that understanding a variety of Chinese dialects like Taishanese is essential to supporting Portland’s diverse Asian community.
Finding a location for his first shop, Zhen looked for a place central to his prospective customers and equipped with a turnkey auto shop space. “This is a great location. It’s on the main road with lots of traffic, and people shopping next door [at Hong Phat] see the sign and come over,” explained Zhen. The only obstacle to opening was the road construction at SE 82nd Avenue and Ash Street. During their first month of operation, crews rebuilt their sidewalk corner and blocked off entrances to the property as workers reconstructed the intersection with new left turn controls.
ZenTech Auto Repair from August during the now completed sidewalk corner reconstruction
ZenTech Auto Repair is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. They welcome all car owners to bring their vehicles and hope to support the community as a local repair shop. They already have many customers but can often complete repairs in one or two days. In the future, ZenTech hopes to offer auto bodywork to its list of services. People can call them at 503-265-8778 or message them on the business’s Instagram account.
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Within project maps presented in the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Building a Better 82nd Avenue 2024 Online Open House are a collection of active and longer-term visionary projects that could reshape multi-modal access in the area and help reconnect communities divided by a former state highway. The four maps covering 82nd Avenue also include proposed station locations for TriMet’s FX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) under development for the 72 line. Several projects on the map are under construction or funded and awaiting final designs. Others represent identified needs seeking funding or general project ideas collected from community feedback that require further support before moving forward.
Since the jurisdictional transfer of 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation to PBOT on June 1, 2022, planners have worked to implement safety improvements and address deferred maintenance along the seven-mile stretch of a roadway designed to move people across the city. Like a freeway, its pre-2022 design segmented communities and split neighborhoods. As housing around the road became more dense and businesses took root on 82nd Avenue, conflicts between motorists and neighborhood users became pronounced, leading to fatalities. Community advocacy and leadership at all levels of government helped transfer this section of 82nd Avenue to Portland with $185 million in support funding. Many projects on Open House maps include projects funded by that pool of money, but additional financial support could come from proposed transit investments and Tax increment financing (TIF).
2024 Online Open House project maps courtesy PBOT. – These maps include projects that have secured funding and are currently underway, projects that are planned and will be prioritized based on available funding, as well as longer-term visionary projects that are in the planning stages and currently lack identified funding sources.
Montavilla residents will find many nearby mapped projects underway or funded, including pedestrian and bicycle crossings of 82nd Avenue at NE Davis, SE Ash, and SE Clinton Streets. Crews recently completed a new enhanced crossing of NE Glisan at 80th Avenue, enabling a future extension of the 70’s Greenway on NE 80th Avenue north of NE Everett Street to the future mini roundabout on NE Halsey Street. Current plans also have funding for a sidewalk extension across from Portland Community College’s southeast campus between the mid-block crossing and SE Division Street.
PBOT encourages residents and street users to review the maps and other Open House materials before participating in its survey. This feedback method is the community’s latest opportunity to guide the next wave of project priorities as the Transportation Bureau seeks new funding and allocates current resources.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group and serves on the 82nd Avenue Business Association board.
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Since the Mt Tabor Villas completed construction behind the Candle Light Restaurant on NE Glisan Street, developers have built four townhomes to the south and seven townhomes to the west, replacing single-family residences. This apartment building, with many high-end finishes, once looked out of place on the block but now matches the growing density of the area. Property owner John Olson took over this development from another group that had started the project but failed to break ground. Progress on the project stalled after the city approved building permits, and Olson was able to purchase the property and plans.
Without the ability to significantly alter the project from the approved plans, Olson opted to improve the finished product with quality materials and fixtures. Wide door molding and base trim outline the rooms throughout the apartment. Bathroom vanities with linear tile mosaic backsplashes are wall-hung, allowing a continuous tile floor. Kitchens feature stainless steel appliances and subway tile extending from countertop to cabinetry. No carpet is installed anywhere in the building. Instead, Olson selected woodgrain composite planks. The aesthetically pleasing and durable material prevents most tenants from incurring cleaning charges after moving out.
The apartment building does not offer onsite parking, and 74th Avenue has limited parking on one side of the street. Many of the newer buildings on the block rely on on-street parking, further limiting availability. However, the complex across the street has a garage, and this building is well-situated for bus and bike commuters. The TriMet 19 bus line runs along Glisan with stops nearby. A secure bike room on the first floor has direct outside access to the side yard, where bike commuters can safely enter the building away from the street. A second door from the bike room leads into the interior hallway.
Each apartment has in-unit laundry facilities, and some residences have full laundry rooms. During the day, natural light illuminates the stairwell and the upper floor’s hallways, allowing residents to avoid the claustrophobic feelings people may feel when accessing their units from fully interior hallways.
Marcus & Millichap currently lists the building at $3,410,000 with a per-unit apartment value of $284,167. The 10,211-square-foot building offers two one-bedroom units and ten two-bedroom apartments.
Q – Whatever happened to the Montavilla Branch Library?
A – I’ve often been asked this question. If you go looking for Montavilla’s branch library —as I did— you may have trouble finding it. But —believe it or not— the building still exists.
The Montavilla Branch Library closed in November 1981 because of Multnomah County Libraries’ funding problems. There was an attempt to fund the Montavilla and Lombard branch libraries through a levy, but Portland voters turned it down, forcing those two branches to close.
The Oregon State University Extension Service leased the Montavilla building until 2003. In 2005, the Multnomah County Commission voted to sell the site despite a proposal made by the “Save Montavilla Library” group, which offered to run it as volunteers.
Considering the effort it took to establish Montavilla’s branch library, this was a sad moment in Montavilla’s history. The community efforts that eventually resulted in a branch library date back to 1906. That year, the Multnomah County Library (MCL) opened local reading rooms in several communities, including Montavilla. The MCL would provide books and a librarian for each reading room, but the communities had to supply the room. Montavilla’s mothers and teachers jumped on the opportunity and raised enough funds to rent a space on Stark Street. The Montavilla Reading Room opened in 1907.
Montavilla’s first sub-branch library at SE 422 81st Ave., north of SE Stark St. (Courtesy Multnomah County Library)
In 1911, the MCL upgraded all Portland reading rooms to sub-branch status, meaning communities no longer had to pay for the library space. Wanting a purpose-built library, Montavilla and neighboring Mt. Tabor campaigned for a Carnegie library in Montavilla. The campaign failed, but in November 1912, the City Library Association promised Montavilla a new, permanent branch library. That, too, did not happen. Instead, the Montavilla library moved into the brick building at 422 SE 81st Avenue (now the Miyamoto Sushi restaurant). Needing more space, the branch added the building next door in 1913.
A branch library building had to wait until 1935. It was the middle of the Great Depression, but creative thinking and determination made it happen. In 1934, the Montavilla Kiwanis Club kicked off a campaign for a new branch library. The City of Portland donated the site. The Library Association provided cash. SERA (Oregon’s State Emergency Relief Administration) contributed the labor. Portland architect Herman Brookman designed the building. When the building was completed in late 1934, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts helped to move 5,000 books from the old branch library to the new one at 211 SE 80th Avenue just south of SE Ash Street. With a formal ceremony, the branch library opened on September 3rd, 1935. And the Library Association declared in its 1935 annual report that the Montavilla branch library was the outstanding achievement of the year.
Montavilla Branch Library, 211 SE 80th Ave. (Courtesy Multnomah County Library)
After the Montavilla library closed in 1981, the Oregon State University Extension Service leased it until 2003. Then, the building lay vacant for two years. In 2005, the Multnomah County Commission voted to sell it despite a proposal from the “Save Montavilla Library” group.
Remodeled Montavilla Branch Library, 211 SE 80th Ave. (Jacob Loeb)
The nonprofit Unlimited Choices —a housing rehabilitation service— acquired the property and altered the library building to meet its needs. The library was lifted to make room for a new ground story, and a large dormer was inserted above the entrance door. So, technically, the Montavilla Branch Library building is still there, but the additions make it hidden.
This is part of a new segment at Montavilla News called Montavilla History Questions Answered. If you have questions about Montavilla’s past that you’d like answered, local historian Patricia Sanders will investigate your question. Please email your questions to history@montavilla.net and we may feature it alongside Patricia Sanders’ research in a future post on this page.
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) will give away 3,000 trees to residents this fall. The annual event now offers 1,000 more trees than the previous year, allowing more people to reserve a free tree to plant in their yard. Registrants can select from 22 tree types, and Montavilla residents will receive free delivery this year. Tree availability is limited, and participants have care responsibilities that come along with participation in the program. This work is part of Portland’s efforts to increase the urban tree canopy and make tree ownership more accessible.
Residents must pick up reserved trees at one of four collection events throughout the City. Montavilla residents can have the tree and supplies delivered this year with registration code “AHMP” or choose the September 22nd date hosted near the Mt Tabor Community Garden on SE 64th Avenue and SE Lincoln Street. That option offers collection times between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Outside the free delivery zone, PP&R Urban Forestry staff can provide yard tree delivery and planting for Portlanders with limited mobility or who need additional accommodations to participate. People who can not plant the tree as anticipated must agree to return it to Urban Forestry so people on a waiting list can have a chance to participate in the program. During the pickup or delivery, Parks staff will provide planting instructions and a watering bucket filled with mulch to assist with a successful planting.
Watering buckets filled with mulch that will accompany trees
This free tree giveaway is the eighth year PP&R will provide Portland residents with free trees. The Tree Planting and Preservation Fund, which gathers money from tree removal payments, supports this program. “When trees come down and aren’t replaced, that typically happens in development, developers put money into the tree fund, and then that money has to be used for tree planting or preservation,” explained Molly Wilson, a Community Tree Planting Specialist at PP&R Urban Forestry. However, additional funding from the Portland Clean Energy Fund, now augmenting the budget, allowed the program to expand service to more Portlanders.
City staff are working to grow the Portland tree canopy, which has declined in recent years as housing density and other factors reduce urban trees. Programs like this annual giveaway are predominately successful at adding more trees to the urban tree canopy. “We monitor our trees to see how many trees planted are still in the ground. The first year when we go back, we find that 70 percent are alive and in the ground. Then we find, based on weather, about 94 to 95 percent [of the previous 70 percent] survive the second year.” explained Wilson. Beyond that, tree species selected by the program tend to make it to maturity after those early years. “It’s a low-cost way to get high-quality trees providing shade, cooling, and other environmental and health benefits,” said Wilson.
Residents can only plant trees at a location inside Portland city limits, and they must exist on the person’s property or planted with permission of the property owner. This program is different from the street tree program, with these trees needing to live within the ground in a private yard, not between the curb and sidewalk. After the tree is in its new home, participants must provide the tree with 15 gallons of water per week from May through October for at least the first three years. “Certainly, not all the trees make it, but generally, I think people are doing a nice job of getting their trees in the ground in good locations and being really thoughtful about the trees they pick out. When they register or pick up their trees, we provide them with a planting and care booklet that talks about proper planting,” said Wilson.
Example of street tree location not acceptable for this free tree program
Program designers shaped the initiative for all Portland residents with space to plant a tree. “We want to reach renters more and make sure that trees are accessible for renters,” said Wilson. “We find that about five to eight percent of the trees go to rental properties each year, which is great, but we would love that number to be even higher.” Gathering permission to plant can be a barrier for some people. PP&R recommends renters share their passion for tree canopy expansion with property owners and explain their commitment to care for the tree over its first three years. Not all yards are suitable for planting trees, but if it can take root at least ten feet from a building, there should be enough room for it to thrive. When completing a tree reservation, people can request a consultation about selection and placement before pickup or delivery. Urban Forestry staff will answer tree questions post-planting to help owners take care of the young trees. People will also be on an email list with watering season reminders and other helpful instructions.
Molly Wilson recommends people reserve trees early, as there is a set number of trees, and the type an applicant is interested in may run out. If the form is no longer available, Portlanders should look for a wait list opportunity on the program’s web page.
