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.
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.
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.
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