On February 25th, Thatchers Restaurant Lounge announced it had permanently lost access to the back parking lot on SE Washington Street after the lot owner installed chainlink construction fencing around the property. The decades-old bar and eating establishment at 7906 SE Stark Street used the parking lot across the ally for patron parking. The owner of the parking lot and house next door to it recently lost his tenant of 20 years, who operated ASAP Signs from the single-story building that shared the parking lot with Thatchers.
A representative for Thatchers said they knew the parking lot’s owner wanted to sell the home and lot together but were surprised to see the fence installed this week. “The fence being put up came as a surprise to us… It was sudden and unexpected,” wrote Thatchers’ manager Cody Palmer in a text conversation with MV News. The owner of the Limited Liability Company that controls the fenced properties was not immediately available to comment on his plans for the SE Washington Street lots.
The site’s vacancy began late last year when Steven Mills, owner of ASAP Signs, grew tired of “livability conditions” in Portland and decided to move closer to family in Arizona. He relocated his business in October 2024 but has retained some Portland clients as he offers nationwide shipping. Mills explained it was hard to leave the location because his rent barely increased over his time on SE Washington Street, and the property management was “hands off.” He intended to return to Portland to pack up his remaining signage at his former shop but could not travel ahead of the lease’s expiration. Consequentially, Mills asked the property owner to remove leftover items.
Thatchers Restaurant Lounge customers will have to use other parking options, including street spaces on SE Stark Street or SE Washington Street. However, future bike lanes will remove some parking spaces on SE Washington later this year. Thatchers assured patrons through social media posts that they remain open for business and plan to stay in their Montavilla location.
Update: On February 28th, PBOT updated the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project‘s website page to reflect the current designs that reduce the extent of previously indicated south-side street parking removal for bike lane creation. The project will add over 20 marked parking spaces on SE Washington Street from SE 76th to 80th Avenues, replacing the southernmost travel lane. The recreated parking capacity offers slightly fewer spaces than the parking spaces removed. Still, it is a significant benefit for area businesses and residents living in housing on that street that do not have onsite parking options.
