With recent updates at the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University, Montavilla residents now have access to a hidden coffee shop within the school’s grounds at 8435 NE Glisan Street. Roger’s Cafe opened in July 2010 after the faith-based school renovated its student cafe to provide an on-campus Portland coffee house experience. Named for Roger Porret, a longtime food service volunteer who passed away at the beginning of 2024, the shop serves as a social gathering point for the university’s community and now area residents.
Visitors can find the cafe on the west end of the JCA Student Center building, adjacent to the Student Lounge. Earlier this year, the campus food service provider Pioneer College Caterers began running Roger’s. Students can use flex credits included with their meal plan to purchase drinks or food, but anyone can pay cash or use a standard credit card to buy menu items. In addition to a wide range of caffeinated beverages, staff can prepare hot breakfast and lunch items at a reasonable price.
Portland Maps image with MV News illustrations
JCA Student Center
Roger’s Cafe offers guests several sections to enjoy their meal with counters, bar-hight tables, and group seating. A couch-adorned room next to the barista station offers living room-style seating with some separation from the main shop area. The cafe’s adjacent stage provides a venue for artists and performers to host poetry slams, speeches, and music shows. However, most days, the sound of conversations fills the air as students and guests talk about the topics of the day at this central meeting point.
The cafe’s namesake volunteered at the university for decades, earning the respect and adoration of students and staff. The coffee shop took his name in 2010, and he continued to work at Multnomah University until his retirement in October 2018. During its years of operation, Roger’s Cafe employed many students. Past versions of the cafe’s social media include views of the community that formed around this shop, including a goodbye video for longtime manager Jose David Lopez, who left in October 2023. This fall, university leadership unified the management of Roger’s and the student Dining hall under Pioneer College Caterers.
Roger Porret
Lisa Newbore with the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University hopes that more residents will see Roger’s Cafe as a community resource and encourages people to “drink, snack and hang out.” For many neighborhood residents, this is the most convenient coffee shop east of 82nd Avenue and north of SE Stark Street. Residents have walked around the university’s property for many years without venturing inside. Now, the administration invites people to sample the food and drinks available at Roger’s Cafe while meeting the students and faculty of this educational institution. Roger’s is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they serve breakfast from 10:30 a.m. to noon on weekends.
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At the end of October, Volunteers of America Oregon (VOA Oregon) began using two buildings at Jessup University’s Multnomah Campus for its residential treatment for women with children. This partnership leverages surplus dormitory space at the faith-based higher education institution to support the behavioral health and recovery service provider. Thanks to the new partnership, students enrolled at Jessup will have an opportunity to expand social services, healthcare, and counseling internship activities with hands-on experience in a behavioral health setting on campus. Additionally, VOA Oregon will benefit from a modern facility in close proximity to its future campus east of the college.
VOA Oregon leased Memorial Hall and the Ambassador Apartments on the northwest corner of Jessup University’s campus at 8435 NE Glisan Street. Program operators will house participants in designated areas separated from academic buildings by a fence. VOA Oregon staff will have office spaces onsite, with additional rooms for therapy, counseling, and program-related group meetings. The center provides trauma-informed integrated chemical dependency and mental health services in a residential setting to women. Women and their young children can temporarily live at the facility, removed from triggering environments, so they can effectively receive individual and group counseling, medication management, naturopathic health care, and case management. Program participants will also have access to education, training, and other resources through this move to the Montavilla campus.
VOA’s future site rendering looking northwest, courtesy VOA Oregon created by Opsis Architecture
The partnership between the two institutions began with VOA Oregon utilizing Jessup’s catering services for lunch and dinner. Multnomah University experienced a declining student population in its dormitories for several years. When they joined Jessup University in 2023, new leadership looked for ways to effectively utilize school resources to fit the institution’s educational and social goals. That expanded from commercial kitchen capacity to hosting VOA Oregon’s woman-focused program. University food service will continue when program participants move to the campus, and the educational partnership will likely strengthen after VOA builds its facility on the neighboring block of NE Glisan Street.
Leaders at Jessup University’s Multnomah Campus feel that VOA Oregon’s commitment to helping people reach their full potential aligns with their student’s values of service and compassion. The organizations believe everyone deserves access to health care, housing, and supportive services. This partnership also introduces VOA Oregon services to Montavilla, several years ahead of the organization’s expansion into the community on the group’s six-acre site at 8815 NE Glisan Street. Jessup staff created a frequently asked questions section on the University’s website. They plan to update this resource with new information to keep students and the community updated on the partnership. Both institutions expressed a commitment to being good neighbors and hope the expanded access to critical behavioral health services for women in recovery will positively impact participants’ lives and the greater community’s overall health.
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On October 30th, the Portland City Council approved six new Tax increment financing (TIF) districts that will set the stage for more than $2.5 billion in focused investment in those geographic areas over the next 30 years. Three of the approved districts encompass vast sections of East Portland, including most of 82nd Avenue and half of Montavilla. At the same session, the City Council passed a related Resolution to review Portland’s Set Aside Policy, which requires 45 percent of TIF funds to support affordable housing.
TIF is a funding tool for physical improvements to a specific geographic area. Although funding comes from people’s property tax payments in that District, it does not raise tax rates on its own. Instead, it freezes the portion of the taxes sent to the County and City general funds at its current level and then diverts any increases to a special fund that TIF districts can use for projects in the area where those funds were collected. Because of Ballot Measure 50 passed by voters in 1996, property tax increases are mostly capped at three percent annually unless the county reassesses a property due to construction or other upgrades. After the first five years, the City can issue bonds based on that expected three percent TIF district income, providing capital for projects in the district years ahead of collection. TIF offers the benefit of reserving a segment of tax dollars for use in the community where it’s collected instead of spreading tax funds across all areas of the City. Portland mandates 45 percent of TIF funds towards affordable housing, a policy that has led to 47 percent of Portland’s affordable housing units residing in former TIF districts.
A year ago, Prosper Portland began working with community members in the proposed areas to create new urban renewal districts in the Central City and East Portland. Prosper Portland focused its East Portland TIF Exploration on the Sumner-Parkrose-Argay-Columbia Corridor, East of 205 centers, and the 82nd Avenue area. During that year, group and community representatives participated in Steering Committees and Working Groups to shape the TIF plans to meet specific goals within the district. People attended numerous public meetings and submitted feedback through comments or surveys. The unanimous City Council vote on October 30th represents the final step in authorizing the TIF districts. Starting in 2025, Prosper Portland will begin forming the Community Leadership Committee (CLC) for each TIF district. CLC members will work on the first five-year Action Plan that uses the limited early funds to meet goals shaped by the working groups. As with many other modern TIF districts, early work in the 82nd Avenue district focuses on stabilizing vulnerable communities and preventing displacement. TIF districts receive relatively low funds during the first five years due to the incremental tax revenue growth that increases by around three percent a year. After five years, bonds can help even out spending in the district over the next quarter-century.
82nd Avenue District Map courtesy Prosper Portland
In October 2015, the Portland City Council approved Ordinance 187415 that amended the City’s 30 percent affordable housing Set Aside Policy to a citywide target of 45 percent within active TIF districts. During the October 30th, 2024, City Council discussions, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler recalled that the percentage increase was an estimate, and council members at the time expected a revaluation to occur after five years. Based on this past expectation of review and an expressed challenge to the percentage by Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Carmen Rubio proposed a Resolution directing the City Administrator to review the current Set Aside Policy in collaboration with Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau. After working with public, private, and community stakeholders, the City Administrator’s review team will brief Prosper Portland’s Board of Commissioner and return to City Council with recommended amendments by November 30, 2026.
At the objection of Mayor Wheeler, City Council approved two amendments to the Set Aside Policy Review Resolution that elevated affordable home ownership. Commissioner Mingus Mapps’ amendment significantly altered the Resolution by dictating that recommended amendments will include affordable housing Set Aside Policy at “a minimum of 20% for affordable homeownership activities with a remaining 25% allocated to other affordable housing work” in the three East Portland TIF Districts. Mayor Wheeler’s objections centered on the prescriptive nature of this amendment, which could force reviewers to override input on affordable housing ratios in one part of the city. For East Portland residents critical of city leadership’s treatment of their community, this is another example of elected officials overriding their voices. A benefit of Commissioner Mapps’ amendment is it will secure the 45 percent affordable housing set aside minimum for the East Portland TIFs. Ultimately, the 2026 City Council will have the option to consider the proposed amendments with the understanding that the affordable homeownership ratio could be a disingenuous number.
Glisan Landing Affordable Housing in Montavilla (Jacob Loeb)
The new wave of TIF districts, approved on October 30th, has the potential to invigorate development in their respective communities and expand the stock of affordable housing while working to reduce the displacement of residents and small businesses. The details of the TIF-funded projects will come from the five-year Action Plans crafted by CLC members and Prosper Portland staff in a co-creation process. Results will take years to materialize in each district. However, the funding mechanism needed for positive transformation can now begin collecting money in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. For 82nd Avenue and Montavilla, residents can expect increased funding towards improvements over the next three decades, with more affordable housing and infrastructure updates.
Disclosure: The author of this article served on the 82nd Avenue TIF Working group and voted in favor of forming the district.
Commissioners Rene Gonzalez, Carmen Rubio, Mingus Mapps are running for Portland Mayor. Commissioner Dan Ryan is running for City Council District 2. Montavilla News does not endorse candidates or ballot measures.
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Recently, crews with Faison Construction fenced off Berrydale Park at 9004 SE Taylor Street for a nearly year-long renovation. On October 24th, workers disassembled old play equipment so heavy equipment could regrade the site’s ground to prepare it for a new playground design and the installation of a skatepark at the southeast corner of the 1956-era park. Work will continue through Summer 2025, when Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) intends to unveil the new facilities, bordered by enhanced sidewalks and illuminated by new lighting.
Crews taking apart slide in Berrydale Park’s playground
During 2021 and 2022, PP&R staff worked with the community to select Berrydale Park’s new design. Parks department leaders identified this park as an ideal location for expanding skateboard facilities and designated funds collected from System Development Charges (SDC) for the park’s upgrade. This money is not part of the city’s general fund or the park’s operating budget. Developers pay into the fund when building new structures to support the creation or enhancement of public resources. It is a way to ensure that increased density does not come at the detriment of existing neighborhood infrastructure. During planning, the proposed budget doubled, with the then Parks Commissioner Carmen Rubio increasing allocated funds to $3.0 million from an original $1.5 million budget. This increased funding allowed for a significant playground update, with pathway and lighting enhancements throughout the park.
City staff used the proposed Berrydale Park project to investigate constructing adjacent sidewalks on SE Taylor Street and 89th Avenue. However, neighbor opposition to their required financial contribution to the project caused the city to focus sidewalk work on park frontages. In December 2022, the Portland City Council amended the SE 89th Ave and Taylor St Local Improvement District (LID) proposal, removing all but one private residence and significantly reducing the scope of infrastructure upgrades. The original LID included the construction of new curbs and sidewalks on both sides of SE 89th Avenue adjacent to Berrydale Park. The LID would have also added sidewalks on the south side of SE Taylor Street from 92nd Avenue to 89th Avenue.
The Berrydale Park Improvement Project’s progress can be followed at the PP&R website. Most construction activity will occur along SE 92nd Avenue, but work extends across most of the park. By next summer, the new park should reopen with modern and desirable amenities to meet community needs.
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The Midland Public Library at 805 SE 122nd Avenue will reopen on October 26th after nearly two years of renovations. The expanded and modernized building features many unique qualities that support community needs beyond book lending. New amenities include ten meeting spaces, new checkout technology, and dedicated youth-focused areas with indoor-outdoor play spaces. To celebrate the project’s completion, library staff will host a grand opening weekend full of music and engaging activities.
Before its temporary closures in 2022, the Midland branch was one of the most used locations in the Multnomah County Library system. As a centrally located branch in East Portland, it serves one of the most culturally diverse areas in the region. Ahead of redevelopment, project leaders conducted extensive community engagement to ensure the building would reflect the people it serves. “We have folks from Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish communities, and we are making sure that they feel welcomed and represented when they come in,” said Liz Sauer, the Communications Manager with Multnomah County Library. During that preliminary work, outreach coordinators collected over 6,000 comments from engagement event participants, allowing community members to shape the project in many areas, down to the colors used. They asked people to bring in culturally significant images that artists incorporated into designs etched on panels that crews attached to the building’s exterior. Those images also guided the artist team HYBYCOZO in designing an illuminated outdoor sculpture series. They created geometric shapes with perforated metal panels that reference the etched pattern. The sculpture stacks descend in height from SE 122nd Avenue, providing a visual marker of the library’s location and replacing the iconic clock tower removed during the renovation.
Ceiling mural by Lillyanne Pham and Paola De La Cruz, next to HYBYCOZO designed sculpture series
Crews expanded the Midland library by nearly 6,000 square feet, pushing the front of the building south and repositioning the entrance at the center of the bar-shaped single-story building. A long covered walkway guides pedestrians to the front doors from the sidewalk under a ceiling mural created by Lillyanne Pham and Paola De La Cruz. Long-time visitors to this branch will recognize elements of the original space, including the large painting at the east end of the main room. However, lower bookshelves now let visitors see across the expansive stacks, changing the perceived scale of the facility. New lower-hung lighting and an updated color palette make the space both bright and warm. Rooms of various sizes and uses surround the building’s towering core, letting people move to semi-secluded spaces when the central section becomes too active.
The updated branch is more inclusive of the varied needs of its guests than before and aims to support all age groups. Young children have an educational play area off the main stacks with age-appropriate books and play equipment. A nearby exit leads to an outdoor fenced play space with a soft rubber surface. If people need to transition out of an over-stimulating space, Midland offers the library system’s first sensory room that provides a calm, quiet area. Users can adjust room lighting and other interactive elements to meet their needs. The room features a mirrored bubble tube, tactile panels, and a fiber optic tunnel.
Tactile panels and marble light board in sensory room
Tactile board and mirrored bubble tube in sensory room
Young reader’s area
Educational play area
Outdoor play area
Midland has a quiet room across from the young reader’s area where people can sit in chairs or at tables away from the active main room. Teenage visitors also have a dedicated and fully enclosed space with access to video games and media resources, including computers geared towards digital creators. Library visitors can use a computer at a fixed workstation or check out a laptop from a kiosk for use throughout the building. The Multnomah County Library system is pairing these building renovations with a broader effort to adapt their services to the modern needs of the community. Just as public libraries provided equitable access to written knowledge for 200 years, these expansions intend to provide equitable access to technology and digital tools. Access can take many forms, from printing documents to participating in a video interview or creating an animated video. The spaces and equipment available after this renovation should keep the library relevant as a community resource hub for decades.
Shorter bookcases with integrated LED lighting
Outdoor gathering circle
Indoor gathering circle
Teen room
Quiet room
In response to the community’s desire for gathering space, Midland features ten meeting rooms that people can reserve for free. Designers configured the entrance with a retractible separator that allows meeting room access even when the staff closes the library portion of the building, facilitating later meeting times. A panel system designed for art exhibits lines the meeting room hallway across from display cases ready to show art created at the library. The larger meeting rooms at the front of the building have assistive hearing equipment integrated into the presentation system, and conference equipment aids groups holding hybrid meetings. With designed insights from Indigenous communities, Midland contains several gathering circle areas inside and outside the library, geared towards conversations without a central speaker. A core component of this update, and a large percentage of new square footage added to the building, focuses on supporting community groups and creating opportunities for connections.
Large meeting room
Computer workstations
Projector and conferencing system for meetings
Laptop checkout kiosk
The Multnomah County Library invites people to the grand opening weekend celebration, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 26th. The White Lotus Dragon & Lion Dance Team will start off the entertainment at 9:45 a.m., followed by a day filled with family-friendly activities and music. The first day wraps up at 5 p.m. but continues at noon on the following Sunday, October 27th. Those activities extend through 5:30 p.m. with Hawaiian Hula, Bollywood Dance, Hoop Dance, and other culturally rich activities. After the grand reopening, the Midland branch will serve the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sundays, they open from noon to 6 p.m. The schedule shifts two hours later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from noon to 8 p.m.
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Montavilla businesses will celebrate the Fall season with two district-wide events this month. On October 26th, the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) invites everyone to the district for the annual Fall Crawl, and on October 27th, families can enjoy Trick or Treat Montavilla.
The idea of a Montavilla pub crawl grew in popularity in 2019 when Threshold opened the neighborhood’s second brewery in the historic SE Stark Street downtown. The concept grew into a more formalized event as part of METBA’s Harvest Festival and now includes a variety of activities, including a week-long shopping event for a chance to win a prize. People can pick up a passport and shop at 22 participating businesses from October 20th through October 26th. Customers turn in their passports on the 26th to enter a raffle. Additionally, bars and restaurants may offer participants special menu items and discounts.
Images courtesy METBA
On Sunday, October 27th, participating Montavilla businesses will open their doors for neighborhood trick-or-treating. The kid-friendly activity spans NE Glisan Street and SE Stark Street, allowing families to participate close to home. The METBA website offers a complete list of participating businesses and hours. Event times vary by location.
There is a chance of rain this weekend, but that rarely stops the people of Montavilla from heading out to enjoy the height of the Fall season. Consider looking for a break in the clouds or grab the raincoat and head out for Autumn fun in the neighborhood.
Montavilla houses two higher education institutions within the neighborhood boundary, giving many residents quick access to expanded learning opportunities. Thanks to an August 25th service update from TriMet, residents have another option available to them. Riders can now take the Line 25 (Glisan/Troutdale Rd) bus from Gateway Transit Center directly to Mount Hood Community College.
TriMet Line 25 after August 2024 update
TriMet Line 25 before August 2024 update
Line 25 now offers daily service, with buses arriving every 30 minutes most of the day. TriMet extended the bus route as part of its ongoing Forward Together Revised Service Concept. This update nearly doubles the eastward reach of Line 25, serving student transit needs for Reynolds High School and Mt. Hood Community College, where the line terminates. The on-campus bus stop makes public transit a more straightforward solution for many community college students, and its connection to the MAX light rail system at the Gateway Transit Center ensures that many other people can take advantage of this commuting option.
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The eight-story Timberview VIII Apartments at 540 NE 99th Avenue will open to new residents in October. Currently Gateway District’s tallest building, this mass timber affordable housing project brings environmentally forward construction to a prominent section of NE Glisan Street. The bar-shaped structure elevates income-restricted housing design and features apartments for households of varying sizes up to three bedrooms. The 105-unit multifamily building will connect to the community through a ground-level food hall that will support eateries within walking distance of a housing-dense area.
Array Food Hall rendering, courtesy Access Architecture
Array Food Hall rendering, courtesy Access Architecture
Array Food Hall, courtesy Access Architecture
The publicly accessible dining hall has four food spaces and one bar business arranged in a sawtooth pattern that provides definition for each business’s counter area. When open, guests can use the shared seating that wraps around the windowed walls or take items to go. Two restaurant units have full kitchens, while the other stalls offer smaller food prep areas suitable for deli or juice bar tenants. The building’s owner implemented the ground floor commercial space with a focus on supporting small business owners. Contractors will complete units to a move-in-ready state, so a business only needs to install their specific cooking equipment and branding. This level of buildout lowers costs for starting eateries that will not have pricey tenant improvement expenses.
Array Food Hall floor plan, courtesy Access Architecture
Although a convenient amenity for the Timberview VIII residents, the Array Food Hall is accessible independently of the adjacent lobby and leasing area. The food hall is a community resource that bolsters the Gateway District’s walkability. Zoning density in this part of Portland is second only to Downtown, and area residents will need to rely on transit and walkable destinations. Cyclists living in the apartments can access a main-level cargo bike parking room and a basement storage area. Around 70 residences offer additional in-unit bike storage, bringing the building’s bicycle capacity to 160. This project was approved before recent code changes reduced bicycle parking numbers, and the builder chose to stick with the higher capacity. Thanks to the developer leading this project, many aspects of this building go beyond the base requirements for affordable housing.
Stacked bike racks in basement parking room
Brendan Sanchez, Principal at Access Architecture, explained that the project’s owner, Rystadt Development, had a vision for this property early on. “One of the client’s primary goals from the get-go was that it be mass timber and affordable housing,” said Sanchez. “Our structural engineer was DCI, and they actually are the ones that connected me with the client.” Mass timber is a relatively new method of building using an engineered wood product to support a building that would often require concrete or steel. The wood-centric structure offers improved construction speed with large sections fabricated offsite, and the naturally grown materials used in the construction reduce a project’s carbon footprint.
Steel and concrete have high amounts of embodied carbon (carbon released into the atmosphere during production), so reducing those building products will have significant environmental benefits. Additionally, wood products sequester carbon, mitigating climate change. Trees pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, trapping carbon within their cells until the wood burns or decomposes. Buildings with mass timber products hold carbon within the structure for its lifetime. Mass timber has environmentally friendly benefits beyond the manufacturing process. The multi-layered, solid wood panels and beams weigh less than similar structural materials, allowing for smaller concrete foundations. This weight savings is also where the more expensive mass timber product can become competitive. In some soil conditions, heavier buildings require a more substantial footing, driving up an engineer’s time and construction costs. In those cases, the lighter mass timber building saves money.
The environmental considerations of this project continue inside the building, with radiant floor heating in each unit. High-end builders often install this feature in residences because it effectively distributes consistent warmth throughout a home. It is also energy efficient and should contribute to the development team’s goal of being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building. During planning, the project team targeted a LEED Gold rating but discovered that they could achieve higher energy efficiency with just a little more effort. This building will offer residents portable air conditioners they can install in units seasonally.
View from coworking space
The Timberview VIII building is one of Oregon’s first type IV-C construction type (mass timber) structures permitted through a codified code path instead of through permit appeals that previously allowed this building type’s construction, explained Sanchez. “We worked hand in hand with the City of Portland to make sure that when we submitted for permit review, they were already expecting what we were going to be submitting. To the City’s credit, they did a great job. I think everyone felt good about that process.” The Timberview VIII is not the tallest mass timber building. However, it is pushing the limits of the district’s skyline. “It’s the tallest building that we have designed. It’s not technically a high rise. It came in just under high-rise heights,” remarked Sanchez. “While our building currently will be the highest, we expect that other taller buildings will come online over the next five to ten years, so we just want to make sure that we have a building that feels like it is of high quality.”
Wood veneer panel protecting mass timber structure
Access Architecture designed the building to show off its unique structure and become a showpiece for the surrounding community and its residents. “We wanted to highlight the use of mass timber. On the exterior, we’ve carved away the building facade to reveal the structural system. It starts at the ground floor, where the public spaces are. Then that carveout wraps up the building on the South facade and terminates at the top level community room’s outdoor patio that has views towards Downtown and Mount Hood,” said Sanchez. Exposing the supporting frame of any building to the elements can weaken it over time, especially for wood products. “That’s a little bit difficult to do in the northwest. It takes additional consideration because of our weather and just the amount of precipitation we receive. So we were intentional about where we exposed the mass timber, and then in other areas, we wrapped it in a wood siding that still has the look of wood but is protecting the structural material,” explained Sanchez. Crews covered the exposed mass timber in a wood veneer product that uses natural wood glued on a panel with a protective coating. That product’s manufacturer warranties it for 20 years of outdoor exposure while still presenting the wood structure forward. “So that’s what we’ve used in the areas where we wanted to express the structural frame, but we didn’t want to have the actual structural frame exposed to the elements,” said Sanchez.
Community room and outdoor patio
The exposed timber became a key element within the building as well. “We tried to expose as much wood as possible with biophilic design principles, utilizing the natural beauty of the Doug Fur cross-laminated timber as ceilings,” said Sanchez. This design left many mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems exposed to residents that tradespeople took care to keep organized along corridors. Lighting in this building is usually attached to the walls to avoid running electrical conduit over the wood panels. The LED lighting design creates softer illumination throughout the units and hallways in stark contrast to the sometimes harsh lighting used in other buildings. Residents will also benefit from significant natural light through tall windows in each unit and an eighth-floor amenity space that is all about the scenery. “We knew that it would be, at least for now, the tallest building in the area. So we have some great views and wanted to take advantage of that,” remarked Sanchez. The designers used part of the top floor for a community room and outdoor terrace where all building residents can enjoy a penthouse vista.
Westward view from the eighth floor patio
Many affordable housing buildings place community space on the ground floor, where having bedroom windows close to the sidewalk would make people uncomfortable. In this building, they split communal space between the top-level views and a ground-floor coworking space off the main lobby. This choice also provided more floor area for the public food hall, which should bring people from the neighborhood into the building. Diners within that space will activate this corner of NE Glisan and 99th Avenue, creating a lively streetscape that feels safer and attractive to those passing by. That effect is thanks to its tall glass storefront and rollup doors that can open in the summer. However, Sanchez explained maintaining human-scale design is critical to creating an attractive pedestrian space. The designers intentionally avoided a long glass wall around the first floor by using the building structure to create smaller compartments. “One of the unique things we try to do with this project, compared to some other projects, is you’ll notice the mass timber columns on the ground floor are pulled away from the building facade. When you’ve got large expanses of glass along a sidewalk, studies show that our brain starts to get anxious, and someone will walk past it a little bit faster because a long storefront can feel cold,” said Sanchez.
Crews installing outdoor awnings
Additionally, people at the base of the building will benefit from steel awnings attached to the mass timber frame, providing rain coverage and sun protection. In the summertime, the glass-paneled rollup doors can expose the food hall to the street and allow seating to extend outside. This indoor-outdoor connection should further connect the building with the community and make NE Glisan a lively space for people walking the streets.
Rollup door in food hall
The Timberview VIII Apartments will have six three-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom units, meeting a considerable need for family-sized affordable housing. “It’s hard to make family-size units pencil, but that was another commitment by the developers to have family units included, so we’re lucky to get a nice full range of unit types,” remarked Sanchez. The largest apartments feature two bathrooms and in-unit laundry hookups for those residents who want to use their own machines instead of the shared laundry room. Architects place the three-bedroom units on the south side of the building and offer expansive views of the street below.
Window placement in the Timberview VIII Apartments brings a tremendous amount of natural light into the building while shaping the outward design. “We have a tall and wide building, especially on the West facade, and so we wanted to break that up and introduce a little bit of playfulness on that facade by staggering the window openings. If you look at the elevation design, many of the Windows stack. We have two window types, a larger one and then a narrower one next to it. That narrower one creates a stepping visual as you go across the facade. It steps diagonally down to bring your eye down to the main southwest intersection,” explained Sanchez. The window openings within the siding also added to the texture of the structure. The designers used furring material to lift the metal panels out past the windows, creating the appearance of thicker walls with set-back glazing. Sanchez noted depth adds to the building’s visual interest and creates subtle shadows that people pick up on.
Cascade Management is currently accepting applications for units in the Timberview VIII Apartments. To qualify, residents can only earn up to 60% of the Median Family Income (MFI). In 2024, that means making less than $49,560 per year for an individual or $70,800 for a family of four. Units currently range from $1,168 to $1,760 per month. People will move in later this month, with the project team planning a grand opening ceremony in November. Expect to learn more about the food hall tenants as construction wraps up in that commercial space.
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On Thursday, October 10th, demolition crews with Buildskape razed the single-story auto sales building on the Multnomah County-owned property at 333 SE 82nd Avenue. As they prepared the site for an alternative outdoor shelter, workers removed the signage and high-intensity light poles used by RV and automotive sales tenants over the last several decades. In early 2025, people transitioning out of houselessness will begin moving into 29 one-room sleeping pods and receive support from site operator Straightway Services.
At an October 9th community meeting, engagement coordinators with the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) announced the final name of the shelter site. Up to this point, JOHS referred to the project under the working name of Montavilla Community Village. After consulting with community groups and business association members, officials selected the site name Oak Street Village. This final name establishes its location and will disambiguate it from a planned second Montavilla shelter location further south at SE 82nd Avenue and Mill Street. That other location will start development next year, with residents expected in 2026.
With the site nearly cleared of debris, crews will soon begin digging trenches for water and sewer infrastructure connecting to portable units that house showers, bathrooms, kitchenette space, and a laundry facility for residents. The site uses Pallet branded shelters for the eight-by-20-foot shed-style sleeping pods. Residents and staff will have 33 onsite parking spaces, trash services, and other communal spaces for pet relief and covered outdoor seating. Straightway Services staff members operate the site 24 hours a day, working from the office building at the SE Oak Street entrance.
Oak Street Village site rendering courtesy Multnomah County
Up to 40 adults can reside at the Oak Street Village. That number varies based on the number of couples staying at the shelter who can share a single sleeping pod. The JOHS-funded program intends for guests to have a limited stay at this site and use it as a stepping stone to finding stable housing. Rules of the shelter prohibit the use of illegal substances and alcohol. People may not possess dangerous weapons at Oak Street Village, and visitors are not allowed unless they are part of an approved support service. Residents will abide by quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Straightway Services will answer an onsite phone line available to the public to respond to questions or hear neighbor’s concerns.
These Oak Street Village policies and other considerations are part of a community engagement process that includes a lengthy Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) working group process that is wrapping up ahead of the site’s opening. Representatives of the JOHS, Straightway Services, Montavilla Neighborhood Association, Montavilla East Tabor Business Association, and the City of Portland participated in the process and will sign the agreement. That document calls for a community advisory group to track set metrics for area livability and will meet quarterly to review and advise on changes that could improve conditions.
Montavilla News first reported on the County’s intentions for two former RV sales sites along 82nd Avenue at the end of 2022. Over the last two years, the County increased its engagement strategy and held several community meetings. Organization representatives on the GNA working group described the process as productive at the October 9th meeting. They said people can view a complete version of the document at an upcoming neighborhood association meeting planned for later this year. Once signed, it will become a public document for anyone to read, with amendments and other relevant data appearing online. Construction crews will work on the site over the next three to four months before Straightway Services takes over the property to ready it for guests’ arrivals around February 2025.
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On October 9th, the Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners voted to grant up to $750,000 towards reconstruction of the Portland Mercado after a January 3rd fire destroyed the Barrio Bar and damaged its surrounding building. The presentation that preceded the unanimous vote revealed that crews will reconstruct the bar space to its former configuration and show additions to the structure, creating more outdoor covered space at the ground level with newly accessible rooftop seating.
Portland Mercado pre fire, courtesy Portland Mercado
The nearly $2 million budget blends funds from fundraising, insurance, and now the awarded grant to Hacienda CDC that manages food cart pod unified by Latino culture. Located at 7238 SE Foster Road, this site fulfilled a community dream to develop the first Latino public market in Portland when it opened in April 2015. Organizers built the affordable retail complex on land owned by the City of Portland’s development agency, Prosper Portland. It offered a mix of interior and food cart space to emerging businesses until an early morning fire in January closed the main building’s shops and Commissary Kitchen.
Portland Mercado restoration budget slide from presentation to Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners
The outdoor facilities at Portland Mercado reopened not long after the fire, but the building remained shuttered until crews could repair the damage and reconstruct the weakened structure. Insurance payouts totaling $904,203 have taken time to coordinate. Presenters explained that the insurance compensation policy requires the bar space to be rebuilt to its previous configuration, and that process follows a restoration path that should return the building to its previous state. However, this construction project allows Portland Mercado to tackle expansion projects it planned to build prior to the fire.
Covered outdoor seating is critical to guest comfort at the Portland Mercado. The Pacific Northwest’s dependably rainy weather is exchanged for hot summer days, and diners appreciate cover in both circumstances. Rebuilding efforts will use the extra Prosper Portland grant money to create a larger building that can accommodate more seating outside the bar area. A new outdoor staircase will lead up to the second floor, where a covered rooftop seating area provides more space for guests and a neighborhood view away from ground-level activities.
During the remodel, the building will also receive new paint in an updated color pallet. Once reopened, a new bar vendor will likely take over the space. Barrio Bar’s owner Chris Shimamoto recently took a position at the Publican Beer Room within the Collective Oregon Eateries (CORE) food hall on SE 82nd Avenue. He explained he was not ready to reopen his own space again but was excited to return to bartending at CORE. Portland Mercado operators intend to file building permits this month, with construction starting in the winter. Crews should complete work in mid-2025.
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