Work is underway on a new single-family residence at 817 NE 94th Avenue. The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home offers 1,355 square feet of living space spanning two floors. The upper level extends over the full-width front porch in an architectural nod to the Craftsman homes seen through this area. This infill development replaces a detached garage and large tree that was part of the 1927-era house at 825 NE 94th Avenue until 2023.
Rendering Courtesy DEZ Development
The main floor features a bonus room up front with a full closet, allowing it to act as an office or additional ground-level bedroom. A powered room sits under the staircase leading up to the second level. Designers placed an “L” shaped Kitchen in the center of the house with a large breakfast island separating the space from the combined great room and dining room that occupy the entire rear of the building.
Floor Plan Courtesy DEZ Development
On the second level, the main bedroom extends slightly over the front porch and has a full attached bathroom and walk-in closet. A front-facing window provides natural light into the spacious closet. Two standard-sized bedrooms at the back of the house share a full-sized bathroom. A stacked laundry closet and utility room sit at the center of the upper floor.
This housing project is another home created by DEZ Development, which is wrapping up work on Three Affordable Townhomes a few blocks away on NE 92nd Avenue. Per the current Portland building code, which prohibits attached garages on a street-facing facade less than 22 feet long, this home does not feature on-site vehicle storage. However, removing the previous curb cut and restoring the sidewalk’s edge will allow more curbside parking. People should expect to see construction continue at this site through summer.
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Recently, crews working with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) replaced ten lamp posts and ornamental fixtures in Montavilla Park at 8219 NE Glisan Street. This work is part of the PP&R Light Pole Safety Project, which grew out of public objection to the program’s first iteration, which planned to remove 244 light posts in twelve parks without sufficient funds for replacement. Since May 6th, lighting installers have concentrated efforts in Mt. Tabor Park, replacing 88 old and unstable lights.
On February 22nd, 2023, PP&R began the removal of potentially dangerous light poles in City parks. Engineers determined that some older cast-concrete light poles in Portland Parks have structural anchoring issues that could pose life and safety hazards to the public. This project had limited funding, with just two parks expected to receive new lights within 16 months. Affected parks would have closed at 10:00 p.m., with Park Rangers frequently visiting at night to compensate for the dangers caused by the poorly illuminated facilities. Before citizen groups could mobilize, PP&R crews removed lights in Mount Scott Park, Sellwood Park, and Sellwood Riverfront Park. The maintenance worker’s quick action and the public’s short notice caused anger in the community.
Within weeks of announcing the Light Pole Safety Project, several community groups asked PP&R leaders and City elected officials to halt the removal and reconsider the process. Among them, Montavilla’s neighborhood coalition Southeast Uplift sent a letter signed by 23 community-based organizations. The letter requested the City find funding to restore all lighting it had or planned to remove. It also asked PP&R to postpone further light removal until they procured replacement units and engaged the community in the replacement lighting process.
At the April 5th, 2023, Portland City Council session, the Mayor and all four Commissioners approved an amended contract with McKinstry Essention for energy savings performance contracting services, including funding for new park lights. PP&R halted light pole removal and sourced replacement lighting that met the community’s requests for replacement.
Example of old fixture on the left with a new one on the right in Montavilla Park
The new lamp posts feature a similar design and use LED lights that are 66% more efficient than the nearly 100-year-old units they are replacing. Vendors fitted new fixtures with a shield to direct light towards park pathways, lessening light pollution in the night sky caused by upward illumination. Additionally, circuitry in the lights ensures limited operation from dusk to dawn, saving energy while providing nighttime safety. PP&R says they selected new light poles and fixtures to replicate the previous ones as closely as possible. The replica fixtures are objectively equivalent in design, and most parkgoers will not notice a difference other than the new poles look cleaner and more substantial. The fixture connects to the cast concrete pole with the same vertical straps cinched in place with four metal bands. The spacing of each element exactly matches the older version’s proportions. The lamp’s glass-paneled housing differs slightly from the past fixtures seen in Montavilla Park. However, not all park lamp posts are of the same vintage, and the new poles lean towards the classic design found in many older parks. In this instance, Montavilla Park’s lamp posts will better match the neighboring parks.
PP&R will continue to replace the light pole in Mt. Tabor Park through May and then work on the remaining two parks. If the project keeps on schedule, crews will install nine new poles at Lair Hill Park in June, with four units replaced at Ladd Circle Park in August. A year after community groups moved to action, residents are seeing the results of their advocacy, just in time for a season of warm summer night strolls.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to break ground this Fall on a new 60s Greenway exiting Mt. Tabor Park and leading south until SE Harney Street. The new route, which prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists, will feature traffic calming elements and enhanced intersection improvements at five crossings. Neighborhood greenways offer a low-stress path for people traveling outside automobiles and are a critical part of Portland’s Safe Routes to School network.
Greenway Map Courtesy PBOT
This project takes advantage of two other projects along its route to enhance safety while reducing cost. The recently completed Portland Parks & Recreation path and multiuse trail leading to Mt. Tabor Park from SE 64th Avenue and SE Division Street provides the northern segment of the Greenway. TriMet’s Powell-Division Safety and Access to Transit project offers tentative plans to improve the SE Division Street at SE 64th Avenue crossing. A temporary pedestrian refuge island and marked crosswalk at this intersection currently helps people cross this busy street until crew build the TriMet funded enhancements.
Temporary pedestrian refuge island and marked crosswalk at SE 64th and SE Division
PBOT crews will install signage and striped crossings while improving visibility by removing on-street parking near corners at SE Foster at SE 67th Avenue, SE Harold at 67th Avenue, SE Woodstock at 67th Avenue, SE Duke at 67th Avenue, and SE Flavel at SE 68th Avenue. Engineers will only recommend parking removal where stored vehicles could inhibit visibility at sidewalk corners. Along the entire Greenway, workers will install speed bumps and painted bike direction markers called sharrows.
sharrow example
The 60s Neighborhood Greenway will contribute around four miles to Portland’s more than 100 miles of low-traffic and low-speed streets where people walking, bicycling, and rolling have priority. This project delivers on a long-requested north-south connector for people living in the South Tabor, Mt. Scott-Arletta, and Foster-Powell neighborhoods. Look for work to began later this year.
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Recently, crews working at SE 82nd Avenue and SE Clinton Street closed the outer southbound lane, repurposing the center turn lane to maintain capacity. This work is related to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) bundle of 82nd Avenue Critical Fixes. Crews will install a pedestrian half signal, a continuous protected concrete median refuge island, updated curb ramps, and new marked crosswalks. Work will also require limited road reconstruction down to its base layer near the intersection. When completed, road infrastructure at the intersection will prohibit left turns.
This project is less than 500 feet from the fully signalized intersection at SE 82nd Avenue and Division Street but 700 feet from the next signalized intersection at SE Woodward Street. Since Portland City Council adopted the PedPDX update to Portland’s Pedestrian Master Plan in 2019, PBOT began installing marked crossings roughly 800 feet apart on major streets. Engineers place marked crosswalks closer together at around every 530 feet for designated Pedestrian Districts like the Jade District, adding median refuge islands, Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), and signals as needed. “Clinton Street was identified early on in our planning process as a desirable location to fill this gap, being the closest intersection to the mid-point between the two existing crossings, and the closest to meeting the 530-foot guideline, and being a four-way intersection that serves a larger area of the neighborhood on both sides of 82nd Avenue,” explained PBOT representative Hannah Schafer.
Graphic from 82nd Avenue Critical Fixes 60% Draft Concept Design, January 2024. Courtesy PBOT
City planners also chose this location for improvements based on future projects planned along SE Clinton Street. This crossing will eventually lead to an affordable housing development planned for the former Canton Grill site at the northeast corner, and the street will receive upgrades as part of the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project. “An upcoming funded project will be paving some gravel blocks of Clinton Street just east of 82nd Avenue and adding sidewalks that will connect to this new signalized crossing,” remarked Schafer. She noted that this crossing was the site of a 2015 traffic fatality, along with several other non-deadly crashes involving pedestrians struck by motorists, elevating the need for safety upgrades at this intersection.
The Half Signals selected for this project stop vehicle traffic on 82nd Avenue. This equipment works similarly to RRFB signalized crossings. People request the light by pressing a button when ready to cross. However, instead of activating flashing amber lights, drivers see a stoplight, clearly halting traffic so pedestrians can cross. In addition to signals and a continuous protected concrete median refuge island that prohibits left turns, contractors working for PBOT will construct enhanced stormwater inlets and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant corner ramps at SE 82nd Avenue and SE Clinton Street.
Since April 23rd, construction at the site closed the southbound number 72 TriMet Bus stop (ID 7948). The stop will reopen in early May. Drivers should anticipate continued construction at this intersection in the next few months, blocking various traffic lanes on 82nd Avenue and closing SE Clinton Street access from 82nd Avenue as work requires.
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The new owners of 8358 NE Holladay Street recently submitted a request to replat their double lot, making way for a new four-home development and Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) while preserving the original 1940-era home. Rees Bettinger purchased the corner property through a Limited Liability Company in September 2023 as he was in the process of building a new cottage cluster across the street. The housing density he created with his first project on Holladay Street was an effort to repurpose the lot’s vast yard. However, the density planned for this second property is mandated by City zoning rules for redevelopment.
Supplemental map from Replat Review LU 23-098034
Although both corner lots sit across NE 84th Avenue from each other, 8358 NE Holladay Street is in a pocket of Residential Multi-Dwelling 2 (RM2) zoned properties instead of Residential 2,500 (R2.5). RM2 zoning allows large buildings up to three or four floors. However, it has a base size requirement triggered by redevelopment to encourage efficient land use in the zone. The minimum density for an RM2 zoned property per Portland City Code 33.120.213 is 1 unit per 1,450 square feet. For this 10,000-square-foot site, the City requires at least seven housing units. That was more housing than the development team felt would fit the existing scale of the area, so they got creative. “If the existing house is retained, then that house will count as two units,” explained Bettinger. Now only needing to create five more homes, he plans to achieve the required density by building four townhouse units on the new lot where the garages once stood and adding an ADU to the original home’s yard facing NE 84th Avenue.
Draft rendering of townhouse building from side, subject to change. Courtesy Rees Bettinger
In preparation for the replat, crews demolished the attached garage that would have extended over the property line. The original home will sit on a 5,438 square-foot parcel, and the smaller 4,562 square-foot property will contain an older accessory structure. Demolition workers will return to remove that detached garage ahead of the townhouse construction. Those two-story units will offer residents around 1,200 square feet of living space, three bedrooms, and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The northmost home will face onto NE Holladay Street, and a walkway will provide access to the back three units with doors facing east. “We’ll have ten feet between the building and the western lot line to have some outdoor areas for a patio with a place to put a little outdoor picnic table and a barbecue,” said Bettinger. The two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom, detached ADU will remain with the original house, with its door opening onto NE 84th Avenue.
Similar to the project across the street, Bettinger will need to reconstruct the sidewalk corner ramps to comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. He also expects to re-pour the sidewalk concrete and rebuild curb segments around the property, particularly where crews removed the driveway. This site will not offer onsite vehicle storage. Instead, it will rely on curbside parking for residents and guests. “I think [parking] is probably the biggest deal in terms of where people are negative on these types of projects. There are a lot of projects that the City of Portland won’t allow off-street parking on. As a realtor, I know most people want a garage, and now the codes [require] quite a bit of [building] width to even have a garage approved. I understand the City’s perspective on it; by the time you get a [driveway] approach and then the wings of that approach, oftentimes you’re taking two [on-street parking spaces] away to create one onsite,” said Bettinger.
Draft site map for townhouse building, subject to change. Courtesy Rees Bettinger
Bettinger and his family live in the area, and this development work grew out of seeing many infill opportunities in Montavilla yards. Early in his life, he worked in construction as a framer and a remodeler before going into real estate. In 2020, Bettinger bought his first lot and paid a builder to develop a new home intended for sale. By 2021, he obtained an Oregon Construction Contractors Board license and started taking on subcontractor management work on his projects. However, Bettinger continued working as a realtor, sometimes working more than reasonable hours. Development work came at the right time, as a hot housing market meant many of his clients could not close on a property in a bidding war, and he was not making regular commissions on the sales. For Bettinger, becoming a full-time builder is not an easy solution to weathering a challenging housing market. It has its own problems and frustrations, including nearly a dozen instances of break-ins and vandalism at his last project site. On top of building delays, that damage cuts into project feasibility, creating a sense of dread during some parts of the work cycle.
Draft rendering of townhouse building from street, subject to change. Courtesy Rees Bettinger
Bettinger’s knowledge of the selling side of the market helps shape the projects he takes on, but his consideration for the community also plays a factor. “My wife’s been a wonderful partner in every way. She’s great at asking me questions. ‘What are we doing to these neighborhoods? Can we run a business that’s profitable but also something you can be proud of at the end of the day?'” recalled Bettinger. That consultation helps the business adjust project scope to factor in the neighboring properties, which is why Bettinger does not always build to the highest density allowed. As he moves forward, projects will trend to smaller-sized units as that is what people can afford at an entry level.
Bettinger expects this project to take a few more months before he can submit building permits, likely pushing construction back to the end of this year. Details of the project could change based on the City of Portland’s feedback, and the total number of units for sale will depend on further land division allowances. Residents in this area should expect more construction at this site towards the end of the year. Additionally, people can anticipate greater density in the RM2-zoned blocks as properties redevelop with the City’s higher minimum unit requirements.
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Motorists in Montavilla should use extra caution when driving on May 1st. Wednesday morning, commuters on SE Stark Street encountered a Portland Police Bureau Photo Enforcement van parked near SE 78th Avenue. Drivers traveling over the posted speed limit of 20 miles per hour saw their speed displayed on the van’s attached reader board and flash. To the north, posted road closure signs on NE 78th Avenue at E Burnside Street and NE Everett Street prohibit through traffic as Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) crews work in the roadway.
Although outside the active NE 78th Avenue project area, PBOT crews have begun repairing the sinkhole that appeared on that street last week near NE Glisan Street. NE 78th Avenue remains open on that segment, but cars must navigate barricades covering the sinkhole area. Look for construction to disrupt local travel as work progresses.
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Over the next 30 years, more property tax dollars collected in parts of East Portland could go directly towards projects in that geography. If evaluators recommend new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) expansion to Portland City Council later this year, Portland could gain new TIF Districts along 82nd Avenue, East of Interstate 205, and in the Parkrose-Columbia Corridor. In 2023, Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s office convened an East Portland TIF Exploration Steering Committee to identify three possible TIF locations. That work progressed to the next phase of investigation in November 2023 with the formation of working groups charged with creating TIF boundaries, guiding principles, and permissible project lists. Those groups of community members, organization leaders, and business people must also communicate with the people in the affected area to determine if a TIF District is the right project funding tool for each proposed District. Community members can learn more about TIF and voice their opinions at TIF Open Houses this May.
Tax Increment Financing (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 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. 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 has the benefit of reserving a segment of tax dollars for use in the community where it’s collected instead of spreading all tax funds across all areas of the City. Portland also dedicates 45 percent of funds collected towards affordable housing, a policy that has led to TIF districts now supporting 47 percent of Portland’s affordable housing units. Even with those upsides, forming a TIF District has the potential to cause harm to communities and has displaced people for decades under another name, Urban Renewal.
Past Urban Renewal projects used TIF District funds to fuel the destruction of communities across the country by demolishing “blighted” neighborhoods. The municipalities created new infrastructure and other public works in those areas, causing displacement and gentrification. The Albina neighborhood stands as a prime example from Portland’s past, where Urban Renewal displaced hundreds of Black families and businesses by creating Interstate 5 and other public projects where people once lived. However, even the relatively recent Interstate TIF District caused substantial displacement in the corridor surrounding the MAX Yellow line. Consequently, Prosper Portland adopted a new approach to implementing TIF Districts that relies on community guidance and early anti-displacement work. Portland’s newest TIF District in the Cully neighborhood spent nearly four years shaping a plan to fund projects meant to strengthen the existing residents while improving conditions. Approved in November 2022, the Cully TIF District is too young to prove this new model, and it will take years to see if it can meet all its goals. However, the three new TIF Districts under consideration will leverage the Cully work in an effort to create an equitable tool for funding improvements and provide community stabilization during a transformation already underway.
The issues around TIF District formation are complex. Past projects have shown that an improvement for some can cause injury to others, and it often disproportionately harms people from communities of color. It is essential that a variety of residents participate in conversations, learning about the positive impacts and helping shape risk mitigations that will prevent harm. Montavilla Residents can attend the May 6th meeting in The Orchards on 82nd building at 8118 Southeast Division Street from 6 to 8 p.m. or the May 9th meetings held in the African Youth & Community Organization (AYCO) building at 2110 SE 82nd Avenue. All three sessions are presented in English with translators available for Cantonese at 6:15 p.m., Vietnamese at 6:50 p.m., and Somali at 7:20 p.m. Attendees are asked to pre-register online for the Orchards meeting and the AYCO meeting. For people looking to attend on another day or are more invested in the East of I-205 TIF, there is an event on Saturday, May 11th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Gethsemane Lutheran Church at 11560 SE Market Street. People can request translation services when registering online.
Update: Added additional meeting information for May 6th event.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Ave TIF Working Group. It is a unpaid volunteer position. However, participants can receive honorariums for attending each meeting that have a cash value. Montavilla News does not endorse candidates, ballot measures, or government initiatives. The Authors participation in this Working Group and votes should not be considered the opinion of this publication.
Four new houses now surround 8404 NE Holladay Street in what was once the 1931-era home’s expansive yard. Each two-story building is on one of five lots created by a new Middle Housing Land Division technique. This multi-structure project is one of Montavilla’s first cottage cluster land divisions, and it demonstrates the housing density possible with the 2022 enacted zoning updates that allow for this type of development.
8404 NE Holladay Street in 2023 before construction
The scale of the project triggered frontage improvements to the sidewalk along both streets, including the reconstruction of corner ramps to comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. However, not all cottage clusters will require these improvements, and in many cases, this type of land division is a cost-saving process for developers. Instead of orienting lots with individual street access, cottage clusters use pathways and utility easements to divide a parcel. This process can create odd-shaped lots hidden behind other houses in places that previously could only hold an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).
Lot line map from LU 23-012542 MLDS.8414 NE Holladay Street – Unit A, 8410 NE Holladay Street – Unit B,964 NE 84th Avenue – Unit C, 960 NE 84th Avenue – Unit D
8414 NE Holladay Street (Unit A) has an open-concept first floor with a kitchen at the front and a half bathroom at the back. A sizable section of the main level’s footprint contains an 18-foot-wide patio covered by the upper floor. The second level holds three bedrooms. The main bedroom has a full-sized ensuite, with another full bathroom accessible from the hallway. Designers placed a stacked laundry closet at the end of the hall.
8410 NE Holladay Street (Unit B) has its owner’s bedroom on the main level with a three-quarters ensuite. A half bathroom sits at the center of the house, off the living room. The U-shaped kitchen and dining area occupy the back wall with a covered patio to the south. Three more bedrooms on the second story share a full bathroom with double vanities. The staircase wraps around a second-floor stacked laundry closet.
964 NE 84th Avenue (Unit C) is a mirror replica of 8410 NE Holladay Street. 960 NE 84th Avenue (Unit D) is an inverted version of 8414 NE Holladay Street. The two street-facing additions offer 1,349 square feet to residents, while the innermost homes provide 1,269 square feet. These four new homes are over 1,000 square feet smaller than the original building. However, they are still spacious enough for families and offer substantial housing density while retaining the surrounding area’s single-family scale. Expect to see these homes for sale later this year.
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The site of an April 1st homicide will become a new Chick-fil-A restaurant after the City approves permits. Since 2022, franchise designers have worked to gain approval for a new chain chicken sandwich shop at 9950 SE Stark Street. The approximately 7,012 square foot building hosted several establishments over its years, including Tony Roma’s, Hooters, Mystic Gentlemen’s Club, and now Venue Gentlemen’s Club. It was outside this current adult entertainment business that responding Portland Police officers found one person with life-threatening injuries and a second person deceased on that early April evening.
On Friday, April 12, members of the Vancouver Police Department and the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested the suspected April 1st shooter in Washington State. The 31-year-old Portland resident is awaiting extradition to Multnomah County from the Clark County Jail, where law enforcement officials are holding him on warrants for Murder and Attempted Murder. The suspect’s apprehension resolves immediate concerns regarding this most recent spike in violence in a commercial area struggling to come back from its decline.
This parcel sits across SE Washington Street from the Mall 205 complex that sold to new investors in January 2022. As the new ownership works to remake that formerly bustling retail center, several area tenants have vacated the area. However, other big-name companies have remained in existing locations while other new chain stores look to establish a foothold in this central corridor.
Portland City officials recently approved a design review for the future Chick-fil-A restaurant to replace Venue Gentlemen’s Club. The 1984-era building will receive substantial upgrades inside and out. Motorists will maintain parking lot access from the two existing SE Washington Street and SE Stark Street driveways. However, guests will need to leave their vehicles at this fast food location as the building will not offer a drive-through window. Crews will rework the façade and roof to incorporate a new entry vestibule. Sidewalk improvements around the site will join the parking lot and ramp additions to increase accessible entry to the restaurant. Workers will restructure the interior with all new restrooms, a play area, a sit-down dining room, and kitchen space to meet the Chick-fil-A standards.
After years of preliminary work on this proposed restaurant, project planners have recently moved to the permitting phase, making this site’s transformation likely to proceed. The permitting process can take significant time to secure City approvals. According to an Oregonian/OregonLive article from May 2023, Venue Gentlemen’s Club will remain at this site on SE Stark Street until they can secure a new location. The presence of a Chick-fil-A location can often change the character of a street, drawing many patrons. Its addition to the business roster for the area could bolster the efforts of Mall 205’s rehabilitation along with other shopping additions planned for neighboring commercial spaces. People should expect construction at 9950 SE Stark Street to begin soon after permits are approved and the existing tenant vacates the space.
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Looking south, new traffic separators extend all the way to NE Tillamook Street
Landowners often use the Forest Sentry gate in remote locations where restricting unauthorized vehicle access is necessary for safety. Its one-piece design and solid construction resist sag or damage by extending its structure under the roadway. Golf course maintenance vehicles still need northbound access to this road, and a reliable gate is an essential part of this road reconfiguration. A recently built multi-use path leads from NE Tillamook Street to the north side of the gate, allowing cyclists and pedestrians access. The 600 feet of concrete traffic separators discourage vehicles from driving around the gate by heading in the wrong direction using the southbound lane.
These updates are part of the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project, nearing completion. NE 72nd Drive is a narrow street that challenges modern two-way traffic in segments due to tree placement and embankments. Removing one lane of travel allows for continued multimodal use. However, some area residents oppose this closure as it adds a 1.3-mile detour for northbound drivers to navigate around the golf course. Cyclists traveling north should note that the new traffic separators also make it difficult to safely ride around the gate from the roadway. They should instead use the multi-use path until past the gate. Southbound users can continue to use the street unobstructed.
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Neighborhood news site focused on buildings and changing businesses
