Starting in early April, Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) will begin restoration and enhancement work at the Gateway Green Park. Construction crews working on the MAX Red Line expansion closed a southern portion of the off-road cycling and outdoor recreation area in September 2021. The now completed TriMet transit bridge and track placement required significant earth-moving work, creating the opportunity to completely rebuild this section of the park and create an accessible entrance that should attract new park users.
Pedestrian and bike access from the Gateway Transit Center
Crews will work through autumn 2024, creating park amenities and reconnecting existing trails. Improved access starts with a pedestrian and bike access bridge from the Gateway Transit Center, leading to a new entry plaza with benches and way-finding signage. The new bridge, shared with southbound trains, allows parkgoers direct access from transit and parking. However, the path’s width also allows emergency vehicles to drive into the remote park. The plaza will connect to an existing path through the park with no more than 5% grade, allowing young riders and other people easy access through the otherwise steep terrain. Mountain bikers will also receive an additional 1,000 linear feet of new bike trails that utilize the condors of the hill.
New MAX Red Line Platform at the Gateway Transit Center
The Gateway Green project began in 2016 with a vision of dedicated hiking and off-road cycling pathways. It now features a diversity of trails and pump tracks. This current work improves access and amenities while restoring the natural oak tree habitat. After years of rail construction on this site, landscapers and arborists will have to creatively reintegrate this land back into the park.
Gateway Green Park is isolated from the neighborhoods by the Interstate-84 and Interstate-205 interchange. Before these updates, people could only access the park from the I-205 Multi-Use Path. This isolation made it hard to discover, leading to limited usage. With the southern entrance at Gateway Transit Center, a new group of park users can walk into this large wooded area and use it for a range of unexplored activities.
PP&R plans to host a grand opening celebration on October 5, 2024, coinciding with the annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Funds collected from developers to expand park capacity provided $308,000 towards this project. Commissioner Dan Ryan directed PP&R to use the restricted Park System Development Charges for this project, avoiding using General Fund tax dollars. This funding method ensures that Portlanders continue to have convenient access to green space as the city grows without burdening the already stretched Parks budget. The northern sections of Gateway Green Park remain open during construction.
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On March 20th, the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) held its first widely attended public meeting regarding shelter plans for the Multnomah County-owned property at 333 SE 82nd Avenue. The second County run meeting on April 3rd will continue the community conversation with JOHS staff, City of Portland representatives, and site operator Straightway Services in attendance. On April 8th, the Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) will dedicate a significant portion of its meeting to the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) for this site in cooperation with the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA). Then, on April 11th, the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners plans to vote on authorizing funds to demolish the existing RV sales office on the site and construct the required trash enclosure, plumbing, and electrical connections for the modular structures.
JOHS officials began working on a usage strategy for the shelter site in 2022, giving it the working title Montavilla Community Village. Multnomah County purchased the former RV sales lot and another site several blocks south to create shelter services along 82nd Avenue. Resident selection for Montavilla Community Village will prioritize unhoused individuals with passenger vehicles from the Montavilla area. Shelter operators will then accept people living unsheltered on the nearby streets, working with established services groups to locate potential residents with ties to the neighborhood. The site’s design provides space for 29 Pallet shelters, 33 onsite parking spaces, trash services, showers, restrooms, laundry, and a communal kitchenette. Montavilla Community Village could house up to 40 people with 24-hour wraparound support from Straightway Services staff.
KGW’s coverage of Multnomah County March 20th community meeting
At the March 20th meeting, Montavilla residents asked questions and voiced concerns. Comments focused on the proposed shelter’s location and effect on the surrounding blocks. Some attendees expressed support for the project, while the most vocal in the group asked for more consideration for the impact on neighboring businesses and residents. Leaders of JOHS and Straightway Services clarified some assumptions about the site operation, saying that they have no intention of bringing in new unhoused people to the neighborhood. They explained that they intend to support those people already living unsheltered in the area who want to come in from the streets. They recognize that not everyone wants to follow site rules or join the community. Instead, they will concentrate on people looking to change their current living situation by providing supportive services and access to stable housing opportunities.
Montavilla Community Village site rendering courtesy Multnomah County
The site is on SE 82nd Avenue next to a McDonald’s restaurant and a new day services provider. Six single-family homes share the block with the 333 SE 82nd Avenue property, and one of the homeowners in attendance at the March meeting expressed concern over site orientation with the trash enclosure abutting her property. The JOHS has not submitted permits for this project to the City of Portland, and they will provide an opportunity at the April 3rd meeting to hear suggestions for the final layout. Some community members asked questions to JOHS leaders on March 20th that did not have immediate answers. Staff notetakers at the meeting recorded those questions so presenters could provide answers at the April meeting or through the Montavilla Community Village Newsletter. People who want to attend the Wednesday, April 3rd meeting should RSVP. The in-person event runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Montavilla United Methodist Church at 232 SE 80th Avenue.
The following Monday, April 8th, residents and business people can attend the MNA meeting to hear the latest information on the project and receive updates on the JOHS’s timeline. MNA leaders will provide an overview of GNA focus points already identified, and the community will have time to provide feedback. METBA members involved in the GNA joint committee will attend the meeting for the conversation. The Montavilla United Methodist Church will host this MNA meeting. Organizers plan to offer online access to the meeting, but they encourage in-person attendance.
Julia Brim-Edwards, Multnomah County Board Commissioner for District 3, speaking at March 20th Meeting
On December 7th, the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to postpone the two agenda items related to Montavilla Community Village, asking JOHS for more community engagement before breaking ground on the SE 82nd Avenue site. District 3 Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards endorsed the initial pause due to requests from her Montavilla constituents requesting better communications from JOHS. Four months and several meetings later, those agenda items are in front of the Board of Commissioners again. The county already owns the land but needs Board approval to spend money demolishing the 2,328-square-foot office building and constructing sufficient power, sewer, and water to support the new residents. The 29 shelter pods are surplus from a Creating Conscious Communities with People Outside (C3PO) site decommissioned in 2021. Each shed-style shelter has electricity, heating, and air-conditioning. Even with those project cost savings, the County staff need $2,273,611 to redevelop this site and will seek authorization for those funds at the April 11th Board meeting.
The JOHS and MNA meetings are open to the public, and organizers encourage community members to participate in the GNA process. Anyone interested in watching the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners vote can view the live stream via the MultCoBoard YouTube channel. People intending to provide comments before the vote can testify in person or virtually by completing a request form. Even if County Commissioners approve the funding, residents will not move into Montavilla Community Village until late December, allowing months of continued work on the multi-party GNA.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Avenue Business Association Boardwhich will be an invited signer of the GNA
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On Wednesday, April 3rd, Volunteers of America (VOA) Oregon will hold its second public meeting to present preliminary designs for the group’s six-acre campus at 8815 NE Glisan Street. People planning on attending should RSVP for the event and then arrive at the Multnomah University President’s Dining Room at JCA Student Center by 4 p.m. for the start of the event. The University is located near the future VOA site at 8435 NE Glisan Street.
Article originally published on March 7th, 2024
On February 24th, Volunteers of America (VOA) Oregon held its first town hall meeting, where organization leaders and architects presented preliminary designs for the group’s six-acre campus at 8815 NE Glisan Street. Over the coming years, VOA Oregon intends to consolidate its administrative services and some of its substance use, behavioral health, and childcare services onto this former church property. Project designers with Opsis Architecture explained that the multi-phased project would utilize the site’s sloped topography to hide increasing building height and borrow inspiration from residential rooflines to match nearby structures. A second meeting is scheduled for April 3rd from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Multnomah University in the President’s Dining Room.
Looking Northwest at future site. All renderings by Opsis Architecture provided courtesy VOA Oregon
Designers structured the proposed campus with external functions in buildings adjacent to NE Glisan Street and internal services in the site’s northwest half. VOA Oregon buildings will stand two stories tall along the site’s southern edge, increasing to three levels as the land slopes downhill, presenting a consistent scale along its frontage. Crews will reconstruct the existing parking lot to include more trees and landscaping between the 92 stalls. Another cluster of lots along the property’s northern edge will provide an additional 54 on-site parking spaces. The early redevelopment will raze the 1950s-era church building and add frontage improvements along NE Glisan Street with significant work on NE 90th Avenue. Road Crews will reconstruct sections of NE 90th, adding sidewalks, street trees, and 17 curbside parking spaces to the street’s western edge.
Image looking north, courtesy VOA Oregon
VOA Oregon’s schedule for development is dependent on fundraising efforts. Construction will occur in phases, and the nonprofit will reuse existing site attributes, such as the main parking lot’s location, to save on costs. The first phase will prepare the site to host future buildings. The second phase will construct the NE Glisan adjacent administrative building and one of the residential treatment structures. Additional buildings will follow as funding allows. VOA Oregon also owns property across NE 90th Avenue. That site will allow for future multi-use development on the northeast corner of NE Glisan and 90th. Crews will construct a secure storage facility for company vehicles and supplies north of that building after demolishing the church’s storage structure, which is currently serving that purpose.
Opsis Architecture will design all buildings to serve distinct uses and complement VOA Oregon’s support programs. The main building will contain offices and community space with outward-facing uses, including a cafe and meeting rooms. Two L-shaped buildings will offer short-term units for the Women’s Residential Treatment program, where people and their children can stay between three and six months while receiving care. Each housing building can support 50 residents, meaning up to 100 people will reside on campus when fully occupied. Staff will work all hours of the day, year-round, making this formally dark and underutilized property consistently more active. Other structures will support community clinic services and childcare for employees and program participants.
Site map showing all phases, by Opsis Architecture provided courtesy VOA Oregon
In 2022, VOA Oregon President Kay Toran spoke with Montavilla News about the group’s hopes for the property. Since then, Toran has worked with the organization’s Board of Directors, staff, and designers to create a facility that she expects will provide the positive change that Portland’s behavioral health crisis requires. For 125 years, VOA has worked to rebuild lives after experiencing substance use and behavioral health issues. This campus will bring operational efficiencies to the organization and expand some offerings. However, they will maintain many other locations throughout the Portland Metro area and Oregon. They operate in an environment that has a nearly endless need for services as people transition out of addiction, incarceration, or trauma and into stable lives. VOA Oregon invites the community to attend the April 3rd meeting to receive more information, ask questions, and provide feedback.
By
Jacob Loeb
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Road crews again closed sections of SE Ash Street at 82nd Avenue this week as they service underground utilities and demolished a pedestrian refuge island. The round of work that started March 5th clears the way for substantial improvements to the protected pedestrian crossing at this intersection, replacing older infrastructure with a larger raised median that contains space for street trees or other plantings. The new mid-street structure will offer pedestrian cutouts for at-grade crossings from both corners of SE Ash Street, but it will now prevent drivers from turning left and prohibit cars from traveling through the intersection on SE Ash Street.
Contractors working for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) cut through the road surface at this intersection on Tuesday and removed the existing pedestrian refuge island. Soon, workers will install the currently staged sewer pipe underground, replacing the aging infrastructure in this area. In January, NW Natural Gas reworked pipes ahead of this median installation project. All utility companies must update their subsurface lines before the new above-ground concrete infrastructure potentially blocks access or causes interference.
PBOT provided design document
This project is part of the 82nd Avenue Critical Fixes collection of safety improvements underway across 82nd Avenue. PBOT recently released its 60% Draft Concept Design for the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project, which will add more raised medians, sidewalks, and street trees along 82nd Avenue. People interested in learning more or providing comments can attend a March 13th McDaniel High School hosted meeting at 2735 NE 82nd Avenue or complete an online survey. People traveling through SE Ash Street at 82nd Avenue should anticipate temporary lane closures and detours.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group
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As construction crews work four stories high on two affordable housing projects at Glisan Landing, developers are planning a third building on the site. Recently, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) received conditional use approval for a new single-story preschool spanning a mid-block lot from NE 74th to 75th Avenues. The two-classroom building provides a buffer between the large multifamily buildings on NE Glisan Street and the single-family housing located south of the project while serving a vital community need.
Sitemaps from Land Use 23-073813 Case file
The proposed IRCO Early Learning Center will serve 36 to 40 students in a new 2,784-square-foot building. Preschool classes feature developmentally appropriate and culturally specific books, toys, and curriculum. The nonprofit organization will offer no-cost tuition for up to 40 families. This new facility follows IRCO’s work with a similar Multicultural Preschool in Washington County. IRCO will not limit student spaces to children living in Glisan Landing units but anticipates many families from the apartment complex will utilize their services.
Rendering from Land Use 23-073813 Case file showing building from NE 74th Ave
In addition to the two classrooms, the building offers a lobby, staff break room, office, kitchen, restrooms, and storage space. The building’s trapezoidal-shaped roof overhangs the base structure, covering portions of the outdoor play area at each end of the preschool. A continuous tree line along the southern property boundary creates a green buffer for residents living in the adjacent homes. A nine-bed community garden on the site’s NE 74th Avenue frontage will also provide more green space buffers. Glisan Landing residents will directly access the preschool property through a passageway from the complex’s central courtyard.
Rendering from Land Use 23-073813 Case file showing building from NE 75th Ave
The preschool building sits on its own lot owned by IRCO Glisan Preschool LLC and is not directly related to Glisan Landing. However, IRCO’s common ownership stake in both buildings will complement the culturally specific wraparound services offered to families living in the neighboring Aldea apartments. This section of the former Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) site that Oregon Metro acquired for affordable housing exists in a Residential 2,500 (R2.5) zone. Developers could not extend the four-story building created in a Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2) zone onto this parcel, creating an opportunity for a low-scale supportive use. This usage as a garden and daycare facility fits with the zoning standards for this land and helps transition the scale of the buildings from two-story single-family homes to a four-story development.
IRCO Executive Director Lee Po Cha during Glisan Landing’s groundbreaking ceremony
The land use review focused on an exception to the 15-foot landscape buffer required between institutional operations and residences. IRCO will provide a compliant hedge and tree screen but plans to build a 4-foot-wide maintenance pathway from a back door on the south side of the building to NE 75th Avenue in that buffer zone. That pathway would usually not comply with standards. In January, the Hearings Officer concluded that IRCO’s plans would meet the screening standards and approved the project to move forward to permitting.
Future preschool site filled with construction equipment
The IRCO Glisan Preschool site is currently used for construction staging by crews working on Glisan Landing. Work on the site’s third building will begin after the housing projects are further along. When completed, it will provide an active daytime use and a quiet evening buffer for residents living south of NE Glisan’s mixed-use developments. Expect more information on this building and its programming after crews break ground in the coming months.
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Update Feb 29th, 2024: PBOT scheduled two in-person events to present the project’s 60% design refinements and collect public comment. Details are provided below and available online for the March 4th and March 13th meetings.
Article originally published February 1st, 2024
In late January, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) released its 60% Draft Concept Design for the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project, which includes $55 million in improvements to the former State Highway. This collection of road and sidewalk reconstruction work will deliver many safety upgrades to the high-crash corridor and provide approximately 250 new trees to an area that suffers from the heat island effect.
For PBOT staff, the 60% designed phase represents a significant milestone for a project. At this point, many of the streetscape attributes are outlined and placed on the map. The transportation bureau has hosted many public meetings with community members and organizations. Then, following the group and individual outreach, staff reworked proposals to adjust design concepts to accommodate access needs. However, this advancement in the planning process does still allow for changes. PBOT encourages people to participate in an informative survey or the two in-person meetings in February and March. City staff will schedule those meetings soon and ask people to visit the project website for updates.
SE 82nd Ave at SE Mill. Image courtesy PBOT
The 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project spans five miles, and the ten-page design document provides an annotated scrolling map view of the work area. It indicates the placement of raised median islands, separators, and signal equipment upgrades. The document marks spaces for tree planting or other foliage with green dots and lighter green lines. Later design work by PBOT will determine the final number of trees planted and the botanical space created. Crews working on this project will build or upgrade 15,000 feet of sidewalk on 82nd Avenue or adjacent side streets and update or replace 200 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps.
Drivers will benefit from the repaving of two segments totaling 2.5 miles of smoother asphalt. Crews will replace the street surface from NE Siskiyou to Schuyler streets and SE Mill Street to SE Foster Road. Crews will completely rebuild the outer two travel lanes in these segments. Most of 82nd Avenue has insufficient base layer support for heavy traffic on the curbside lanes. Historically, they supported street parking, and engineers did not anticipate the current four-travel-lane design.
SE 82nd Ave at SE Harrison. Image courtesy PBOT
Montavilla residents will see a small portion of the repaving planned in this work cycle. However, several in-street elements and sidewalk work will occur in the Neighborhood. Around 200 feet of SE Mill Street east of SE 82nd Avenue will receive new pavement and sidewalks with street trees. PBOT plans to rebuild the sidewalk across 82nd Avenue from the Portland Community College SE campus, connecting to a newly protected mid-block crossing. The enhanced raised center median will have space for street trees and other plantings, allowing roots to spread beyond the confines of typical tree wells. PBOT recently expanded unpaved sections of street median throughout the project in this recent design, making way for better planting zones and reducing the heat radiating from concrete.
SE 82nd Ave at PCC SE Campus. Image courtesy PBOT
PBOT’s designs for the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project provide better driving conditions for drivers, but the majority of work centers on improving conditions for those outside a car. In some places where travel lanes on 82nd Avenue are wider than needed, the transportation bureau intends to extend sidewalks in the roadway and plant street trees. Some design elements reduce opportunities for left-hand turns, aggregating them in safe, predictable locations. Crews will rebuild or replace traffic signals and paint high-visibility crosswalks at many intersections. Cyclists and pedestrians should benefit from more places to safely cross 82nd Avenue, while people traveling along the roadway will have more shade and space away from traffic.
SE 82nd Ave at SE Clinton. Image courtesy PBOT
Crews will complete this phase of work by the end of 2026, but it does not represent the entirety of upgrades planned for this area. The City is developing many more projects related to the jurisdictional transfer of 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation to PBOT. That process came with $185 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, PBOT, and State transportation budgets. City Council will vote on approval for the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project this spring, with construction starting after receiving that final endorsement. People can take the survey through March 31st and participate in the in-person events when PBOT staff schedule them.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group
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Construction crews will begin working on improvement projects along NE Halsey Street this summer. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will reshape the busy roadway from NE 69th to 92nd Avenues, reducing travel lanes to make room for bike infrastructure and creating nearly 1,500 feet of new sidewalk on the north side of the street between 85th and 92nd Avenues. Several enhanced pedestrian crossing points along the project path will increase safety, implementing a mini roundabout, flashing beacons, and high visibility crosswalk markings.
The summer 2024 work, currently in the planning phase, combines the efforts of the NE Halsey Street – Safety and Access to Transit Project with the 70s Neighborhood Greenway to improve conditions on the high-traffic street. Drivers will lose one travel lane in each direction between NE 68th and 81st Avenues but gain a center turn lane, aiding in safer left turns. Cyclists will receive bike lanes on both sides of NE Halsey Street from NE 68th 81st Avenues. Riders will transition onto two-way buffered bike lanes on the south side of NE Halsey Street between Jonesmore Street and 92nd Avenue.
Early PBOT lane reconfiguration cross section shows spacing. Note that the 5′ bike lanes are shown as 6′ wide in some more recent design documents
People trying to connect to NE Halsey Street from the NE 82nd Avenue MAX station will see improvements to the existing multiuse path between 81st and 82nd Avenues on the northern edge of Eastern Cathay‘s parking lot. Pedestrians crossing NE Halsey will gain new high-visibility crosswalks at NE 69th, 80th, and 84th Avenues. People crossing the faster-paced street at NE 88th Avenue can use the request button for Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), signaling drivers to yield. In addition to the new sidewalks, crews working for PBOT will reconstruct curb ramps to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Many TriMet Line 77 bus stops along the project path will also see improvements.
2020 rendering of Intersection at 68th Ave. Image courtesy of PBOT
Funding for this project includes money for street lighting analysis with an option for additional lighting if needed. The Federal government provided $5,300,000 towards these enhancements. Developers paying Transportation System Development fees contributed $2,580,000 in funding. Because this project spans a Freeway overpass, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Bridge Program supplied $412,120. Other Portland Bureau funding sources will provide the remaining project costs.
2020 rendering of mini roundabout at 80th Ave. Image courtesy of PBOT
Funds from the Greenway project will complete the construction of two pedestrian refuge islands and a small raised concrete median on NE Halsey Street. In September, cement masons finished reconstructing sidewalk corners and adding mid-block curb ramps for the 70s Greenway crossing at NE Halsey Street and 76th Avenue. PBOT paused that work last year until crews could remove the existing lane striping and repaint lines in a new configuration. Until that reconfiguration occurs, road crews cannot create the refuge island because it would block part of a travel lane.
Construction drawing of NE Halsey Street and 76th Ave, courtesy PBOT
Planning and funding for the NE Halsey Street improvements have taken years to come to fruition. Residents challenged by the current conditions on this dangerous roadway have advocated for this work for nearly a decade, and they should soon see the results of their work. Expect construction delays on NE Halsey Street this summer, but by the end of the year, people should begin to feel safer traveling through this section of Portland.
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Last year, construction began on two homes behind the 1951-era house at 1003 NE 71st Avenue. As framing crews erected the two-story buildings with high-pitched roofs, neighbors became aware of how tall these new houses were, and the shadow cast on their yards this winter was significant. People across the city living next to infill projects are adjusting to Portland’s new development policies that allow full-scale housing in previously unanticipated places. For some, it will alter how they use their homes.
Jessie Killops purchased the 1923-era home north of the development on NE 71st Avenue in late 2015. She and her husband, Brian Giacoppo, work from home and use the backyard to extend their living space. Until recently, all the other homes on the block sat forward on their lots towards the street. Some neighbors have small single-story detached garages or sheds in their backyards. This arrangement allowed for vegetable gardens and other recreational green spaces with decent year-round sunlight.
Some neighbors have fences demising their property, and others use trees or hedges to create privacy. The new owners of 1003 NE 71st Avenue demolished the detached garage to make space for the two new homes, with the centermost unit taking its place just five feet from the property line. Crews working on the building have removed some of the hedges on the lot’s boundary, and more will likely disappear when carpenters install a new fence.
Killops and Giacoppo lived in housing-dense regions before moving here and support projects that address Portland’s housing shortage. They had hoped this project would support the need for affordable housing with smaller homes similar in size to the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) constructed in area backyards for over a decade. At nearly 1,200 square feet, they feel the developer built these houses to a scale that will sell for more than many families could afford. From the couple’s perspective, these densely packed homes tower over the neighbor’s properties and are prominent from all four sides of the block. The extra deep lot under development places one of the new buildings near the block’s center point with views into all the surrounding properties.
People have often experienced the conflict between the needs of existing neighbors and new development. Before Portland’s most recent zoning and land division code updates, developers knocked down smaller homes, building larger houses, townhomes, or other multi-family units that filled lots to capacity. The new Middle Housing Land Division rules make it more profitable for developers to split lots with added single-family housing. This infill process has the added benefit of preserving the original street-facing home and neighborhood appearance while increasing housing inventory. However, for those living next to these developments, the change can substantially impact how they use their homes.
Shadow over the garden seen at noon
Portlanders should no longer assume conditions will remain the same around their property, even in older neighborhoods. Oregon’s housing production goal seeks to build 36,000 additional units annually, and many of those homes will come from infill development. This growth strategy can create conflicts between residential amenities and other Portland values. Filling backyards with houses can reduce the urban tree canopy. Removing onsite parking options while adding households without investing in alternative transportation methods congest street parking. And those who grow food in their yards contend with the shade cast by neighboring structures. Killops and Giacoppo will adjust to their new living situation, moving their garden to find the available sunlight and planting taller foliage along the fence line. They hope these added homes and others like it will help the housing crises, but they feel it important that people understand that a Cottage Cluster Middle Housing Land Division can create full-sized homes, and it is easy to become boxed in by new neighbors. Not all infill projects stand as tall or impose on the neighboring homes as significantly as the units on NE 71st Avenue. However, many neighbors to infill will need to similarly adjust to Portland’s new housing density in the coming years.
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January’s winter storm delayed track and station work underway around the Gateway Transit Center, extending the TriMet MAX light rail disruption. The Gateway Transit Center will remain closed another week, reopening March 4th. When completed, riders will no longer have to use shuttle buses to detour around construction on the Red, Green, and Blue MAX Lines. However, on March 16th, Blue Line passengers in Hillsboro will need to use shuttle buses between Orenco Station and Hatfield Government Center. Regular Blue Line service resumes on March 25th, 2024.
Article originally published January 10th, 2024
Crews working for TriMet will close the Gateway Transit Center for MAX riders from January 14th through February 25th to complete line improvements and rail maintenance. Heavy civil infrastructure contractor Stacy Witbeck has already closed westbound car and bike lanes on E Burnside Street at NE 99th Avenue to stage repair work. Transit riders can use shuttle buses to navigate around the closures, and drivers can use NE Glisan Street when driving west.
The disruption allows for work on the airport leg of the A Better Red project and other track maintenance. For over a month, MAX Blue line trains will transition to shuttle bus service from NE 7th Avenue to the E 102nd Avenue stations. Green line riders will transition to shuttle buses between the Gateway Transit Center and the SE Main Street station. TriMet will suspend the MAX Red Line during this project phase, with the shuttle bus service replacing the Gateway Transit Center to the Portland International Airport leg of the route. TriMet will operate shuttle buses frequently, arriving at stops every 7 to 15 minutes during regular operating hours.
Graphics courtesy TriMet
On January 8th, crews working on a critical turn in the MAX Blue line closed westbound E Burnside Street from the Interstate 205 overpass to NE 99th Avenue. They have also blocked off a segment of NE 97th Avenue to stage rail and road crossing plates. Trades people are currently shaping the rail that will replace the east/west track turn to north/south travel. Workers will also remove and replace the plates in the street around the rails that allow automobiles to drive over them. Permits allow street blocking work to last until February 9th, but construction could conclude sooner or require a road closure extension.
As part of this work, construction barricades now block the NE 97th and E Burnside entrance to the I-205 Multi-use Path. However, further north along the path, riders and walkers have regained direct north/south access. During the previous A Better Red construction phases, Multi-use Path travelers needed to take an asphalt track around construction equipment. Recently, crews opened access to a newly paved concrete path with a gradual curve that reconnects the existing bike and pedestrian road. Cement masons added a west side open gutter to help channel water off the path, and electricians wired new overhead lighting into the underside of the overhead rail bridge. Both enhancements make this rebuilt segment safer for users. Construction equipment still borders the multimodel thoroughfare, but people no longer need to slow down and navigate complicated detours.
In addition to the rail and street work occurring over the next month, crews will continue construction on the new Gateway North MAX station platform. That station work will also enhance access to Portland’s Gateway Green Park via a freeway overpass bridge. All the repair and expansion work closures support faster, more efficient, MAX light-rail service. When completed, people will have a better transit system with fewer interruptions to service. During this transit system disruption, riders should anticipate some trips taking longer than usual. Trimet encourages people to consider using other forms of transportation during the January 14th through February 25th closure if shuttle buses do not meet their needs.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will demolish a 1951-era single-family residence to build a new segment of NE Davis Street. The city purchased the 700-square-foot single-story home at 205 NE 100th Avenue and three other vacant lots to construct a two-block street between NE 97th and 100th Avenues. This work is part of a Local Improvement District (LID) set to rebuild roads and add sidewalks ahead of redevelopment in the Gateway District.
Portland Maps illustration showing street improvements and property boundaries
The LID work will take place in two phases beginning in Fall 2024. Most improvements will occur on NE 97th Avenue north of E Burnside Street. Crews will repave the street and add sidewalks to this currently curbless segment of roadway. Cement masons will install Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps at each new intersection, and lighting crews will install new street lights along the updated sections of NE 97th Avenue, NE Couch Street, and NE Davis Street. During the first construction phase, PBOT will build one block of NE Davis Street from NE 97th to 99th Avenue. In Spring 2025, crews will begin the second phase of construction, extending NE Davis Street from NE 99th to 100th Avenue and creating a new one-block segment of NE Couch Street from NE 97th to 99th Avenue.
Funding for the LID comes from adjacent property owners and other government sources. At formation, the total budget was $14,585,083. LID funding accounted for $9,770,408. PBOT provided $2 million from collected System Development Charges and $800,000 from other PBOT budgets. Prosper Portland contributed the remaining $2 million. PBOT paid $2,336,712 for the four lots that will become NE Davis Street. Land left over from those lots not used for road construction will revert to the adjacent property owners.
PBOT provided graphic
PBOT will construct these new streets to modern standards with roadways that are 36 feet wide and sidewalks on both sides of the street. The pedestrian area will offer a 6-foot wide through zone and a 4-foot planting strip between the sidewalk and curb. The LID will also create a new marked crosswalk on E Burnside Street across Interstate 205. This crossing will help pedestrians and cyclists travel across E Burnside Street to connect with the I-205 Multiuse Path. BPOT intends to reconstruct the traffic signal at NE 97th Avenue and E Burnside Street, including new crosswalks.
PBOT does not often create new streets in an established neighborhood. Housing developments like those planned for this area often use private driveways and parking lots to grant residents access. Private streetscapes are not always designed with adequate sidewalks and are not open for public use. This extension of these streets will repair the grid and offer Portlanders better east/west access by all modes of travel. The developments within these newly defined blocks will benefit from the new streets, as will everyone traveling through this area. Look for work to begin later this year.
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