On November 6th, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) opened its fourth round of the Community Charging Rebates (CCR) program, which subsidizes the cost of installing electric vehicle (EV) chargers for businesses, nonprofits, public entities, Tribes, EV service providers, and owners of multifamily home complexes. Large sections of Montavilla and East Portland reside within the project’s “Priority” area, and organizations that add to the charger network could receive $8,000 per Level 2 charge port installed or up to 80% of eligible expenses.
EV Chargers in the Portland Community College Southeast Campus parking lot
Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality won a $197 million federal grant for its “Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action” program in 2024. From those funds, ODOT will disperse $10 million to support the installation of Level 2 vehicle chargers in priority communities by providing rebates to eligible public and private entities. Past versions of the charger program, launched in 2023, used state funds. Officials plan to fund future rounds of the program with combined state and federal money.
EV Chargers in the Glisan Landing parking garage
The program aims to fill gaps in Oregon’s EV charging infrastructure by reducing the cost of installing charging stations in multifamily housing, public parking areas, and workplaces. People interested in the current funding round have until March 31st, 2026, to participate. However, the program reimburses eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible projects can start the application process before they complete charging-station construction, as long as the unit is operational within 300 days. Otherwise, they could wait until work is complete and apply for a rebate within 90 days of installing an EV charging station.
ODOT Community Charging Rebates Program priority map showing Montavilla
Interested groups can visit ODOT’s Community Charging Rebates Program webpage or reach out to a Portland nonprofit partner, Forth, which is working with the Oregon transportation agency to provide technical assistance and support for applicants interested in installing EV charging on their property. Representatives from Forth are reachable at ODOTchargingrebates@forthmobility.org or (503) 724-8670. Residents in multifamily housing located within the priority area may want to contact building management to see if this program would incentivise building ownership to add a charger, and business owners with parking could also look into the feasibility of supporting EV charging for guests, as many area grocery stores have started offering in recent years.
Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Otter Wax, a neighborhood producer of small-batch specialty goods handcrafted in Portland. Using only natural ingredients, they make modern care products that are steeped in tradition. We thank them for their support.
Crews recently replaced the speed and red-light enforcement cameras on 82nd Avenue after Portland City officials switched vendors this summer. The pole-mounted equipment appears inactive, with the Tuffak polycarbonate lens covers still donning its logoed protective film. However, drivers can anticipate the system’s activation, with a period of warning letters issued before the City switches to issuing citations for excessive speeds or failing to stop for a red traffic signal.
Nov 18, 2025, equipment installation on NE 82nd Ave facing E Burnside St(Weston Ruter)
Around the beginning of August 2025, crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) removed the newer intersection safety camera systems the City of Portland installed along 82nd Avenue the previous year. In summer 2024, crews installed new cameras along 82nd Avenue and in other areas of the City to deter speeding and running red lights in crash-prone areas. The camera system installed at 82nd Avenue at E Burnside Street monitored an intersection where a speeding vehicle killed an area resident in October 2023. Cameras at NE 82nd Avenue and Glisan Street monitored multiple directions of traffic where a driver hit and killed a wheelchair user in April 2023. The equipment removal was not an effort to reduce automated enforcement but instead supported a citywide effort to replace camera equipment with newer systems developed by NovoaGlobal, making that company the sole supplier and operator of the City’s speed and intersection safety camera program.
Left image shows original equipment on NE 82nd Ave near E Burnside St and then post removal condition (Jacob Loeb)
The City had 32 camera positions before the vendor switch, and the Portland Police Bureau operates two mobile Traffic Division speed enforcement vans that the City will also upgrade with NovoaGlobal equipment. For some City leaders, that is too few to reduce risky driving behavior adequately, and they advocate expanding the program. This summer, Portland City Councilor Steve Novick said in a KOIN News interview that he is interested in emulating other jurisdictions with fewer traffic fatalities per capita that have substantially more cameras in use. However, some residents oppose the automated cameras used in issuing citations. Objections voiced include concerns about excessive government surveillance, fining drivers instead of building infrastructure that encourages safety, and the inequitable distribution of cameras across the City that could penalize poorer communities.
NovoaGlobal equipment on NE 82nd Ave facing E Burnside St (Jacob Loeb)
PBOT notes that incidents involving speeds above posted limits are a top contributing factor to deadly crashes across the Portland region. Additionally, ignoring traffic signals causes a significant number of crashes. Some street safety advocates in favor of citation-based deterrents stress the importance of changing harmful road behavior through a variety of methods, including fines. Camera citations are not the only solution needed for safer streets. However, a majority of surveyed Portland residents support the expanded use of traffic cameras.
NovoaGlobal equipment on NE 82nd Ave facing NE Glisan St (Jacob Loeb)
Opponents of automated camera-based systems worry about privacy implications that could track drivers across Portland and the danger that city budgets will become dependent on fines, favoring revenue growth over correcting harmful behavior. Rules on camera placement and revenue use can limit the potential for misuse. PBOT’s website indicates that the program will only retain video footage not used in a citation for 30 days. Additionally, State law requires municipalities to spend the money collected from speeding tickets to cover the program’s costs or to pay for safety improvements and programs on the High Crash Network.
Drivers in Portland can expect to see up to 35 cameras operational by the end of 2025 if installation crews keep to schedule. Motorists should anticipate system activation at any time and travel cautiously.
by
Jacob Loeb
Correction: Updated to indicate Intersection safety cameras issue citations for speeding and red light running and removed yellow light running. PBOT notes that going through a yellow light in Oregon is a violation if you are able to stop prior to entering the intersection.
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The November 4th Special Election ballot has just one question for Portland voters centered on renewing and increasing a five-year parks levy first approved in 2020. Measure 26-260 asks property taxpayers to renew the Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) supplemental funding source at $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed value from the previous 80 cents per $1,000. Portlanders tend to vote in favor of supporting parks. However, a recent Portland Auditor’s Office report casts doubt on the Parks Bureau’s fiscal management to date, raising concern among some about increasing park funding taxes without a sustainable budget plan.
The report outlines several issues driving PP&R’s budgetary shortfall, including unfunded pet projects from past City Council members and politicized management under the last form of government. However, the report identified the expansion of Portland’s Park system, including new locations and amenities, as a substantial fiscal burden for the Bureau. Building new parks without first securing a maintenance funding source exceeded PP&R’s share of the City’s General Fund, leaving the Parks Bureau with few options other than reducing services or closing locations.
Five years ago, during the pandemic, voters approved the parks levy to support services provided by PP&R after the Bureau cut costs during a 2019 $6 million shortfall. Those funds kept the parks’ programs open but did not address a substantial maintenance backlog. All the while, during its budgetary crunch, PP&R had a sizable source of money from developer fees. However, State and City laws prohibit the use of those funds for maintenance activities. That created a situation in which PP&R could add assets to the parks system without the funding to maintain them.
Current District 3 Councilor Steve Novick also served previously on City Council under the Commissioner form of government during a pivotal time for parks, when its overbuilding phase ramped up due to City leadership’s increasing System Development Charges (SDCs) collected for parks from fees charged to development projects. His history with PP&R’s funding leads him to believe that Portlanders should approve 26-260 to give the current City Council time to rebalance park funding. “It would be rather absurd to take it as reason to vote against the levy because of what the auditor pointed out, which is true, we’ve been building new parks without the money to fix the old ones,” explained Novick.
Councilor Novick believes the PP&R leadership has taken the blame for a systems failure that predates the 2019 budget shortfall. “Five years previously, in 2015, when I was on the council, we voted to increase parks SDCs; [Commissioner Dan] Saltzman and I voted no,” recalled Novick. They expressed concern about its impact on housing costs. A concern supported by the current City Council, which recently suspended SDCs temporarily on new residential projects. Novick noted that at the time, he was also concerned that PP&R would build facilities they could not maintain without additional funding that the former City Leadership did not provide. “The attitude of the council at the time was build baby build and don’t really worry about the crumbling assets.”
In Novick’s opinion, the current City Council can address PP&R funding in a more sustainable way, but needs to stabilize the decline before it starts making hard choices. “I think arguing that adopting the levy defers tough decisions is sort of fair, but we shouldn’t be making those tough decisions at the point of a gun in the context of having to come up with a budget that savages the parks system,” said Novick.
Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morrillo, and Steve Novick representing District 3 in a March 2025 budget community listening session.
Conversations about park funding took center stage at City Hall during this last budget cycle, where PP&R competed for General Fund money alongside other large line items, such as police, fire, and homeless services. Some of the possibilities City leaders envision require changes to how the Bureau uses SDCs. “One thing that we’re going to do is go to the legislature and ask them to change the SDC statute so that SDCs can be used to repair existing structures, not just build new ones,” explained Novick. This change would allow PP&R to use development-fee-generated funds to maintain existing parks. This approach is favorable, as infill housing development brings more people into existing neighborhoods that may have languishing parks in need of attention to support new residents.
Another potential funding source comes from outside contributions. “I also think that there is a lot more thought now about trying to get some private money into the parks. The example that everybody always brings up is Central Park in New York City, [which is not funded by] City tax dollars. There’s a consortium of foundations and rich people to take care of Central Park,” said Novick. “I think that’s a conversation we need to have with our money elite in the city. Maybe there’s Nike branding or whatever all over the parks. Personally, I would live with that.”
Councilor Novick also noted that the city may need to issue a parks bond to address the backlog of repairs and reduce the operating expenses currently burdened by the system’s condition. “Hopefully, we can do the minor maintenance with this levy. That will prevent us getting to major maintenance costs in some facilities,” remarked Novick. He worries that without Ballot Measure 26-260, the City Council will have to make drastic cuts to parks without the time to plan spending reductions strategically. “What we learned [during the last City budget cycle] is that pretty much everything that parks does is really important to a bunch of people, and if the levy fails, then we’re gonna have to prepare a budget for next year which assumes we’re making massive cuts to parks.”
Ballot Measure 26-260 text says the median homeowner would pay $310 per year if the levy passes, which is just under $26 per month, and represents an $11 increase over what current property taxpayers have contributed to parks since the 2020 levy’s approval. Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on November 4th at a county drop site (multco.us/dropsites) or postmarked in the US mail system by November 4th.
Montavilla News does not endorse candidates or ballot measures.
On October 1st, Portland’s Fire Marshal lifted the citywide burn ban just in time for autumn outdoor recreation. The seasonal prohibition on recreational campfires, fire pits, and burning yard debris began on June 23rd; however, rules still permitted the use of outdoor grills, smokers, and similar cooking appliances. As Halloween approaches, and residents attempt to hold onto outdoor activities, more neighborhood gatherings center around the open flame for warmth and ambiance.
Although the Fire Marshal has lifted the burn ban, Portland Fire & Rescue’s leadership continues to ask people to follow fire safety rules. Residents should exercise extreme caution when using outdoor cooking devices or open flames and place them at least ten feet away from anything combustible, such as siding, fences, or shrubbery. People should only burn dried cordwood, keeping the flame shorter than 24 inches tall and contained in a raised fire pit or otherwise encircled. Officials also advise that Portlanders should have an extinguishing plan with an outstretched garden hose or filled water pails nearby, and never leave a fire or outdoor cooker unattended. Charcoal briquette ashes should be stored in a covered metal container away from combustibles after use, with residents keeping the ashes wet for a few days before disposing of them.
Many Portlanders find outdoor fires an essential part of their fall rituals. Still, for the safety of the community, people need to use caution, particularly as we adjust to drier seasons and shifting weather patterns. Individuals can contact Portland Fire & Rescue at 503-823-3700 for additional information about outdoor fire safety and rules.
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At the end of September, the nonprofit JOIN expanded operating hours at its day center through a partnership with the City of Portland. For over a decade, the organization dedicated to transitioning individuals and families experiencing houselessness into stable housing has operated from 1435 NE 81st Avenue, a block behind NE 82nd Avenue near Interstate 84. With the addition of weekday hours and new weekend services starting October 4th, City officials believe this location can meet a critical need in the shelter system, as Mayor Keith Wilson expands efforts to end unsheltered homelessness in Portland.
JOIN says it serves 80 to 100 individuals and families weekly at its Montavilla Day Space, which previously opened from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. With the new City partnership, they will greet guests from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, JOIN staff will open an hour later at 10 a.m. and close an hour earlier at 4 p.m., but still longer than pre-partnership operating hours. Starting in October, JOIN Day Space will open for the first time on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., filling an often missing gap in day center services.
Day centers are a critical component of the congregate shelter system, which does not provide dedicated individual facilities for people, unlike the recently opened sleeping pod sites in the area. JOIN’s Day Space, which they call “The House,” is a drop-in service center providing access to meals, restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, and hygiene products. People visiting regularly can also use it as a mailing address, a vital function for anyone trying to access supportive programs, reissue documents, or reconnect with people in their lives. The Day Space hosts weekly onsite medical services, providing a resource that can help reduce the use of the emergency medical system by unsheltered people. Additional services center around assistance with employment and addressing substance use disorder. Staff there can also provide support with navigating system resources, so willing families and individuals can work towards finding consistent shelter and eventually stable housing.
JOIN Day Space at 1435 NE 81st Avenue, Suite 100 (Jacob Loeb)
JOIN’s other work focuses on placing people with housing insecurities within stable housing. Their Primary Leasing work helps adults and families access private market units when they have significant barriers to housing by taking on responsibility for the rental through a direct relationship with the leasing company or property owner. They promote the Housing First approach, where they work to secure people in shelter and then continue to support them in addressing the issues that impact their ability to remain housed.
Day center placement can become polarizing within communities as some residents feel it attracts an outsized concentration of people with behavioral or substance use issues to their block. However, Day Centers provide a safe space for unsheltered Portlanders to care for themselves off the streets and in a facility where staff can offer support in making positive changes to their situation. In this instance, JOIN’s Day Space is well established in its location and is only expanding its operating hours. For people reliant on its services, this daily schedule should help people without consistent housing stay clean and safe during the daytime.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Metro, and partner organizations will host a community workshop focused on cooling down 82nd Avenue for the health and safety of its residents. The organizers invite people to pre-register for this free event on July 22nd from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. However, organizers are seeking youth participants, renters, and community members who are not often included in planning conversations to participate. The Dharma Rain Zen Center, located at 8500 NE Siskiyou Street, will host this Tuesday evening gathering. Attendees will receive food and beverages, but registration is required, and organizers explained that space is limited.
People familiar with 82nd Avenue understand how hot it is during the summer months, as the corridor exhibits a significant heat island effect, where pavement and other elements increase the temperature higher than surrounding areas. Workshop leaders believe that addressing this Portland urban heat zone requires governments to collaborate with the people who live and work in those areas to develop community-driven ideas for a cooler, healthier, and more interconnected 82nd Avenue.
This workshop will connect attendees with federal, regional, and city government officials working alongside community advocacy groups, including Oregon Walks, the 82nd Avenue Coalition, and APANO. Transit provider TriMet is also a partner organization, as it is working to expand the FX Bus Rapid Transit system along 82nd Avenue with zero-emission buses powered by hydrogen, which emit less exhaust heat.
People interested in participating should register before the slots fill up and consider sharing the information with renters and youth who can contribute their unique perspectives to solutions to the harmful temperatures in the 82nd Avenue community.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the board of the 82nd Avenue Business Association which is a member organization of the 82nd Avenue Coalition.
Many urban dogs and their humans do not have enough space at home to run free outdoors. For those Portland residents, city parks serve that recreational need. However, with only six out of Portland Park & Recreation’s 30 designated dog off-leash areas located east of 82nd Avenue, some area residents have ignored the rules requiring dogs to remain leashed in parks without off-leash areas. A new enforcement policy could curb that behavior by fining parkgoers $50 to $150 for bringing their off-leash dogs onto Portland Park property not designated for dog off-leash activity.
Portland Maps Image with six PP&R dog off-leash areas east of 82nd Ave and Mt. Tabor Park
Portland Park & Recreation (PP&R) Park Rangers received authorization to issue citations for dogs off-leash outside of designated areas in 2013. However, a policy requiring written warnings before issuing a citation complicated the enforcement process. In 2024, the City Council approved updates to the city code for park rules, which, in part, allow the park’s safety staff to issue fines for observed violations without written warning. A person receiving a citation must pay the fine within 30 calendar days or appeal the citation within 10 business days.
PP&R says Park Rangers will work to educate visitors and gain voluntary compliance when confronted with park rule violations. However, they have the authority to require a person to leave a park for a set amount of time, along with issuing citations to visitors who violate dog-off-leash or scoop laws. Park Rangers patrol over 280 park properties across the City at all hours and respond to calls from park visitors and staff regarding concerns. PP&R first offered dog off-leash areas (DOLA) in 1995 as a way to support dog owners while maintaining parks as safe places for all users. Leashed dogs are allowed in nearly all of Portland’s parks and natural areas. The new citation policy is likely to encourage more people to follow the rules for bringing dogs into the park. However, those who have let their dogs run unleashed outside of designated park areas may now need to adjust what parks they use.
For most Montavilla residents, the best off-leash dog recreation option is Mt. Tabor Park, which features a massive area with multiple entrance gates and diverse topography. PP&R recently completed a refresh of the Mt. Tabor DOLA, enhancing access and addressing concerns about erosion. Park users will still find fenced-off areas in the off-leash section, erected by maintenance staff, to allow plants to establish on the sloped hillside. However, these areas will offer people and pets a wide range of leash-free play options without the fear of receiving a fine. A new DOLA entrance, located at the end of SE 68th Avenue, off SE Division Street, is well placed for people with dogs arriving from east of Mt. Tabor Park.
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On Tuesday, March 18th, Portland residents will have an opportunity to participate in a District 3 budget listening session and express their community funding priorities to City leaders. Portland is facing a substantial budget shortfall for its fiscal year starting July 1st, and cuts are needed across City operations to balance spending against revenue. Within $16 million of recommended reductions to Portland Parks & Recreation’s budget are possible solutions that would impact Montavilla residents, including the loss of summer programs and the potential closure of the Community Center at 8219 NE Glisan Street.
From 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the 18th, members of the Portland City Council, Mayor Wilson, and representatives from the Budget Office will gather on the University of Western States campus at 8100 NE Tillamook Street to gauge community priorities regarding proposed budget cuts. People can also attend online via the Zoom conferencing app or passively watch on the City’s YouTube channel. Participants attending from the campus or via Zoom can provide two minutes of testimony. In-person speakers will register upon arrival, starting at 5:30 p.m. City staff will post virtual testimony instructions on the City’s website by Sunday, March 16th. Residents who will not attend the event or do not want to speak can submit written comments online via the City’s budget page.
Proposed budget cuts could impact a wide-ranging assortment of city services people have grown accustomed to receiving. In the recently posted Vibrant Communities – Decision Packages v2 budget document, two possible reduction proposals could impact Montavilla Park. One recommended reduction would close a community center, eliminating all current programs and services. The document does not identify which center would close, but the Montavilla Community Center is one of three examples given.
“This package would close a neighborhood community center, eliminating all programs and services currently provided to the community through this facility. Staff reductions will accompany this center closure, and recreation programs, including educational preschool and afterschool programs will no longer be offered. Events, rentals, and other recreational programming will also be eliminated at this location. Examples include, St Johns Community Center, Montavilla Community Center and Peninsula Park Community Center.” – Vibrant Communities – Decision Packages v2
In addition to the possible closure of Montavilla’s Community Center, the document includes recommendations for eliminating youth summer camp programs at ten locations in summer 2026. These reductions would include programs at Montavilla Community Center and the East Portland Community Center at 740 SE 106th Avenue, which is the next nearest parks resource center for people in the neighborhood.
“This budget package would result in the elimination of the youth summer camp program, currently provided at ten locations through five regional community centers (Southwest CC; East Portland CC; Charles Jordan CC; Matt Dishman CC; Mt Scott CC) and five neighborhood/specialty centers (St Johns CC; Peninsula Park CC; Woodstock CC; Montavilla CC; Multnomah Arts Center). Summer 2024 provided camps to 6,949 registered participants.” – Vibrant Communities – Decision Packages v2
These possible Parks department reductions are just two examples of proposed cuts to the City’s budget. People should review the proposed budget for more examples ahead of the listening session. Residents should note that these plans can adjust with community input, and no action is inevitable outside the need to close the City’s funding gap. Montavilla Community Center will close from March 17th to March 22nd for annual building maintenance. This short closure is unrelated to the budget deficit but previews how a possible Montavilla Community Center closure would impact the neighborhood. Organizers have three other listening sessions scheduled throughout Portland, including District 1 on March 20th, District 4 on April 1st, and District 2 on April 3rd.
On January 2nd, Portland’s new 12-member City Council elected Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney from District 2 as the Council President and Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane from District 3 as Vice President. The morning council session stretched into the afternoon as repeated votes failed to yield a majority for any one Council President candidate. What originally started as a tie vote between Councilor Candace Avalos of East Portland’s District 1 and Councilor Olivia Clark of Downtown’s District 4 delivered more centrally location leadership. After today’s vote, City Council leadership will reside with representatives from North-Northeast and Southeast Portland.
The hours-long election for Council President was in contrast to the swift election of Councilor Koyama Lane for Vice President. She ran unopposed for the position and had broad support. Early in the voting process, Councilor Loretta Smith pushed for new Mayor Keith Wilson to provide the tie-breaking vote against the advice of Portland’s City Attorney. Fellow Councilors disagreed with that path forward, and the group put in hours of discussion and voting to end up with a seven to five vote in favor of Councilor Pirtle-Guiney against Councilor Avalos.
Anyone looking for an indication of how the new 12-member City Council will function in the coming year has hours of deliberation to review while forming that opinion. However, the group of electeds left the proceedings with supportive and congratulatory words for each other, and this early test of the system yielded the results that many Portland voters envisioned for this new form of City government. The representatives worked for their District’s position and the city as a whole, resulting in a compromise that moves the work forward.
On December 19th, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to proceed with the Harrison Community Village‘s construction at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue. This temporary alternative shelter will support up to 45 adults residing in 38 sleeping pods and utilizing several converted shipping containers offering residents showers, bathrooms, kitchenette space, and a laundry facility. In a four-to-one vote, the County Board passed the resolution with one amendment requiring the County to work with community representatives to create a Safe Routes to School plan and negotiate a Good Neighborhood Agreement (GNA) before opening the shelter.
Sleeping pod images from December 19th Multnomah County Board of Commissioners presentation
Multnomah County purchased the former recreational vehicle dealership at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue in December 2022 for $2.015 million. This 34,000-square-foot parcel was the second Montavilla location the County bought that year for temporary shelter services while they land-banked the properties for future development. Newly seated County Commissioner Shannon Singleton explained during the lengthy board discussion on December 19th her recollection of County thinking in 2022. Commissioner Singleton served as the interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) around the time Multnomah County acquired the properties, and her experience as someone tangentially involved in the purchase offered unique knowledge to the board’s understanding of the site’s purpose.
Project budget slide from December 19th Multnomah County Board of Commissioners presentation
Metro Supportive Housing Services Measure money allocated from the Safety off the Streets – Emergency Shelter Strategic Investment budget will cover the shelter’s $4,128,197 cost. The bulk of funds will support the demolition of the existing building and construction costs for the power, water, and sewer hookups needed for the temporary structures. Presenters noted that planners allocated $1.4 million of the budget to reusable shelter sleeping pods and shelter support containers. Those items could be relocated to a future site when the County re-purposes the property for other uses. The JOHS team presented a firm timeline for the shelter’s opening, requiring this late 2024 vote to keep on schedule. Starting in January 2025, the project team will develop plans and seek City of Portland building permits ahead of construction slated to begin in July 2025. Crews should complete work in November, and the site could open to residents in December 2025.
Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards provided significant insight into community thinking around the proposed shelter, having attended a December 5th JOHS community meeting and communicated with area residents after the event. Commissioner Brim-Edwards agreed with some of the concerns expressed during that JOHS community meeting and in public testimony the board heard before their vote. She noted the JOHS had two years to engage with the public prior to this resolution but only held an initial meeting two weeks before the end-of-the-year vote. Additionally, issues delayed a mailed notice to surrounding neighbors that would have notified them of the December 5th meeting. JOHS staff hand-delivered notices to over 600 addresses because of the delayed mailing, in some cases just days before the event. Commissioner Brim-Edwards also echoed some area residents’ concerns that this section of Portland has an out-sized density of services for people experiencing houselessness. Commissioner Brim-Edwards represents Multnomah County’s District 3, covering most of Southeast and East Portland, including these shelter locations on SE 82nd Avenue.
In response to constituent concerns and to support a successful shelter site, Commissioner Brim-Edwards proposed an amendment to the Harrison Community Village resolution. The adopted amendment requires the County, shelter service provider, neighborhood association, business association, and Portland Public School representatives to develop a GNA before the site opens to residents. It states the County will coordinate with the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Portland Public Schools to preserve SE Mill Street’s access for safe travel to schools. Bridger Creative Science School is one block west of the Mill Street site, and Harrison Park Middle School is several blocks southeast on SE 87th Avenue. SE Mill Street is part of the Neighborhood Greenway bike and pedestrian network, providing one of only a few fully signalized crossings of SE 82nd Avenue in the area. Although County site planners have already started conversations with the two schools, the amendment solidifies their responsibility to “work with the nearby school communities to hear and address school community concerns.”
1818 SE 82nd Avenue site seen across a marked crosswalk at a signalized intersection (Jacob Loeb)
Commissioner Sharon Meieran provided the one no vote for the resolution, citing many concerns, including the rushed proposal, which she said had insufficient community engagement and lacked transparent planning. She noted that, in her observation, the County teams only come to the community and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners when required to by policy and at the last minute. She questioned the JOHS’s choice to place this shelter along 82nd Avenue over other options or by reinvesting in current locations, saying they lacked a cohesive shelter plan. However, Commissioner Meieran did acknowledge that “No one can argue we need every space possible.” Presenters argued that the 1818 SE 82nd Avenue site had been part of the Community Sheltering Strategy that came from extensive planning guided by electeds and service providers. Additionally, they plan to work with the incoming Portland Mayor, Keith Wilson, to complement his sheltering plan.
Site illustrations in this article courtesy JOHS
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners recognized the need to add shelter beds quickly, particularly as other existing shelters close. That sentiment was at the root of why most commissioners voted in favor of moving the Harrison Community Village project forward. There was a general recognition that these shelters, with privacy fencing along the sidewalk, would negatively impact the City’s Build a Better 82nd efforts along the corridor by making a less active streetscape and continuing to underutilize the sites that can support substantial buildings. Several commissioners noted community members’ request to delay this site until the first Montavilla shelter on 82nd Avenue had time to generate useful information on how these sites will impact the neighborhood. However, the need for increased shelter capacity outweighed the calls for delay, with the added understanding that this second shelter site would open almost a year after the 333 SE 82nd Avenue shelter started operations. Commissioners expect the County and JOHS staff to collect livability statistics from this site and others in the system to help inform operators and the public on shelter impacts.
Presenters anticipate Harrison Community Village’s GNA will include collecting key metrics around the shelter site, similar to the data required by the Oak Street Village GNA. By the time the 1818 SE 82nd Avenue site opens in December 2025, the 333 SE 82nd Avenue shelter will have already provided 11 months of livability data. With the Harrison Community Village approved for funding, the next milestone for the site will come when officials select a shelter service provider. At that point, the JOHS can schedule more community meetings to address site operation questions, and community groups can begin working on a GNA for this site.
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