Jade Lofts – Montavilla News

Enchilada Express shuttered its Montavilla location after a temporary closure became permanent. The restaurant owners ask customers to visit the original SE Powell location instead or order online. The food-service-ready storefront at 8243 SE Division Street is once again available for lease after less than three years.

Enchilada Express opened this second location on SE Division in February 2021. This pandemic-era expansion forced the restaurant to focus on takeout orders and sales through delivery apps. Enchilada Express had difficulty establishing a solid customer base in the two-and-a-half years they worked in this space. Foot traffic from the nearby community college has yet to return to pre-covid levels, and changes to the street eliminated some on-street parking. A few other eating establishments have recently closed in this area for various reasons, adding to a cluster of vacant storefronts on this block.

Although this area has several empty retail spaces, commercial property around SE 82nd Avenue and Division Street could increase activity as more residential projects break ground. Developers plan to build a 143-unit apartment building called Jade Lofts on the neighboring block at 8301 SE Division Street. Additional housing developments in the pre-planning phase will bring more residents to the Portland Community College SE Campus and the former Canton Grill property. However, waiting two to three years for new customers is not viable for many businesses, and current conditions are challenging for existing shops. As things improve in this area over the next few years, this former Enchilada Express space may provide affordable retail space in a desirable location. People interested in leasing the now vacant shop space should call 503-407-7936.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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The new owners of a large warehouse at 8301 SE Division Street recently proposed a transformation to the 30,000-square-foot property. Last month, Diamond Plaza LLC applied for Early Assistance with the creation of 191 apartment units over 4,390 square feet of ground-floor retail space. A veteran of similar projects, Hoff Construction Group, will manage the site’s development.

Only 50 feet of the property exists on SE Division Street. Most site access occurs along SE 83rd Avenue. The lot is in a Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2) zone with a Centers Main Street (m) overlay. That will allow buildings with four stories, except in locations where bonuses allow up to five levels. The M overly requires active ground floor commercial uses with windows and a minimum building footprint covering a large portion of the site. This overlay also limits certain auto-oriented uses and favors compact, walkable design.

Division Street has seen many recent high-density mixed-use development in the last decade. However, few of those projects extend east past 82nd Avenue. In 2019, Hoff Construction Group completed a similarly sized complex to what designers proposed at SE 83rd and Division. That project at 2595 SE 50th Avenue created the Division Street Station apartment building with a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. If both developments are indeed comparable, it could indicate a significant change for this section of East Portland, with the influx of new residents helping fill retail vacancies in adjacent properties like the Pacific Plaza.

Tran’s Auto Body last occupied the green 8,999 square-foot warehouse now at the site. That automotive services company recently ceased operation after two decades. Upon closing the business, Quy Tran sold the SE Division Street property to Diamond Plaza LLC. The Mt. Hood Building Supply company was one of the original tenants of this 1970-built structure, using the large metal building for lumber storage. Its early uses shaped the utilitarian design of the site, and subsequent businesses did not alter it much over the years.

This location’s current configuration reflects an industrial past that now seems out of place next to Portland Community College and the pedestrian-scale retail developments along the street. Converting this location to housing aligns with the efforts of Jade District leaders and other community groups working in this area. Most people should welcome the new mixed-use building if it is approved.

The current proposal is only in the Early Assistance phase of development. Details of the project will likely change before the owners apply for building permits. However, any significant construction on this site will improve SE 83rd Avenue. That street only has 230 feet of sidewalk along its western edge. Work at this property will create 360 feet of new sidewalk and replace pavement on its eastern side of the roadway, improving the utility of this currently dead-end street. Expect further updates regarding this project in 2023 as designers refine their plans for this transformative redevelopment.

Update August 18th, 2023 – The project is now called Jade Lofts and the developer reduced the unit count to 143.

Jacob Loeb