Tag: Mall205

Construction, New Business, Property Sale, Top 2025, View of Montavilla

Another Gateway Mall Property for Sale

The owners of the six-tenant strip Mall along SE 96th Avenue are seeking a buyer for their Mall 205 adjacent property. Called Prime 205, the single-story bar-shaped structure at 1026 SE 96th Avenue recently secured Carrington College as a new anchor business occupying 64 percent of the building with a ten-year lease. Past owners of the 1971-era strip mall renovated it in 2008. The building currently houses T-Mobile, GolfTec, Fixoid, and L&M Hair Company, with one vacant storefront.

Exterior view of a single-story retail building housing T-Mobile and other storefronts, featuring large glass windows and a brick facade.

The Prime 205 property is located in the Mall 205 superblock, adjacent to the Target store. Mall 205 sold to new owners in 2022, and other retail complexes in the area have endeavored to realign with changing shopping behaviors. The Prime 205 listing follows news that the owners of Gateway Shopping Center intend to sell that large property several blocks north of this location. An unbuilt adjacent lot to the south of the property at SE 96th Avenue and Access Drive is also for sale separately.

Aerial view of a commercial area at SE 96th Ave and Access Dr, featuring multiple large buildings, parking lots, and surrounding roads.
Overhead image of Prime205 from Portland Maps with MV News illustrations

The retail building is located steps away from a TriMet MAX Green line station and offers 94 parking spaces. This area is in flux as new chain restaurants open in the vicinity, but shopping activity remains inconsistent. The unbuilt parcel could represent a development opportunity for urban housing with light ground-floor commercial uses. This parcel is part of a rezoning effort to build density in the Gateway District. Housing in this area would place residents within walking distance of grocery stores, retail establishments, medical services, and public transportation. Properties like Prime 205 can remain on the market for several years, and a buyer will likely want to retain lease tenants, so people will not see any significant change at this site in the coming years. However, owners listing this property could be an indication that they perceive renewed interest from buyers in the Gateway area, and any sale brings an opportunity for future site improvements.

Update: Changed link to SE 96th Ave & Access Dr info after host site took down original page.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Business Closing

Mall 205 DMV Closes Jan 31

On January 31st, the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicles (DMV) department will permanently close its Mall 205 DMV location at 9910 SE Washington Street. In a posted notice, DMV representatives explained that finding a replacement location could take over a year. Until then, they will reassign the Mall 205 location’s 18 employees to nearby DMV offices to handle the expected increase in activity at the remaining Portland area DMV facilities.

The Mall 205 DMV opened in 2015 and is one of the only remaining interior-accessed storefronts in that complex. Rhino Investments Group purchased the shopping center in early 2022 and ended leases for a majority of tenants in March 2022. The new Mall owners are actively reconfiguring the building for larger retail clients with dedicated front entrances that do not rely on the legacy interior hallways. DMV customers accessed the office through a back entrance on the south side of the shopping mall building, which led visitors down an unmarked hallway to find their destination. One other business used the back parking lot for access during the reconfiguration. However, in May 2023, Mall 205’s 24 Hour Fitness location closed permanently, making the DMV the last tenant accessed from that side of the property.

Handwritten sign directing visitors to the back entrance for the DMV

According to the DMV’s posted closure notice, building maintenance issues prompted the department’s decision not to renew the lease at Mall 205. A Rhino spokesperson explained they worked early on to remedy heating and cooling issues experienced by the DMV and developed a 2025 plan to create a permanent solution for the space if the DMV remained a tenant. More recently, vandalism on the property interrupted the DMV unit’s water service and forced the Mall’s public restroom to close. “The majority of the recent water-related problems the DMV experienced stem from repeated break-ins from the city’s homeless population, during which copper piping was stolen, and facilities were significantly damaged. This caused intermittent service interruptions,” wrote the Rhino spokesperson in an email interview with Montavilla News. The group decided to close the public restrooms due to repeated misuse and to promote safety for people visiting the property. The common-area restrooms were leftover from the Mall’s former configuration, and the Rhino spokesperson noted the group is not obligated to provide those facilities. Each tenant in Mall 205 has dedicated restroom facilities within their units.

The DMV’s lease expires on February 28th, and despite reported months-long efforts to find a new location, they could not secure a suitable alternative and chose to close one of the DMV’s busiest offices. In 2024, the Mall 205 DMV served around 95,000 customers, updating vehicle registration and obtaining driver’s licenses or identification (ID) cards.

Mall 205 hallway leading to the DMV

This closure comes ahead of the May 7th federal requirement that everyone 18 years and older present a REAL ID, or a federally accepted alternative, to board a flight within the U.S. or to access certain federal facilities. REAL ID-compliant Oregon-issued ID cards and driver’s licenses have a star in the upper right corner. Air travelers without that indicator will need to visit the DMV soon. Individuals wanting to update to a REAL ID or use any other DMV services should use the Southeast Portland DMV at 8710 SE Powell Boulevard or another conveniently located office.

Rhino Investments Group had anticipated the DMV’s continued participation in Mall 205’s transformation to an exteriorly accessed shopping complex. “We regret that the Oregon DMV has chosen to leave Mall 205. We had already designed around the DMV premises with the Burlington lease, as we anticipated to retain the DMV at the property,” wrote the Rhino spokesperson. They now plan to renovate the former DMV office to incorporate the remaining indoor mall space into a single leasable unit with its entrance on the southern side of the building. Construction on the 1970-era Mall should begin again as the city approves permits and more tenants sign leases.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Community

Holiday Walking Beats in East Portland

This holiday season, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) extended its walking beats into East Portland, providing a visible representation of law enforcement in commercial corridors while allowing officers and Portlanders to interact with one another outside the confines of a criminal investigation. For the second year, PPB Chief Bob Day instituted walking beats following the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Last year’s foot patrols in downtown Portland resulted in mostly positive feedback from the community and PPB members.

Since Friday, November 29th, Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s) and sworn officers of all ranks have received special assignments to walk shopping centers and holiday community events in designated areas. Citywide foot patrols consist of two daily shifts from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. These walking beats are based on officer availability and will run until the end of 2024. PPB members walking the area serve two roles. Uniformed officers can act as a deterrent to some crimes while giving shoppers confidence that the area is safe. It also allows Police to have positive interactions with the community, greeting shoppers and wishing them a happy holiday. Not everyone responded to greetings by the two officers walking the Mall 205 shopping center on December 19th. However, people working in the shops often waived or smiled at seeing the friendly police presence.

Sergeant Weinberger and Lieutenant Hettman Holiday Walking Beat at Mall 205 December 19th

Police leadership does not expect walking beat officers to locate crimes or investigate during the shift. Precinct command schedules sufficient officers to cover emergency calls and take reports. The special duty is in addition to regular operations. For many officers on the holiday walking beat assignment, this is a rare chance not to jump from one call to another. Since police staffing dipped four years ago, officers report shifts with near-continuous calls that leave little time for community interaction. PPB leadership sees pleasant interaction with Portlanders as a valuable duty for Police officers and one that current staffing has not permitted outside this seasonal mission. Chief Day considers this special program a way to change the dynamic between Police and the people they serve. However, this public relations supporting activity has the potential for a more significant effect beyond PPB’s perception.

Positive community interaction also benefits the PPB community, who may only see the citizenry at their worst moments during a shift. Persistent interactions with people who are frustrated at a system that allowed them to be victimized and seeing repeat offenders released to commit a new crime again can wear down the people who work in law enforcement. The effects of this condition are well known in policing circles, and it predates the calls for policing reform seen in the summer of 2020 with the subsequent drop in PPB staffing. For some Portland Police members, the walking beat can reset the compounding stresses caused by their work in this era of heightened law enforcement demand.

The program’s expansion into East Portland locations is significant for a community that has called for equitable policing. Some East Portlanders feel they receive diminished attention from PPB or the wrong type of policing. Holiday Walking Beats started as a downtown-focused program providing a soft-handed approach to public safety in an affluent area. By extending that program to East Portland, the PPB has made an effort to show parity towards the culturally diverse epicenter of the city.

With eight walking beat shifts per day in the city, many East Portland residents have already interacted with PPB members at the Montavilla Tree Lighting ceremony, Fubonn Shopping Center, Mall 205, and Gateway Shopping Center. Portlanders will continue to see PPB members in the community through the holiday season.

Article and photos

Jacob Loeb

Update: This article was updated to remove photos that inadvertently overlapped with the site where Portland police shot and killed Tyrone Lee Johnson II. Montavilla News apologizes for the insensitivity to that loss of life.

Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Chipotle Mall 205 Opening July 23

Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its newest location at 10090 SE Washington Street on July 23rd. Located at the outer northern edge of Mall 205, this rapidly expanding chain restaurant is replacing another Mexican-themed fast-casual restaurant, Baja Fresh. This brand shuffle is part of a growing reinvestment in this area that includes redeveloping older mall properties and the return of headliner chain eateries like Chick-fil-A.

Chipotle Mexican Grill began in Colorado on July 13th, 1993. Over 30 years, it expanded to 3,200 locations, all featuring a simple menu specializing in assembled-to-order bowls, tacos, and Mission-style burritos. It has become a ubiquitous fast food destination across the country and remains popular while other chain restaurants struggle to stay relevant, particularly for the brand this SE Washington Street location replaces.

This store’s opening is directly representative of a fast-casual feud that started in 2002 when Wendy’s International purchased Baja Fresh to compete with the rising success of Chipotle. However, that purchase resulted in substantial losses due to either mismanagement or customer drift towards the competition. In 2006, Wendy’s sold its stake in the Baja Fresh chain for a fraction of what it paid four years prior. The new Baja Fresh owners kept the chain afloat, but the brand’s decline progressed across the company, with few locations surviving. Chipotle’s opening in a former Baja Fresh storefront indicates its dominance in the Mexican-themed fast-casual restaurant arena.

10090 SE Washington Street Suite 100 when it was Baja Fresh location

Chipotle fans will appreciate the company’s new interest in East Portland. Previously, customers had no options east of 82nd Avenue without crossing Portland city limits or going to the airport. At the same time as crews created the SE Washington Street store, other workers transformed a former Arby’s at 12035 NE Halsey Street into another Chipotle restaurant. These new locations opening this month are less than two miles apart but serve different business corridors. The NE Halsey Street store is adjacent to NE 122nd Avenue, and the SE Washington Street location is Interstate 205 accessible. By the end of the month, East Portlanders will have two new Chipotle options, where they had none before. For many, this will improve the lunch and dinner options in the area. Chipotle Mexican Grill locations open from 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Update: The 122nd and Halsey restaurant at 12035 NE Halsey Street will open on August 8th. That location features a drive-thru pickup lane for guests to collect orders placed online or through the Chipotle app without exiting their cars.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay for a full year directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Construction, Crime, Food and Drink, New Business

SE Stark Chick-fil-A Moves Forward at Recent Homicide Site

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.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Business Relocating, Community

Unitus Moving Mall 205 Branch

Unitus Community Credit Union will permanently close its Mall 205 branch on November 16th, relocating operations to a new Cascade Station storefront the following week. Credit Union management expedited the planned move after an early October car crash damaged the building, compromising security. Consequentially, tellers are no longer able to complete cash transactions at the Mall 205 location.

Unitus moved into its current Mall 205 space at 1052 SE 96th Avenue on July 25th, 2011, relocating from its former Mall 205 location less than a mile away. The credit union had outgrown the smaller space and wanted to modernize the branch. In a 2011 press release, the financial institution presented the new storefront as “one of Unitus’ signature branches with artwork, a tech center, coffee kiosk, contemporary furnishings and décor.” A little over a decade later, Unitus’ Chief Retail Officer Corlinda Wooden explained they need less space to support members. “We felt that the space at Mall 205 had become too big for the use we need, so we looked for another location nearby to help reduce our lease expenses. We decided to relocate the branch to the Cascade Station shopping center, which is about five miles from the Mall 205 location.”

Repair to the southeast corner of the of Unitus after car crash

Unitus Community Credit Union’s decision to shrink its footprint follows many organizations that have reduced leased space post-pandemic. Even before health concerns forced companies to embrace work-from-home operations, the banking industry was adjusting to the mobile-first preference of users who now complete most banking services via smartphone. 

Unitus’ move out of the area further reduces banking options for Montavilla residents. US Bank closed its NE Glisan Street branch three years ago, and Riverview Bank consolidated operations out of the neighborhood in 2021. In late 2020, Chase Bank closed its location inside Fred Meyer at 6615 NE Glisan Street. However, OnPoint Credit Union opened in its place a few months later. Montavilla residents also have BMO Bank, formerly Bank of the West, at 8135 SE Division Street.

Unitus Community Credit Union plans to open its Cascade Station branch on November 20th. The Mall 205 location no longer supports cash transactions. However, cash is available through the on-site ATM. Credit union members should look for an email from Unitus announcing the new branch opening sometime in November or check the institution’s website for more details when they post that information.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Business Closing, Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant, View of Montavilla

Chipotle to Replace Baja Fresh at Mall 205

Earlier this year, Mexican-themed fast-casual restaurant Baja Fresh closed its 10090 SE Washington Street location at the outer edge of Mall 205. Last week, architects working for the Chipotle chain submitted building permits for a new store at the same address. Both brands position themselves in a similar space within the corporate foodservice marketplace. However, Chipotle offers a smaller menu of core items and substantially more locations than Baja Fresh.

Recently, all Baja Fresh franchise locations in Portland have ceased operations, including the Mall 205 store. Both of these fast-casual dining brands started in the early 1990s and attracted many of the same customers. Baja Fresh was first to the Portland market and established a strong presence. However, early investment from the McDonald’s corporation helped launch Chipotle into a national brand. McDonald’s divested financial interest in Chipotle by 2006, but by then, the restaurants specializing in bowls, tacos, and Mission burritos had already become well-known across the United States, outpacing many competitors.

Chipotle location map with MV News illustrations

The Mall 205 Chipotle is several months away from opening. Building permits for a new serving area, restrooms, office, commercial kitchen, and walk-in cooler are pending approval. Plans can change anytime and may not result in the store’s opening. However, this location fills a service gap for the company, situated between its Cascade Station and Clackamas Town Center stores. This Mall 205 Chipotle location would join another popular fast-food chain planned for this area. This month, Chick-fil-A received approval to construct a restaurant within the existing structure at 9950 SE Stark Street. Both these developments will increase traffic to the area during peak dining times. However, they will not offer drive-through service and both have on-site parking available, reducing the likelihood that lines will back up onto the street.

Update: This location will open on July 23rd.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to please consider becoming a paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Business Closing, View of Montavilla

24 Hour Fitness Mall 205 Location Closing

On May 26th, Mall 205’s 24 Hour Fitness gym will close permanently, with current members transferring to the Hollywood location at 4224 NE Halsey Street. This closure is the second gym to cease operations in the area this year. The ample exercise space offered an indoor lap pool, steam room, sauna, basketball court, and the standard assortment of fitness equipment.

Representatives for 24 Hour Fitness did not provide a specific reason for the gym’s closure, saying only that it is “due to a combination of circumstances.” Like many in-person fitness locations, 24 Hour Fitness suffered financially during the mandatory pandemic closures and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 15th, 2020. Although the national chain recovered from that setback, emerging from bankruptcy in the same year, the company close over 100 locations as part of its restructuring plan. The Mall 205 location survived those cuts, but gyms have continued to suffer post-pandemic. Nearby Cascade Athletic Clubs closed its Montavilla location earlier this year, citing a slow recovery after reopening.

The fitness chain opened the soon-to-be shuttered location at 10052 SE Washington Street over two decades ago, occupying the southeast corner of the L-shaped building. Members access the exercise facility from the back parking lot. However, the location retained interior access prior to the recent mall reconfiguration. The shopping center failed to draw many customers to its interior corridors, and most stores relied on the outside doors for access when they could.

Site capture of 24hourfitness.com from June 9th, 2002. Curtesy archive.org

In 2022, the Mall property sold to an investment group that ended leases with the interior tenants. The property’s new owners will renovate the building to support larger storefronts independently accessed from the parking lot. Recent building permit applications state that Hobby Lobby will open a location somewhere on the property between Target and Home Depot. Other national brands are expected to take space in the revitalized shopping complex, and the 24 Hour Fitness vacancy should help with that transformation.

The exercise location’s closure, regardless of the cause, will leave just one general-use gym in the area. MUV Fitness is less than 1,000 feet from the 24 Hour Fitness Mall 205 location. That business attracted some former Cascade Athletic Clubs members and could become a viable option for 24 Hour Fitness members. People uninterested in switching to 24 Hour Fitness Hollywood location will likely consider MUV Fitness or look to alternative venues like Mt. Tabor CrossFit at 8028 NE Glisan Street.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Community, Crime, View of Montavilla

PPB Focuses on Retail Theft at Mall 205 and Gateway

Over the last four months, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has spent several days focused on retail theft at Mall 205 and the Gateway area. Conducted in partnership with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), the crime reduction program concentrates efforts on a small geographic area that has seen a substantial rise in theft. The PPB statistics from the three Retail Theft Missions demonstrate the daily burden of crime experienced by these retailers.

On March 5th, 2023, PPB and MCSO officers made their third attempt to significantly reduce criminal activity at these Interstate 205 adjacent retail centers. This past Sunday, 34 people were taken into custody and served 28 warrants. Police recovered seven stolen vehicles actively driven in the area. Officers also recovered over $3,000 worth of stolen merchandise. In February and December 2022, program operators saw similar daily results from these police operations.

Images in this article courtesy PPB

Although presented as an effective retail theft sting that together netted 138 arrests and the recovery of almost $14,000 of reportedly stolen merchandise, it also shows a steady level of crime in the area. The data presented is insufficient to draw credible conclusions about the program’s efficacy, but the numbers show consistent theft.

If the Retail Theft Mission continues in this area, the numbers may diminish as miscreants see this as a policed area. However, the numbers indicate this has yet to occur, and theft remains steady. Even if these efforts are effective in the Mall 205 and the Gateway areas, retail theft crime will likely shift to another commercial corridor unless additional diversion tactics reduce the overall occurrence of this type of crime.

PPB provided Retail Theft Mission numbers

March 5th, 2023 (Single Day Mission)
– 34 arrests
– 28 warrants serviced
– 7 stolen vehicles recovered
– $3,006.32 in recovered stolen merchandise

February 6th, 2023 (Single Day Mission)
– 40 arrests
– 60 warrants serviced
– $2,237 in recovered stolen merchandise

December 17th and 18th (Two-Day Mission)
– 64 arrests
– 70 warrants serviced
– 10 stolen vehicles recovered
– 3 firearms recovered (2 stolen)
– $8,743 in recovered stolen merchandise

By

Jacob Loeb

Construction, Demolition, Food and Drink, New Business, View of Montavilla

Proposed Chick-fil-A on SE Stark

This month, the Chick-fil-A development team continued their preliminary work on redeveloping 9950 SE Stark Street. Designers have modified the project from the Early Assistance meeting last May. The current Early Assistance no longer seeks to demolish the approximately 7,012 square foot building or construct a drive-thru lane on the property. Instead, crews will rehabilitate the existing structure to host the fast food restaurant with 98 indoor seats. Plans still include some outdoor seating.

Currently zoned as Central Commercial (CX), City planners expect new developments on this property to maximize density and encourage urban activities. The CX zone allows projects with tall buildings placed close together. Developers working in this zone should create pedestrian-oriented structures with a strong emphasis on a safe and attractive streetscape. The proposed project on SE Stark Street will be a nonconforming use of the existing site. Portland allows noncomplying use within a zone when the building predates the new standards and only expects zone compliance to occur when property owners significantly redevelop the site. The status of nonconforming structures is not affected by changes in ownership or tenant. The project’s initial demolition and drive-thru-oriented redevelopment plan would need to adhere to the CX standards. This new renovation plan will create a different Chick-fil-A than most of the restaurant’s other locations but retain its nonconforming status and maintain the usage pattern of previous tenants.

The single-story structure, first built in 1984, hosted a wide range of restaurants and entertainment venues over the years. Rax Roast Beef owned the property until 1990. Recent tenets included Tony Roma’s restaurant, Hooters, Mystic Gentlemen’s Club, and Venue Gentlemen’s Club. If approved, Chick-fil-A will shift this location’s use back towards general fast food and away from adult-orientated services. The lack of a drive-thru window will limit some of the traffic impact experienced by the change in use. However, based on other Chick-fil-A locations, this could become one of the most popular destinations in the surrounding blocks and attract additional vehicles to the area. The project is likely months away from approval and may fail to move beyond the planning phase. Look for permit applications sometime next year if the City approves this site’s reuse.

Article originally published May 13th, 2022.

A recent land-use Early Assistance application indicates Chick-fil-A may soon open a new restaurant on SE Stark Street. If approved, developers will demolish the 1984-era building and construct a new fast food restaurant with a drive-thru window. Located at 9950 SE Stark Street, the 36,590 square-foot half-block property currently houses an adult entertainment club and bar.

The Chick-fil-A development team intends to construct a 4,991 square foot building with 98 indoor seats for guests. Outdoor canopies and an outdoor eating area with 12 patio seats would surround the new building. The property sits between SE Stark and SE Washington Streets, aligned at SE 99th Avenue near Mall 205. The site offers a variety of vehicle access points and is near the number 15 TriMet bus line. Other Chick-fil-A restaurants tend to attract many visitors, sometimes with lines spilling onto the neighboring street. However, this proposed Chick-fil-A is just six miles from the Clackamas restaurant and seven miles from the Gresham location. That density of stores may reduce peak demand for the proposed eatery and avoid traffic issues sometimes seen at other Chick-fil-A sites.

Developers use Early Assistance applications during the pre-planning phase of a project. Many proposals do not continue past this stage, and this Chick-fil-A may never materialize in this location. However, the addition of a popular destination restaurant in the area could draw in more visitors and improve business for neighboring stores. Expect to see updates regarding building permits if this project moves forward.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to please consider becoming a paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.