Due to the winter storm earlier this month, many garbage companies could not perform regular collections. To catch up for that missed work, haulers skipped compost collection the following week. Understanding that some people will have three weeks of uncollected organic material and tree limbs broken free from the storm, during the week of January 29th to February 22nd, customers who have not had compost picked up in two weeks can set out three times as much for no extra charge.
Customers who have more yard waste than can fit in your curbside compost bin can use yard waste bags, extra bins, or bundles. A bag or container should not exceed 32 gallons and 45 pounds. Bundled branches must be shorter than three feet, no thicker than four inches, and tied securely with non-metallic string or twine. People should place bags, cans, or bundles next to their green compost bin for easy identification.
People looking to dispose of larger and heavier items must contact their hauler to determine the cost or work with a private recycler. Oregon Metro offers an online search option to find disposal options, or they can call 503-234-3000 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
On July 1st, The East Portland Tool Library opened to Portland communities living east of 82nd Avenue and north of SE Division Street. This tool-lending non-profit offers its members access to an expanding range of repair, maintenance, and crafting equipment. Located within the Cherry Park United Methodist Church parking lot at 1736 SE 106th Avenue, Montavilla residents can easily access the library via SE Market Street. The volunteer-run group opens the doors of its two large shipping containers from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays for week-long rentals.
The East Portland Tool Library provides affordable access to tools and lends to area residents of all income levels. Membership is donation-based, with people contributing as little as $10 and others paying more. Membership comes after a one-time registration where volunteers verify your home address, ensuring you are in their area. The East Portland Tool Library only serves the eastern half of Montavilla, but it is more convenient for many residents than other tool-lending resources. The Green Lents Community Tool Library serves many neighborhoods south of NE Halsey Street, including Montavilla. However, they are further away at 9215 SE Ramona Street near Interstate 205 and SE Foster Road. A segment of neighborhood residents living in NE Portland west of NE 82nd can also use the Northeast Portland Tool Library at 5431 NE 20th Avenue.
Work on the new East Portland Tool Library began five years ago in 2018, with East Portland Neighbors (EPN) serving as the fiscal sponsor. Difficulties locating a host location and the pandemic closures derailed the project for several years. However, the group recently received a grant from Oregon Metro that revitalized the project.
East Portland Tool Library’s board president Nancy Arntson
The East Portland Tool Library’s board president, Nancy Arntson, explained how surprisingly difficult it was to find a host location. Last year, they nearly dropped off their two converted shipping container buildings to a different church parking lot, more centrally located in East Portland. During permitting, city staff noted that the structures would remove three parking spaces and potentially reduce the stall number below minimum requirements. Arntson recalls the city asking for a $5,000 parking reassessment fee that would unacceptably eat into the organization’s budget. “So we came here… and in my opinion, it turned out to be better. This is a better fit for us, even though it doesn’t put us in the center of the service area. But it’s a good fit for us because of the reception we’re getting here,” said Arntson.
The tool library resides in two green shipping containers outfitted with rollup doors that face one another. The steel boxes sit one inch apart to function as one building when the doors are open but exist as separate units to remain under the square footage limits that would have them treated like a structure. Side doors let people enter from one side and leave from another, as the shelves full of tools eat up much of the floor space, leaving room for just a single aisle. An extension cord from the church provides minimal power for lights and a few outlets during the three hours of operation. They want to install dedicated electricity service for heating this winter, but there is currently no budget for that significant cost.
This program is a volunteer-run organization, and they always look for more people to take shifts. When they get more people in the rotation, the board will consider adding additional hours of operation. The group is also interested in receiving more tool donations. All the tools available to loan came from community donations, with the exception of a new power washer, air compressors, and a wheelbarrow. A complete list of tools and their availability is online. Once you are a member, there is no cost to borrowing, and you can check out the same item each week if it is an extended project, as long as others are not waiting on its return. The library will charge a late fee of $1 for small items and $5 for bigger equipment if people fail to bring the item back the following week.
The East Portland Tool Library currently has 29 members, and growing membership is one of the ways they collect funds for new tools. Signing up now provides a lasting membership that can save people money compared to renting tools from a business. The organization believes YouTube can provide people with a wealth of home repair knowledge, but equitable access to tools builds sustainable and thriving communities.
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This week, demolition crews began deconstructing the former Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) building at 432 NE 74th Avenue. Last month, crews removed asbestos and cleared large portions of the asphalt parking lot surrounding the old television studio. Next week, project participants and funders will gather to officially commence construction on the 137 units of affordable housing planned for this site.
Developers split the residences across a pair of four-story buildings. The combined site will contain a wide assortment of apartments, from studio units to four-bedroom homes. The first building under construction is named Beacon at Glisan Landing. The bar-shaped building offers 41 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless, low-income individuals earning at or below 30% Area Median Income (AMI). Catholic Charities of Oregon will own and operate this site with development support from Related Northwest.
As work is underway on the northwest corner of the expansive half-block property, crews will break ground on the second building called Aldea at Glisan Landing. That larger U-shaped building is co-owned by Related Northwest and Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). This structure will provide 96 apartments, with 41% of units available to people with a 30% AMI.
The Glisan Landing affordable housing development is part of a 2018 voter-approved Metro Housing Bond. Aldea and Beacon represent the sixth and seventh bond-created projects that put the regional housing effort on track to bring over 1,540 affordable homes to Portland, surpassing initial expectations. Ground floor commercial space included in these buildings will offer an onsite cafe with a culinary employment training program run by Stone Soup PDX.
Rendering of Beacon at Glisan Landingcourtesy Related Northwest
These housing developments represent years of planning and community outreach with funding from Oregon Metro, Portland Housing Bureau, and Oregon Housing & Community Services. Over half the units offered in the Aldea building are family sizes with two, three, and four-bedroom homes available. Project planners made significant efforts to include onsite parking for residents, dedicating a large portion of the ground floor to vehicle storage. This design choice and other community-supporting amenities responded to neighbor requests. Construction crews expect to complete work on these buildings by May 2024. Expect temporary sidewalk closures and other building-related disruptions in the project area over the next 12 months.
Glisan Landing Groundbreaking ceremony June 12th, 2023
By
Jacob Loeb
Disclosure: The author of this article served on the Montavilla Neighborhood Association board during the community outreach phase of this project’s development and participated in some of those conversations.
Housing project’s site plan
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On April 19th, the three public agencies planning improvements to 82nd Avenue published an online open house presenting current roadwork plans and concepts for future projects. The resource site provides high-level information with links to more detailed resources. Construction begins this year and will run through 2030, shifting to different sections of the former state highway as work progresses.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), TriMet, and Oregon Metro collaborated on this new site, blending their community education initiatives. The information focuses on the physical road infrastructure and potential implementation of TriMet’s new FX express bus service, replacing the 72 line on 82nd Avenue. A group of site-wide survey questions allows open house participants to share their priorities for where some projects should focus the limited funds. Money for the road work stems from a 2022 agreement to transfer ownership of Portland’s section of 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) stewardship to PBOT. A key requirement of that exchange was the $150 million commitment from the State of Oregon and a $35 million commitment from the City of Portland.
Although the committed funds seem significant, the allocated money is far less than needed to rebuild all the old and failing infrastructure that does not meet City standards. Federal funding provided $80 million of the State’s contribution, and the City must spend that money by 2026 or risk losing it. Consequentially, PBOT is already deploying those funds to address critical safety and maintenance projects that are shovel-ready. They include improved street lighting to fill in gaps where there is insufficient nighttime visibility. Repaving and reconstructing curb ramps to modern standards will occur throughout the corridor, along with new and upgraded crossings for pedestrians or bicycle riders. PBOT will construct median islands and traffic separators at select locations, and some intersections will gain new or enhanced traffic signals.
The remaining $105 million will go to projects still under consideration. PBOT will need to strategically deploy those funds to achieve the most effective safety and operational improvements on 82nd Avenue. Not all projects are made from cement, asphalt, and wires. Throughout the construction, project planners are looking for ways to incorporate trees and other landscaping to improve the environment and make it safer for people walking during high-temperature weather events. People interested in commenting on those projects should visit 82ndave.info and complete the more detailed survey released last month.
Illustration curtesy TriMet
Outside of the 82nd Avenue jurisdictional transfer funding, TriMet wants to create FX express bus service to replace the 72 bus line. Similar to the Division FX transformation completed in 2022, the proposed rapid bus service will reduce stops to speed up travel times and have enhanced stations with near-boarding-height platforms to accommodate the longer articulated buses. This bus line adjustment would also change the northern terminus. Four different paths are under consideration, some as far north as the Portland International Airport. Designers are also considering dedicated lanes and signal priority changes to 82nd Avenue to get buses around car traffic.
Planning for these projects is happening now, even though residents and business owners may not see the changes for years. Planners invite all Portlanders to participate in the online Open House and sign up for project updates so they can provide further guidance as officials firm up the transformative changes. Participation in the planning process is the public’s best opportunity to shape the future of 82nd Avenue as it sheds its history as a former State Highway and becomes a city main street.
By
Jacob Loeb
Illustrations provided by PBOT
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Avenue Business Association Board and the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group
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Robert E. Stacey, Montavilla’s elected representative on the Metro Council for over eight years, died September 8th at the age of 72. He resigned from his position a year ago due to further complications from a health condition. Metro Council appointed Duncan Hwang, a Director at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), to the vacant 6th District seat in January. Councilor Hwang recently secured 68.7 percent of the vote during the 2022 primaries, allowing him to serve out the reaming years of Councilor Stacey’s term.
Bob Stacey came to Metro Council after a long career serving Oregon. His early work with 1000 Friends of Oregon secured the urban growth boundary, protecting farms and forests by limiting an endless suburban sprawl. He led Portland’s planning bureau from 1989 to 1993, and as an executive at TriMet, he helped plan the MAX Yellow and Red lines. Pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the MAX Orange Line at SE 14th Avenue do so via the Bob Stacey Overcrossing, named in his honor for decades of service to Portland. Stacey’s impact across the State was impressive, and the programs he supported within this neighborhood are ongoing.
Bob Stacey’s work with Metro touched many points within Montavilla. Most residents will associate his local efforts with the affordable housing project underway at 432 NE 74th Ave. However, councilor Duncan Hwang recounted several other impactful projects that his predecessor brought to the community. “Councilor Stacey did so much for livability for the entire region but also worked directly on projects in Montavilla, including advocating for the jurisdictional transfer of 82nd Ave to the City of Portland, improving neighborhood connectivity through the Jade Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project, and was a particular champion of the Jade District and APANO’s work in developing affordable housing and community spaces.”
Although holding an elected position, Bob Stacey focused more on his work for the community instead of building name recognition. Representative Earl Blumenauer expressed that sentiment after Stacey’s passing. “Oregon just lost the most important person that most people never heard of.” Despite the lack of public recognition for his work, those who continue his efforts recognize that they stand on his shoulders and vow to follow Stacy’s example of civic leadership. “Oregon lost a true leader, and I hope to carry on his vision for our region and legacy of public service as his successor at Metro,” stated Councilor Hwang.
By
Jacob Loeb
Images in this article are provided by Oregon Metro
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On August 8th, Oregon Metro filed a Land Use Review application to re-plat the existing lots that currently comprise 432 NE 74th Avenue. This work will reshape the site to create distinct properties for each new low-income building planned for the site. Interested persons have until 5 p.m. on September 12th, 2022, to provide email comments to the Bureau of Development Services planner.
By early 2023, demolition crews will remove the former Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) building at the NE Glisan site. Once crews clear the old TV studio, the developer will begin constructing 137 units of affordable housing split between two four-story buildings. The development will contain a wide assortment of apartments ranging from studio to four-bedroom units. All housing created by this project will serve families and individuals earning 30% or 60% of Area Median Income (AMI).
Site Map from re-plat application LU 22-128996 RP
The smaller structure at the northwest corner of the site will offer 41 units of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) reserved for Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. This structure will occupy Parcel 1 of the re-platted property and cover most of the 11,016 square foot lot. Catholic Charities will provide case management and services to PSH tenants.
Parcel 2 will contain the larger “U” shaped building that provides the remaining 96 units of family-focused housing. Additionally, the 45,469 square feet lot will hold all site parking and courtyard amenities for the development. Management will reserve residences in this building for BIPOC, immigrant, refugee, and intergenerational families. Homes will range in floor space from 400 square feet to 1,200 square feet, with rents ranging from $507 to $1,616 per month. Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) will provide resident services at the family housing property.
Glisan and 74th Affordable Housing project’s site plan
Although the site will function harmoniously to meet affordable housing goals, each building has a specific focus and management organization that needs autonomy from each other. Separating the site into multiple parcels allows each facility to operate as an individual organization. Parcel 1 will become 7450 NE Glisan, and Parcel 2 will have the address of 451 NE 75th Avenue. Construction of each building could begin independently once this property division is approved. Expect to see this Land Use Review application approved within the next few months, ahead of the anticipated project ground-breaking in early 2023. The City has a website for those interested in following the project’s progress, and public comments will remain open for another twelve days.
By
Jacob Loeb
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Saturday’s Jade District Dumpster Day and Solve Oregon cleanup attracted dozens of volunteers and a stream of vehicles dropping off large trash items. Within the first hour of operation, people filled 30-yard dumpsters at two drop-off sites. Instead of closing three hours early, the events coordinator, Alisa Kajikawa, picked up her phone and arranged for additional dumpsters. Before the day was done, yet another cycle of dumpsters rolled in to accommodate the overwhelming demand for trash disposal.
Kajikawa, the Jade District Manager, organized this one-day event with funds from Oregon Metro and support from the 82nd Avenue Business Association. The four-hour-long program included a community cleanup and open dumpster access for neighborhood disposal of bulky items.
Volunteers with Solve ventured out with 33-gallon carts to collect trash throughout the area and bring back items of all sizes to the primary dumpster site, located in the Unicorn Inn’s parking lot at 3040 SE 82nd Avenue. Nearby campers used shopping carts to roll in trash from their area and help clean up the streets.
Jade District Manager Alisa Kajikawa and Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang stacking mattresses
The dumpster on SE 82nd Avenue, and one on SE 92nd Avenue, were open to residents seeking a free place to dispose of items not collected through curbside trash pickup. Demand for dumpster use far exceeded expectations, and both sites eventually had to turn people away. Even after staff filled the five 30-yard trash containers to capacity, a stack of mattresses remained awaiting pickup by a recycler.
The dumpster demand seen over the weekend signals a great need in Portland for more events like the Jade District Dumpster Day. In 2020, The City canceled a long-running program that worked with Neighborhood Associations to host dumpster days across Portland. These events acted as an annual trash release valve that reduced the number of illegal dumps. Now groups like the Jade District are scrambling to find funding to meet the demand for trash disposal.
The original budget for the event only included funds for two dumpsters. The added cost of the three extra dumpsters will need to come from grant reserves and other funds within the organization. The success of the cleanup is measurable by the tonnage of rubbish collected. However, it barely makes a dent in Portland’s trash problem. Based on the demand seen Saturday and the piles of illegally dumped items across the City, an event like this could run every month for years without slowing down.
Flyer for the now completed event
By
Jacob Loeb
Disclosure: The author of this article servers on the boards of the 82nd Avenue Business Association and Montavilla Neighborhood Association. He also volunteered at this event.
African Youth & Community Organization (AYCO) is in the process of buying the Flex Building located at 2110 SE 82nd Avenue. The youth mentoring organization currently operates out of the former Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) building on NE Glisan Street. Developers will soon transform the TBN site into affordable housing, prompting AYCO’s move to a new facility. However, the group needs to raise $5.5 million to purchase and renovate the new building.
In January 2021, AYCO relocated to 432 NE 74th Ave from SE 122nd Avenue. Although the group knowingly committed to a short-term lease for the property on NE 74th, they hoped to become a partner organization in the supportive housing planned for the site. Unfortunately, Metro did not select the development group they partnered with, making another move inevitable.
This week the developers submitted a type 2 Land Use Review for the first of two buildings planned for the Glisan and 74th housing project. That four-story wood-framed residential building will contain 41 units of permanent supportive housing above a ground floor commercial kitchen, cafe, and retail incubator space. Additional amenities include resident services, laundry rooms, bike parking, and a community room.
With the permitting process underway, securing a new home for AYCO takes on a new sense of urgency. The Flex building on SE 82nd Avenue is several years old but has never found a tenant. Constructed in
2017, the building’s owner anticipated demand for high-end office and commercial space on 82nd Avenue near SE Division Street. Lower demand and the pandemic kept the building vacant except for a short-term popup COVID testing site. Crews only constructed the basic shape of the space, waiting for tenants to dictate the placement of interior walls. This unfinished condition will add to AYCO’s overall costs for the project. “The building is a shell and needs huge construction [and] tenant improvements,” explained AYCO Executive Director Jamal Dar.
The Flex building will cost $3.6 million to purchase. AYCO staff have allocated the remaining $1.9 Million to cover construction and furnishings. Fortunately, they have already received commitments for $1.5 million from supporters. An additional $2.5 million is expected to come from Federal funds and contributions from the City of Portland. Now, AYCO is seeking donors at any level who can help bridge the $1.5 million gap. They must find those funds within six to ten months or incur debt from loans.
The Flex building offers many benefits to the AYCO community, and buying the building will provide the permanent home this group has sought for many years. Dar explained that the building is centrally located near the community his organization serves. He feels its proximity to several schools, shopping, and transit options will be an invaluable benefit to the immigrant and refugee community using this resource center.
At 18,682 square feet, the increased building size means AYCO will continue to offer all existing programs with room to expand. “[The building] will allow us to conduct all of our programs, including establishing early childhood education and many other programs we currently don’t have,” said Dar. Buying the Flex building has the potential to take AYCO to a new level and secure its space in the supportive services community.
People or groups interested in investing in AYCO’s future location on SE 82nd Avenue should visit the group’s website www.aycoworld.org and click this Donate Now button at the top of the page. Jamal Dar and his staff are available to talk to groups interested in large sponsorship opportunities.
By
Jacob Loeb
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Portland City Council voted Wednesday to accept approximately $17 million in federal grants distributed by Metro through the Regional Flexible Funding Allocation program. One of the four new capital projects funded will impact Montavilla on the SE Stark Washington couplet. Portland will spend $11.4 million on the project, improving road conditions for all modes of travel between SE 92nd and 109th avenues.
The road work spans a busy section of the paired streets that crossover I205 and connects Montavilla to the Gateway Regional Center. Some of the planned improvements include new transit islands and bus lanes, protected bike lanes, improved pedestrian crossings at existing signals, a new pedestrian crossing at SE 105th Avenue, new ADA curb ramps, and street lighting. Work will also resurface or repair pavement. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) believes this work will counter the historic auto-oriented street design at this location and reduce crashes in the area. Montavilla will receive only a tiny portion of the total improvements planned. However, the project will improve conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation users traveling the neighborhood.
SE Washington Street at I205 south on-ramp
PBOT has not yet created the final plans for this project. However, the proposal contains several illustrations demonstrating a rough outline of possible changes. During the project’s design phase, City engineers will likely need to adjust the placement and scale of these improvements. However, staff based the budget on including these features in the approximate locations indicated in the documents submitted to City Council.
PBOT illustrated view of street improvements
When completed, residents will see SE Stark street gaining protected bike lanes continuing west across the I205 overpass and ending at SE 92nd Avenue. Bike lane crossings and crosswalks will receive fresh high-visibility paint. Curbside parking will move further out into the street, allowing bikes to travel against the road’s edge behind a wide buffer of parked cars. Consequentially, the number 15 TriMet bus stop in front of Motel 6 will move onto a new transit island in line with the parked cars. This stop currently has a temporary bus platform that PBOT installed during the pandemic. Unlike the current design, the new island will allow bicycles to pass behind the bus stop and away from traffic.
Motel 6 number 15 bus stop and temporary platform
On Montavilla’s section of SE Washington Street, most work will focus on pavement repairs and some lane reconfiguration. PBOT intends to add a dedicated right turn lane for people merging onto I205 south. Crews will reconstruct and enlarge the corner adjacent to the turn lane to support pedestrians and bicycles. The new bike lane on SE Washington Street will place riders onto the sidewalk to cross at a more visible location.
Workers will install new bike signals with dedicated signage and upgrade the existing pedestrian signals. Drivers turning onto I205’s south on-ramp will have a new turn-only light with a “NO TURN ON RED” sign. Signalized intersections will receive new Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) equipment to manage traffic flow intelligently throughout the day.
Road improvements like this can take years to materialize after funding. Portland prioritized this project in the Growing Transit Communities Plan, adopted in 2017. Design work and property owner engagements will come in the next year. However, securing $5,332,000 in grant money for this work should move this project forward at an increased pace. Look for updates on the project in the coming year.
SE Stark Street showing current bike lane moving to the curbside
By
Jacob Loeb
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Metro Council approved a new district map this week with only minor adjustments. Metro reevaluates its district borders every ten years in response to updated national censuses data. The map must maintain a balanced distribution of residents between the six elected Metro Council districts. Although Metro considered some dramatic changes, the approved map largely resembles the district map of the past decade.
For residents of Montavilla, there is no change to Metro Distract representation. Residents of that neighborhood are still served by the vacant seat for District 6. On October 15th, Metro Councilor Bob Stacey stepped down after serving nine years on the council. The Metro Council is in the process of selecting Stacey’s successor. The applicant chosen to serve on the Metro Council will hold the position through January 2nd, 2023. Next year, voters will elect a new Metro District Councilor for the reaming two years of Bob Stacey’s term.
The new district boundaries take effect immediately. Metro is currently accepting applications for the District 6 vacancy. To submit their applications, people interested in the position have until the close of business on January 3rd, 2022.
Neighborhood news site focused on buildings and changing businesses
