Tag: NE Glisan

Community, Entertainment, Event, Food and Drink

Montavilla’s December Holidays Celebration

Starting this December, the Montavilla business community will launch into a month-long celebration of the Winter holidays. Businesses and organizations will offer a mix of giving opportunities while encouraging people to support their community through shopping locally. Even without spending money, people can participate through two free events offered on SE Stark Street to get into the seasonal mood with friends and neighbors.

Next Saturday, the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) will host its Tree Lighting in the public plaza at SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street. The tree lighting ceremony will take place on December 7th from 4 to 6 p.m. Organizers will light up the Montavilla holiday tree at 5 p.m. and serve hot cocoa while supplies last. Participants can enjoy community cheer and seasonal music as they start the countdown to the new year.

A week later, on December 14th, people can gather for a free Santa picture event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Board Bard Games. The gaming shop at 7960 SE Stark Street will offer an opportunity to take a seasonal family picture with Santa. People waiting for their turn to pose with the jolly icon can partake in hot cocoa and other treats. The organizers remind people to bring their own cameras to capture the moment.

Shopping locally is essential to maintaining a strong community, and METBA wants to reward those who help keep Montavilla thriving. From December 1st through the 21st, people who eat, drink, shop, and recreate at participating businesses will earn raffle entries through completed passports. Every qualifying purchase of $5 or more from the list of locations earns a sticker to go inside a passport. Participating businesses will have passports to get people started, and collecting six stickers completes a passport. Each entry increases your odds of winning the raffle, and there is no limit to the number of passports a person can complete. To enter, drop off completed passports at Redwood at 7915 SE Stark Street or Arbor Hall at 7907 SE Stark Street by the close of business on December 21st.

Graphic courtesy METBA

As a bonus, purchases made during the Merry Montavilla Soiree on December 21st earn participants two stickers for their passports. The Soiree is a one-day event full of special offers and discounts to help last-minute shoppers and Portlanders looking for a special night out.

Many Montavilla shops are embracing the giving season with a donation drive. Participating businesses will collect Adult-sized jackets or coats, warm hats, gloves, scarves, hand warmers, and sleeping bags for Rahab’s Sisters. The organization’s beneficiaries will appreciate those new and gently used items during the cold weather. Rahab’s Sisters have a particular need for plus-size or extended-size donations. Participating locations are listed on the METBA website.

Montavilla Brew Works at 7805 SE Stark Street will host a special Giving Tuesday event on December 3rd, supporting Cultivate Initiatives. Giving Tuesday follows the busy seasonal shopping days and encourages people to support local organizations supporting positive change in their communities. Michael Kora from Montavilla Brew Works explained that his company has a long relationship with Cultivate Initiatives’ leadership, which has grown into the brewery’s expanded support of the group’s efforts. “Over the years, we’ve spearheaded a winter clothing donation drive in the neighborhood that directly supports the more marginalized people in our neighborhood and beyond. With its success during the winter season, we eventually just made it an all-year-long donation drive.”

Graphic courtesy Montavilla Brew Works

Montavilla Brew Works’ Giving Tuesday event runs from 5 to 8 p.m., and donators will receive $1 off their first beverage. People should bring new or gently used warm clothing. They will also accept new underwear, socks, pet food, and hygiene products. Briel’s Barbecue popup will sell food at the event, but Kora noted the BBQ food often sells out and recommends people stop by early. This event is limited to people 21 or older, and organizers hope people will have a good time while supporting a cause they care about.

Once again, Montavilla businesses are doing what they can to celebrate the winter through giving and creating a space for people to enjoy the company of their community.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account for monthly support 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, New Residence

Work Begins on Seven NE Glisan Townhomes

This November, crews will lay the foundation and begin framing a seven-unit townhouse project at NE Glisan Street and 72nd Avenue. This three-story building replaces a single-family home at 7132 NE Glisan Street, which workers demolished in the summer of 2022. Crews broke ground nearly a year after DEZ Development started the permitting process on this middle housing development, with construction expected to extend well into 2025.

Rendered view of the seven townhomes seen from NE 72nd Avenue. Courtesy DEZ Development

In late October, heavy equipment cleared and leveled the 4,097 square-foot parcel. The property’s Commercial Mixed Use 2 zoning allows structures up to four stories tall, similar to the affordable housing project under construction three blocks east of this site. This new housing project is in line with zoning goals for this area with minimum density requirements of one unit per 1,450 square feet of site area. That places it slightly above the minimum for NE Glisan’s prescribed density while still being built as a step up from the primarily two-story scale of surrounding buildings. Two units will face NE Glisan Street, with the remaining five having addresses on NE 72nd Avenue.

Each home will provide between 1,000 and 1,300 square feet of living space, split between three levels. Residents with vehicles will need to park in curbside spaces on NE 72nd Avenue or NE Glisan Street. The building is near the 60th Avenue MAX light-rail stop and on the TriMet 19 bus line. Bike commuters living here will have easy access to an established Portland Greenway that runs east-west on NE Davis Street. Housing density along commercial corridors like NE Glisan can create a symbiotic relationship between residents and businesses located within walking distance of the residences. This location is within blocks of the Fred Meyer grocery store at 6615 NE Glisan Street and has several dining options at restaurants, coffee shops, and bars within eyesight of the townhomes. When residents look for more resources close to homes near commercially zoned areas, more businesses tend to open to meet increased demand. Walking-oriented housing on NE Glisan may become the catalyst for reviving the once-thriving area first established when the streetcar tracks ran down its center.

Construction at this site will continue over the next several months, with completion expected in 2025.

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.

Food and Drink, New Business

Tusi’s Deli Creation Brings Samoan Food to NE Glisan

During weekends in October, the area’s only Samoan restaurant eased into opening at 6824 NE Glisan Street. However, enthusiastic customer response soon attracted attention from social media, and Tusi’s Deli Creation experienced its first back-to-back sellout days. The wife and husband team are enjoying the warm reception from the community, which has countered negative feelings caused by a pre-launch burglary that nearly stopped them from opening their doors.

Family tradition and cultural identity shape the Samoan menu served in Tusi’s Deli Creation. Restaurant owner Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano explained that her father’s passion for cooking propagated to her seven siblings. Tusigaigoa Wilson worked as a carpenter in American Samoa but honed his culinary skills by cooking for community events. Wilson-Kerisiano recalls he had high standards for what he would serve at his table, throwing out expensive food rather than dishing something of poor quality. “My dad always says, ‘If you can’t eat it, don’t serve it. If it doesn’t look pretty like you, don’t even give it out.'”

By the time Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano’s father, Tusigaigoa “Tusi” Wilson, passed away in 2020, most of the family had relocated to Washington State. Wilson-Kerisiano needed to take over catering her father’s funeral because COVID-19 closures prevented the family from finding a vendor for the extensive Samoan food service that is part of their traditional mourning process and funerals. After the community discovered that her father’s cooking skills were alive in Wilson-Kerisiano, she and some family members began receiving requests to cater other community events. That grew their cooking business, taking on several forms over the years, but things changed after another family loss. “Then our mother passed, and we kind of gave up on the dream.”

In February 2024, Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano, her husband Natanielu Kerisiano, and sister Christina Wilson-Pini moved down to the Portland area with the idea of restarting their food service ambitions. They found the affordable commercial space on NE Glisan Street and committed to the former juice bar storefront on a significant anniversary. “The lease was signed on May 18th, which was the date my father passed,” said Wilson-Kerisiano. They began earning money for the shop’s buildout by cooking items for resale at area stores with a focus on their baked goods and drinks.

Spam Musubi

Christina Wilson-Pini had become an accomplished baker, while her sister had focused on learning her father’s cooking style. The early opportunity for Wilson-Pini to practice baking came after a storm took away much of what the community had. “I remembered we grew up with one of those kerosene stoves; every Islander had one. Then, there was a hurricane, FEMA came in, and they funded the families. That’s when we bought our first oven, and then all the baking came alive during those times of our lives,” recalled Wilson-Kerisiano. Wilson-Pini developed a lengthy recipe book, and sales of her baked creations helped furnish the shop with the supplies they would need to open the restaurant. The extended family also chipped in to support the restaurant’s opening. “My siblings in Washington, my nieces, and nephew all helped during the summer months to fundraise for the shop,” said Wilson-Kerisiano.

With the storefront full of supplies and the team close to opening, things turned for the worse. “In August, we were busy vending and trying to earn money for the shop, and we were broken into,” said Wilson-Kerisiano. Then, on the Tuesday after the weekend burglary, Christina Wilson-Pini passed away. “I wanted to give it all up because we lost all of our life savings. They took everything that we needed,” recalled Wilson-Kerisiano. With another family death and needing to start over on the restaurant, it was almost too much to overcome.

Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano and Natanielu Kerisiano developed a solid connection to the Samoan community in Washington State, providing food at many celebrations and becoming central to numerous events. That integration into the community led to Wilson-Kerisiano publishing the State’s first Samoan newspaper, the Samoa Northern Star. They were fixtures at cricket matches and charity drives. After the setback in Portland, they found that strong community bonds had not dissolved after moving to Oregon. The support network mobilized and came to their aid, helping them fund the purchase of used equipment to replace the stolen items. Christina Wilson-Pini’s daughter gifted her mother’s cookbook to Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano so she could keep baking her sister’s pies and pastries at the shop, and the couple quietly opened Tusi’s Deli Creation.

Turkey-tail

Due to weekday obligations providing stores with packaged items, the restaurant is currently only open on weekends. On November 9th, they will begin regular service from Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The menu features traditional Polynesian island food with unique Samoan twists like green bananas and the popular turkey-tail. Selections change regularly, and they are open to hearing requests from customers. People who have experienced Hawaiian food will feel comfortable ordering at Tusi’s Deli Creation. However, most guests will encounter some items not often found in Portland. The shop owners encourage everyone to experience Samoan culture through food and family traditions. “My dream is [creating] a place where they have everything I ate growing up,” said Wilson-Kerisiano.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account for monthly support 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, History, Renovation

Sunshine Laundromat Closes for Renovations

On September 23rd, Sunshine on Glisan Coin Laundry & Cleaners closed for a multi-week renovation. Crews removed several old machines and used jackhammers to break up interior concrete at 7914 NE Glisan Street. Over the last year, the business’s new owner, Nader Fakhry, replaced aging machines and other systems to improve operations and upgraded washer capacity for the patrons who rely on this business for household washing needs.

Fakhry purchased the laundromat on NE Glisan Street in 2023 after several years running Alpine 24 Hour Laundromat on N Lombard Street. He registered both businesses under the Splash and Relax Laundromat name. However, Fakhry has no plans to change the name because he believes that it is essential that customers continue to see the traditional name of their trusted laundry facility. He wants people to feel confident returning to his business and has taken a paced approach to upgrades. Over the last year, customers have seen systems swapped out and payment options expanded. During the business’s transition to new equipment, customers would use one of several cashless payment systems, including the in-store loyalty program Fastcard, the Speed Queen app, or credit cards, depending on the machines available. The business owner’s gradual upgrades have created some inconsistency between units using old or new payment options, but those should dissipate when renovations are complete. The move to all Speed Queen equipment will enable people to use smartphone apps to track washer progress and not need to wait inside the laundromat.

When Fakhry took over the Sunshine Laundry, most machines were 20-pound capacity washers, similar in size to units found in people’s homes. Previous owners installed those shorter units on a large concrete platform in the center of the building that put washers at an ergonomically advantageous height for loading. The business owner is transitioning to new, larger capacity machines, some of which they installed during a March refresh, and others will be part of this latest renovation. The modern Speed Queen equipment supports loads ranging in capacity from 40, 60, 80, and 100 pounds. The larger equipment sits higher off the ground and will not work on the old raised platform.

Consequently, demolition crews are removing the concrete island in the center of the floor. Fakhry explained that this lowers the taller washers back to a reasonable height and allows patrons better movement between the washers and dryers without traveling the length of the laundromat to navigate around the podium. With the floor open, crews can upgrade the existing drainage system to higher capacity pipes needed for the bigger washers. Cement masons will need to increase the floor slab’s thickness in areas to support the heavier 100-pound equipment. Those are some of the largest capacity washers in Portland, and they can process five times the clothes as a home-sized unit.

Renovations at this nearly 100-year-old building were inevitable as the past owners retrofitted it for this use decades ago. MacMarr grocery stores built this storefront in 1930 under the old street numbering system. The City originally addressed the building as 1979 E. Glisan Street before the great renumbering of Portland. A few years later, before 1935, Safeway purchased the MacMarr Stores chain. It remained a Safeway store into the 1950s. Around 1961, the property’s owner converted the building to support a coin-operated laundry. At one point in the late 1970s, the laundry’s name was “Laudrymat Village” before other owners changed it to modern variations of the current business’s name.

With the laundromat’s long history of serving residents who need access to washers and dryers, its temporary closure will likely disrupt people’s lives and require them to visit other locations. However, these renovations will enable this business to grow to meet modern laundry needs while supporting programs people depend on. The pre-existing Fastcard system will remain with new, more secure cards, giving people $22 in credit for every $20 loaded on the card. Future equipment upgrades will also allow mobile tap-to-pay and direct credit card payments. Larger machines allow for more efficient service for all users, and they can also attract customers who have at-home machines but need larger capacity for bulky items or faster washing. Nader Fakhry plans future updates to expand his business’s wash and fold service and continue his equipment modernization efforts. Construction could take two to three weeks for contractors to complete work. Watch this article for updates on the reopening of this affordable neighborhood laundromat.

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, Infrastructure

Innovative Corner Design at NE Glisan Crossing

This week, crews with Raimore Construction are wrapping up work on a new, safer crossing of NE Glisan Street at 80th Avenue. Due to stormwater management concerns, traffic engineers adjusted preliminary designs for extended sidewalk corners at this location with an innovative design that could save the city money and time if used in more places. This pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure enhancement project moved from inception to construction at an increased pace thanks to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s “Safe Routes to School” rapid response grant. It funded a large portion of the work without many of the application bottlenecks that often slow government projects.

Draft design image provide courtesy PBOT

The NE Glisan Street and 80th Avenue reconstruction features several safety improvements that will help schoolchildren, pedestrians, and cyclists cross a busy roadway that is wider than most in the area. NE Glisan supported one of East Portland’s longest-running streetcar lines, and that transit use required a more significant width to support the rail tracks and other adjacent traffic. A century later, with faster-moving cars on the street, long crosswalk distances now pose an increased risk to people walking or rolling through the intersections. Children walking to Vestal School frequently use this crossing, and it will soon become part of a bicycle and pedestrian Greenway realignment that extends along NE 80th to NE Halsey Street. To improve conditions, traffic engineers looked to shorten the crossing distance with two road features that provide people outside vehicles a safer place to wait for cars to yield. Crews will install two pedestrian refuge islands in the turning lane of NE Glisan Street, allowing people to cross in two phases and only focus on one direction of cross traffic at a time. These islands provide a stopping point mid-crosswalk while also forcing turning cars to remain in the travel lanes. This street design prevents other drivers from going around turning vehicles while their view of the intersection is blocked by the motorists turning right or left.

Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) staff designed the western crossing with curb extensions on the sidewalk corners to shorten pedestrian crossing distances further. These are bulbous concrete structures extending the corners into the parking lane so people trying to cross are more visible to the cars in the travel lanes. However, several topography issues threatened to remove or significantly reduce the safer sidewalk corners. A tight turning radius created by the proposed curb extensions on the northwest corner caused engineers to reduce its size. The built infrastructure on that corner now only extends two-feet into the parking lane of NE Glisan.

Northwest corner with shorter extension

The southwest corner had even more issues. Some of which dates back to Portland’s streetcar past. The NE Glisan Street rail line branched off the main track with the “Montavilla Spur” heading south to SE Stark Street. That track is still under the street in many places, and the curved rail lines run under this worksite. Removing old tracks is costly and time-consuming, and city staff try to avoid disturbing them whenever possible. That alone would not prevent the extension of a corner, but rainwater management was another concern. The city builds streets with higher centers, so water flows away from traffic and into the gutters at the road’s edge. Sidewalks also angle slightly to move water away from adjacent buildings toward the curb. When a sidewalk corner extends into the street and onto the sloped road, it has the potential to direct water back from the curb toward the building. Making the sidewalk higher often fixes this problem. However, the business’s front door leading onto this corner prevents that increase in sidewalk height. Consequentially, city engineers built the extended curb with a wide rainwater channel along the traditional gutter line, allowing rainwater to flow to the existing stormwater inlet. They then created an at-grade cutout for the crosswalk similar in design to the pedestrian refuge islands.

Southwest corner showing business front door in relation to extended curb height

The disconnected protruding sidewalk corner is relatively new on Portland streets, but its success could make safety updates less costly and easier to install. Whenever PBOT wants to extend a sidewalk corner, it currently takes complete corner reconstruction at the city’s or a developer’s expense. That work also requires crews to relocate stormwater inlets to meet the new shape of the curb. Some intersections also have underground utility lines at the street’s edge that prevent extended corners without significant expense. The disconnected protruding sidewalk corner accomplishes the same concrete protections as a traditional sidewalk, but crews can pour them on top of the road surface without disturbing below-ground obstacles. The curb ramp remains at the primary sidewalk corner, while designers placed the Truncated Domes that assist low-vision pedestrians at the edge of the extended corner. This positions all people waiting to cross in a visible spot beyond the parking lane and protected from traffic.

The new, safer crossing of NE Glisan Street at 80th Avenue could be a model for efficient infrastructure improvements. Its fast funding source is open to specific grant applications year-round, and its administrators are empowered to make quick decisions regarding an application. City staff’s creative workaround could open up more locations for safer infrastructure. If the newer pedestrian protecting design seen at the southwest corner works to keep rainwater moving in the right direction without clogging, Portland may begin using these designs in more places where cost or under-road conditions prevented them. Regardless of the citywide impact of this intersection’s design, families traveling to Vestal school, biking on the realigned greenway, and pedestrians will all enjoy a better crossing. Look for crews to complete construction in the coming weeks.

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.

Infrastructure

82nd Signal Improvements at Glisan and Davis Update

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recently released an updated concept design for the 82nd Avenue Glisan and Davis Signal Improvements Project alongside results from the bureau’s public outreach. Changes to the design reduced the number of median planted trees due to mid-street utility conflicts and combined two options for left turn handling at NE Davis Street. Plans also include a short westbound bus-only lane on NE Glisan Street west of 82nd Avenue. The strategic sidewalk widening on the east side of 82nd Avenue allows for additional tree planting space along this frequently used connector between Vestal Elementary School and Montavilla Park.

NE Davis and 82nd Illustration courtesy PBOT

NE Davis Street is a “T” intersection at 82nd Avenue in front of Vestal School. Consequentially, young pedestrians and families frequently use these crosswalks. The Addition of “The Yard at Montavilla” food cart pod on the southeast corner has further increased vehicle and pedestrian usage throughout the day. PBOT engineers had considered two alternatives for reconstructing this intersection with the possibility of preventing all left turns. However, based on community and business feedback, they opted to allow continued left turns from NE 82nd Avenue to Davis Street while restricting left turns from NE Davis to 82nd Avenue. This design provides drivers sufficient access, and pedestrians have a mid-crossing protected island at the south side of the intersection. PBOT also anticipates removing one or two curbside parking spaces on the north side of NE Davis Street to help with visibility and vehicle navigation of the skinnier side street.

NE Everett and 82nd Illustration courtesy PBOT

North of Davis Street, the “T” intersection of NE Everett Street will also receive enhancements during this project. PBOT plans to extend the northwest sidewalk corner and add updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps. The south crossing will have a protected pedestrian refuge island. However, the north and south crosswalks will not receive high-visibility markings due to their proximity to two other signalized crossings.

NE Glisan and 82nd Illustration courtesy PBOT

Signal reconstruction at NE Glisan will include concrete traffic separators north and south of the crossing to confine left turns to the intersection and keep turning vehicles from crossing over the center turn lane. A new right turn-only, except buses, lane on the west side of 82nd Avenue for westbound Glisan drivers will shift the through traffic merge east of the intersection. Westbound traffic currently merges 200 feet to the west, often backing up traffic into the intersection. This change removes congestion in a dangerous area and creates space for a bus and turn lane on the west side of the intersection. The four corners at the intersection will receive some ADA updates to improve access and pedestrian visibility.

PBOT crews intend to install wider sidewalks on the east side of 82nd Avenue between NE Glisan and 100 feet south of NE Davis Street. This new twelve-foot-wide pedestrian zone will replace the narrow walkways currently placed tight to the curb. The buildings in this area are adequately setback to allow this expansion, and engineers expect this sidewalk expansion will improve safety while providing an opportunity to plant trees between the curb and walkway. The design phase for this project will continue throughout 2024, and PBOT anticipates construction will begin in fall 2025.

By

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group.

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.

Crime, Infrastructure

82nd Avenue Traffic Citation Cameras

On June 24th, crews installed a new intersection safety camera system to monitor southbound traffic on 82nd Avenue at E Burnside Street. The next day, workers returned to add two new camera systems at NE Glisan Street and 82nd Avenue. Those will focus on traffic traveling northbound and westbound. After a short testing period around September, motorists running red lights or speeding past these automated devices will receive a citation in the mail.

In 2023, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced plans to expand the camera-based citation infrastructure along high-crash streets and intersections. This expanded program is part of PBOT’s commitment to using available tools to reduce traffic fatalities. “These devices have virtually eliminated top-end speeding on corridors across Portland within weeks after their deployment,” explained PBOT representative Dylan Rivera.

Although fines generate revenue, Oregon law directs around 70% of the net income from automated citations to the State, funding the Criminal Fine Account. The speed camera enforcement program has not generated revenue for PBOT since it began eight years ago. City of Portland retained fines currently pay for installing and operating the cameras. Regulations require Portland to spend any future earnings from this automated citation system on traffic safety programs or improvements, and collected funds will not help with PBOT’s budget constraints.

Rivera said all timelines for camera activation are tentative, but PBOT expects these new 82nd Avenue cameras to begin issuing citations in October. He explained that recent damage to other camera systems currently in operation has only added to activation uncertainty. “That timeline will likely shift as we continue to see vandalism and other issues impacting our timelines for delivering these crucial safety improvements.” Portland’s network of cameras across the city recently suffered damage at the hands of a shooter who targeted these devices. Police apprehended a suspect in the case who stands accused of causing over $500,000 in damage to more than a dozen traffic control cameras across the city.

Although authorities are not yet issuing citations based on information from the new camera systems, their appearance will not change when activated, and they could begin issuing fines without further warning. Drivers should treat intersection safety cameras as active and obey posted traffic rules, or risk receiving a mailed citation. PBOT lists current and planned cameras on its Vision Zero website.

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.

Community, Event, Food and Drink

Spring Fling Block Party on NE Glisan

This Saturday, June 1st, the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) will host a block party from noon to 5 p.m. at NE Glisan Street and NE 70th Avenue. The Montavilla’s Spring Fling Block Party follows a month of neighborhood activities sponsored by the organization, which included a donation drive and a district-wide street cleanup. Organizers will fill the Rocket Empire Machine‘s parking lot at 6935 NE Glisan Street and close NE 70th Avenue from NE Glisan Street to NE Hoyt Street for the activities.

The family-friendly community event will feature live music, vendors, and art alongside the selection of eateries inside the Rocket Empire Machine food hall. In addition to food, Gigantic Brewing’s tap room offers a selection of adult beverages for sale, allowing for a fun event with something for everyone. Vendors will showcase jewelry, gifts, pottery, games, kid activities, and services.

Image courtesy METBA

Visitors will find booths staffed by local businesses offering products and information. Stark Adornments will sell its wearable art, and Board Bard Games will bring a selection of the store’s tabletop entertainment supplies. Shane Reaney Studios and Xtina OnFire Ceramics will display and sell select handcrafted pottery. DolFUN Dynamics will have information about its youth-oriented swimming and gymnastics programs, and OnPoint Credit Union will tell people about its banking services. Tyrell Givens of 2025th Street will also host a video game inspired arts and crafts session during the event. Look for updates about times at METBA’s site (metba.org).

This weekend’s Block Party on NE Glisan Street starts the summer event season in Montavilla, which builds up to the big neighborhood celebration at the end of July. This year’s Montavilla Street Fair is on Sunday, July 28th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That event will close SE Stark Street between SE 76th and SE 82nd Avenues. METBA organizers hope to see people out at both events.

by

Jacob Loeb

Community, Construction, Infrastructure

New Lamp Poles at Montavilla Park

Recently, crews working with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) replaced ten lamp posts and ornamental fixtures in Montavilla Park at 8219 NE Glisan Street. This work is part of the PP&R Light Pole Safety Project, which grew out of public objection to the program’s first iteration, which planned to remove 244 light posts in twelve parks without sufficient funds for replacement. Since May 6th, lighting installers have concentrated efforts in Mt. Tabor Park, replacing 88 old and unstable lights. 

On February 22nd, 2023, PP&R began the removal of potentially dangerous light poles in City parks. Engineers determined that some older cast-concrete light poles in Portland Parks have structural anchoring issues that could pose life and safety hazards to the public. This project had limited funding, with just two parks expected to receive new lights within 16 months. Affected parks would have closed at 10:00 p.m., with Park Rangers frequently visiting at night to compensate for the dangers caused by the poorly illuminated facilities. Before citizen groups could mobilize, PP&R crews removed lights in Mount Scott Park, Sellwood Park, and Sellwood Riverfront Park. The maintenance worker’s quick action and the public’s short notice caused anger in the community. 

Within weeks of announcing the Light Pole Safety Project, several community groups asked PP&R leaders and City elected officials to halt the removal and reconsider the process. Among them, Montavilla’s neighborhood coalition Southeast Uplift sent a letter signed by 23 community-based organizations. The letter requested the City find funding to restore all lighting it had or planned to remove. It also asked PP&R to postpone further light removal until they procured replacement units and engaged the community in the replacement lighting process.

At the April 5th, 2023, Portland City Council session, the Mayor and all four Commissioners approved an amended contract with McKinstry Essention for energy savings performance contracting services, including funding for new park lights. PP&R halted light pole removal and sourced replacement lighting that met the community’s requests for replacement.   

Example of old fixture on the left with a new one on the right in Montavilla Park

The new lamp posts feature a similar design and use LED lights that are 66% more efficient than the nearly 100-year-old units they are replacing. Vendors fitted new fixtures with a shield to direct light towards park pathways, lessening light pollution in the night sky caused by upward illumination. Additionally, circuitry in the lights ensures limited operation from dusk to dawn, saving energy while providing nighttime safety. PP&R says they selected new light poles and fixtures to replicate the previous ones as closely as possible. The replica fixtures are objectively equivalent in design, and most parkgoers will not notice a difference other than the new poles look cleaner and more substantial. The fixture connects to the cast concrete pole with the same vertical straps cinched in place with four metal bands. The spacing of each element exactly matches the older version’s proportions. The lamp’s glass-paneled housing differs slightly from the past fixtures seen in Montavilla Park. However, not all park lamp posts are of the same vintage, and the new poles lean towards the classic design found in many older parks. In this instance, Montavilla Park’s lamp posts will better match the neighboring parks.

PP&R will continue to replace the light pole in Mt. Tabor Park through May and then work on the remaining two parks. If the project keeps on schedule, crews will install nine new poles at Lair Hill Park in June, with four units replaced at Ladd Circle Park in August. A year after community groups moved to action, residents are seeing the results of their advocacy, just in time for a season of warm summer night strolls. 

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.

Business Relocating, Community, Construction

VOA Oregon Seeks Input on NE Glisan Campus

On Wednesday, April 3rd, Volunteers of America (VOA) Oregon will hold its second public meeting to present preliminary designs for the group’s six-acre campus at 8815 NE Glisan Street. People planning on attending should RSVP for the event and then arrive at the Multnomah University President’s Dining Room at JCA Student Center by 4 p.m. for the start of the event. The University is located near the future VOA site at 8435 NE Glisan Street.

Article originally published on March 7th, 2024

On February 24th, Volunteers of America (VOA) Oregon held its first town hall meeting, where organization leaders and architects presented preliminary designs for the group’s six-acre campus at 8815 NE Glisan Street. Over the coming years, VOA Oregon intends to consolidate its administrative services and some of its substance use, behavioral health, and childcare services onto this former church property. Project designers with Opsis Architecture explained that the multi-phased project would utilize the site’s sloped topography to hide increasing building height and borrow inspiration from residential rooflines to match nearby structures. A second meeting is scheduled for April 3rd from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Multnomah University in the President’s Dining Room.

Looking Northwest at future site. All renderings by Opsis Architecture provided courtesy VOA Oregon

Designers structured the proposed campus with external functions in buildings adjacent to NE Glisan Street and internal services in the site’s northwest half. VOA Oregon buildings will stand two stories tall along the site’s southern edge, increasing to three levels as the land slopes downhill, presenting a consistent scale along its frontage. Crews will reconstruct the existing parking lot to include more trees and landscaping between the 92 stalls. Another cluster of lots along the property’s northern edge will provide an additional 54 on-site parking spaces. The early redevelopment will raze the 1950s-era church building and add frontage improvements along NE Glisan Street with significant work on NE 90th Avenue. Road Crews will reconstruct sections of NE 90th, adding sidewalks, street trees, and 17 curbside parking spaces to the street’s western edge.

Image looking north, courtesy VOA Oregon

VOA Oregon’s schedule for development is dependent on fundraising efforts. Construction will occur in phases, and the nonprofit will reuse existing site attributes, such as the main parking lot’s location, to save on costs. The first phase will prepare the site to host future buildings. The second phase will construct the NE Glisan adjacent administrative building and one of the residential treatment structures. Additional buildings will follow as funding allows. VOA Oregon also owns property across NE 90th Avenue. That site will allow for future multi-use development on the northeast corner of NE Glisan and 90th. Crews will construct a secure storage facility for company vehicles and supplies north of that building after demolishing the church’s storage structure, which is currently serving that purpose.

Opsis Architecture will design all buildings to serve distinct uses and complement VOA Oregon’s support programs. The main building will contain offices and community space with outward-facing uses, including a cafe and meeting rooms. Two L-shaped buildings will offer short-term units for the Women’s Residential Treatment program, where people and their children can stay between three and six months while receiving care. Each housing building can support 50 residents, meaning up to 100 people will reside on campus when fully occupied. Staff will work all hours of the day, year-round, making this formally dark and underutilized property consistently more active. Other structures will support community clinic services and childcare for employees and program participants.

Site map showing all phases, by Opsis Architecture provided courtesy VOA Oregon

In 2022, VOA Oregon President Kay Toran spoke with Montavilla News about the group’s hopes for the property. Since then, Toran has worked with the organization’s Board of Directors, staff, and designers to create a facility that she expects will provide the positive change that Portland’s behavioral health crisis requires. For 125 years, VOA has worked to rebuild lives after experiencing substance use and behavioral health issues. This campus will bring operational efficiencies to the organization and expand some offerings. However, they will maintain many other locations throughout the Portland Metro area and Oregon. They operate in an environment that has a nearly endless need for services as people transition out of addiction, incarceration, or trauma and into stable lives. VOA Oregon invites the community to attend the April 3rd meeting to receive more information, ask questions, and provide feedback.

By

Jacob Loeb

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.