Tag: NE Glisan

Event, New Business August 26, 2023

Linda Letra Bilingual Books on NE Glisan

This weekend, Linda Letra Bilingual Books opened its first storefront at 7101 NE Glisan Street. This soft launch began at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 26th, ahead of the store’s official grand opening scheduled for September 16th. This children’s bookstore focuses on published works containing both English and Spanish text or culturally native Spanish language books.

Store owner Rachel Kimbrow has 20 years of experience in elementary education, English as a second language, and bilingual education. “My focus and passion has always been towards language learning and promoting bilingualism for kids and families,” said Kimbrow. She created a curated list of high-quality and authentic books that aided bilingual programs during her teaching career. However, finding a representative range of titles was challenging because there was no concentrated source for bilingual works. “All [publishers] have a few bilingual or Spanish books, but they’re not all in one place… until now,” remarked Kimbrow, highlighting the unique nature of her shop.

*Rachel Kimbrow holding one of her published books*

Teaching language is one outcome of buying books from Linda Letra, but it is not all about education. The selection of titles supports bilingual families with books that are not biased toward one language or culture and allows families to read together even when they have different primary languages. The store’s partnership with schools is also significant in ensuring all students have representation in the books offered and have texts that are not just translations of English works.

Before opening this new storefront, the business primarily served the education market, selling collections of bilingual and Spanish books directly to schools or through book fairs. The education sales channel will continue to support Linda Letra’s operations, with a portion of the 1000-square-foot NE Glisan shop dedicated to fulfilling large orders. However, as a neighborhood resident, Kimbrow wanted to interact with the community and make the store’s assortment of hard-to-find titles available to a local audience. The store carries many children’s books from independent Latina publishers not always represented in other bookshops. Kimbrow will use the storefront to promote those worthy but lesser-known works, allowing authors to reach new readers who may not know to look for their work.

The shop’s name comes from a phrase Rachel Kimbrow heard while teaching at the American School of Asunción in Paraguay. “Linda Letra is a play on words in Spanish. Linda means pretty or beautiful, and letra means the printed word. So Linda Letra is the beautiful letter,” explained Kimbrow. A fellow teacher at the school would repeatedly instruct the students to use good penmanship with the phrase “Linda Letra,” which stuck with Kimbrow.

The shop’s selection targets early readers through 12 years old, and although the store focuses on English/Spanish bilingualism, it does offer some French books. Additionally, Kimbrow is interested in expanding offerings to meet community demand. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and the Grand Opening celebration runs from noon to 3 p.m. on September 16th. That event will feature book signing by local authors Gerardo Calderon and Cathy Camper. Rachel Kimbrow invites people to drop in any time during shop hours or view an even wider selection online at lindaletra.com. The store can support large volume orders and whole collections to meet particular themes.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Construction, Infrastructure August 25, 2023

Owner Funded Sidewalk Replacement

On Wednesday, August 23rd, crews working for the owner of 7815 NE Glisan Street removed the entire sidewalk in front of the 100-year-old building. Over the next few days, cement masons will reconstruct all 50 feet of the pedestrian zone, including a single curb cut providing access to the driveway along the property’s eastern edge.

Recently, Portland City officials identified possible trip hazards requiring repair on this section of sidewalk, and they notified the building’s owner that he would need to address those issues. Root growth from mature street trees planted in the landscape/furniture zone caused the sidewalk to lift and crack in some places, creating an uneven surface. City code requires landowners to maintain the sidewalk adjacent to a property, while city-contracted crews often perform corner reconstruction. The city does not require complete walkway replacement for most tree root damage, and many people in similar situations opt to repair just the damaged segment. However, the building’s owner, Chris Chase, chose to invest in the public space leading to his business. “We had the option to replace those damaged squares, but I decided that while we were ripping everything up, we might as well re-do the whole thing.” Chase bought the property in 2018 to house his business, Otter Wax, making several internal investments in the century-old building. The sidewalk and driveway ramp replacement will cost this business just under $13,000.

Sidewalk repair is an infrequent expense for Portland commercial and residential property owners. A concrete sidewalk can last approximately 80 years in the right conditions. However, street tree growth can shorten a walkway’s lifespan, especially when planted in smaller tree wells. Urban arborists believe the standard six-foot-long opening is insufficient for many street trees. Recent guidelines for curbside planting include expanding tree wells into the parking lane or removing concrete between tree cavities to create a long curbside planting strip. Both street tree planting methods provide more space for tree root growth, reducing the need for roots to grow below the cement structures.

Regardless of new design options, existing street tree owners and those with property along narrow roadways have fewer options. In those situations, people and businesses must budget for eventual sidewalk repairs. Building owners often cite repair costs as their reason for not planting street trees, and that perspective can contribute to a declining urban canopy. Only a limited number of people will need to fix a sidewalk during the time they own a property. However, if the work is required, it can be a financial burden with some challenging logistics. Chris Chase is happy with the contractor he chose for this project, Pearl Construction, and feels the process is manageable when dealing with the right people.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Infrastructure August 12, 2023July 7, 2025

PBOT Seeks Funding for NE Glisan Crossing at 80th

In early August, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) applied for funding to reconstruct the intersection at NE Glisan Street and 80th Avenue. The proposal seeks to replace four existing sidewalk corners with curb extensions and add two median refuge islands to minimize the crossing distance of NE Glisan. Work will include marked crosswalks and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps. In addition to creating a safe crossing for families traveling to Vestal School, this work could extend the 70s Greenway Project along NE 80th, realigning the multimodal route to its original design.

PBOT initially intended to reconstruct the NE Glisan Street and 80th Avenue intersection as part of the currently underway greenway work. However, the final project’s design reused an existing safe crossing at NE 78th Avenue instead. Although this cost-saving measure did not substantially impact the bike-friendly pathway, it left a gap in the pedestrian crossing infrastructure near a school. Vestal families and the school’s Parent Teacher Association have recently advocated for better NE Glisan crossing options at 80th. Working with the transportation agency, community members expressed a clear need for marked crosswalks, better signage, and accessible ramps at this location. On August 2nd, PBOT staff applied for an Oregon Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School rapid response grant to cover 80% of the $609,000 estimated project costs. PBOT will need to contribute $122,000 towards this reconstruction work.

This project will not change NE Glisan travel lanes. However, the installations of median refuge islands to the east and west of the intersection will eliminate protected left turns onto NE 80th Avenue. Extended curbs push out several feet beyond the sidewalk’s edge into the parking lane. Their design shortens the distance for pedestrians crossing a street and makes people waiting to cross more visible to drivers that may not see past a parked car. During the design phase of this project and after community engagement, PBOT traffic engineers will evaluate the need for additional safety design elements. However, the transportation bureau doesn’t anticipate an installation of signals. “With those improvements shortening crossing distance, we won’t need a much more expensive signal or beacon to meet our crossing safety guidelines,” explained PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera.

*PBOT map showing proposed greenways as dotted green lines*

The grant application only funds improvements to crosswalk infrastructure at NE Glisan Street and 80th Avenue. “Our goal with this project is primarily to provide a pedestrian crossing to support safe routes to school and access to the bus stops. It will also support the proposed neighborhood greenway, but that would be a separate project, and we have not yet identified funding for the greenway project,” said Rivera. However, PBOT staff presented design ideas for a greenway route along NE 80th at a recent Building a Better 82nd Avenue Workshop. It shows a continuation of the greenway from NE Everett Street to NE Halsey Street, with east-west connectors added at NE Oregon Street and NE Holladay Street. This update could make the 70s Greenway straighter while connecting to sections of the neighborhood underserved by bikable connectors.

If PBOT receives the Safe Routes to School rapid response grant, they will begin extensive community outreach, including people from Vestal School and the surrounding neighborhood. An optimistic timeline for improvements at NE Glisan and 80th has public engagement concluding in late October and finalizing design documents in December, placing the construction phase sometime in the summer of 2024. These timelines will likely shift, and funding sources may not immediately succeed. Still, PBOT intends to address community safety concerns at this location and will push for an expedited construction schedule.

Photos and story by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Christopher T. Hill, PC

Construction, Infrastructure June 23, 2023June 25, 2023

Updated 70s Greenway Path

This summer, road crews are active across Montavilla installing components of the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project. For most residents along its path, the appearance of newly laid speed bumps are the only indication of infrastructure upgrades. However, some residents north of E Burnside Street discovered these traffic-calming devices in unexpected places compared to the map on the project website. This confusion occurred due to a path adjustment that diverted the multimodal route during the design phase.

For the two years prior to Greenway’s construction, neighbors expressed design concerns over the NE Glisan Street crossing at NE 80th Avenue. Unlike the SE Stark Street and SE Washington Street crossings, the 70s Greenway Infographic did not indicate the installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) at NE Glisan and 80th. Now that construction has begun, the final approved path for the Greenway shows a change to the original plan, utilizing an existing RRFB at NE 78th Avenue.

*70s Greenway map. Blue line is final path. Red line shows original path. Green line is pavement infill.*

The changed Greenway path diverts bicycle traffic two blocks westward from NE 80th Avenue to NE 78th Avenue at NE Everett Street. Riders then cross NE Glisan Street at the NE 78th intersection and continue to NE Oregon Street, connecting to the planned zig-zag route leading to the NE 74th Interstate 84 overpass. Work is underway at NE 78th Avenue and Glisan to enhance the existing RRFB device by adding bike-accessible request buttons at the road’s edge. Later, crews will add a striped green crossing to the pavement next to the white pedestrian crosswalk.

*PBOT Provided design document for the NE Glisan Street crossing at NE 78th Avenue.*

The 70s Greenway project includes the addition of new pavement and sidewalks to an unimproved gravel section of NE Everett Street from NE 76th Avenue to NE 78th Avenue. Cement masons have already reconstructed the eight sidewalk corners at each end of this new roadway, adding ADA-compliant ramps and improved stormwater handling. This new connector will allow smooth access along NE Everett Street from NE 71st Avenue to the back entrance of Vestal School on NE 80th Avenue. It also allows riders of the Greenway to bypass many of the turns required north of E Burnside Street by cutting down Everett from NE 80th to NE 74th Avenue. NE Glisan and NE Halsey Streets have fully signalized crossings at NE 74th, offering riders a more direct path.

*NE Everett Street at 78th looking towards 76th Avenue.*

The 70s Neighborhood Greenway project includes many traffic calming features and enhances crossing points on dangerous roads. Although residents have expressed a desire for an RRFB on NE Glisan Street at NE 80th Avenue, the reuse and upgrade of the NE 78th Avenue crossing accomplishes many of the same goals. Expect construction along the Greenway to continue through the summer, followed by increased ridership as the bicycle community discovers this safer route.

Jacob Loeb

Business Relocating, Event, Food and Drink, Renovation June 22, 2023

Jacksons Store and Shell Station Opens

On June 22nd, the Jacksons Food Stores and Shell Gas Station reopened to customers on the corner of NE Glisan Street and 82nd Avenue. This multi-year project involved merging two properties and expanding the store’s footprint to accommodate an enhanced selection of edible items. The Jacksons design team implemented several retail and food service advancements throughout their new market, many of them firsts for the chain’s Oregon stores.

The redesigned Jacksons at 611 NE 82nd Avenue features a market-style store with prepared foods and grocery options, an eight-pump refueling station, and a corner pedestrian plaza with covered seating. The entire project added numerous new street trees and landscaping while retaining many of the preexisting mature trees. Later this year, a local artist will install a mosaic tile mural on the corner wall visible to all passing by the station.

The original gas station’s convenience store offered a modest selection of snacks and drinks in a confined space. According to Alex Romero-Chavez, District Manager for Jacksons, the structure itself had outlived its useful lifespan. He explained that the company would have needed to rebuild the store even without any expansion at this location. While looking at the site for improvements, Jacksons determined that an expanded store in this location would benefit the neighborhood. The group purchased an adjacent property to the north that once housed a Pizza Hut restaurant, merging the two properties into a 0.92-acre parcel.

Designers working with Jacksons used that expanded space to create a 4,452-square-foot convenience store with modern stone cladding. Customers can enter from the sidewalks or one of two parking lots to the north and south of the building. Gerard Aguilar, Regional Manager for Jacksons, anticipates store patrons will be impressed with the selection of food and drinks available at this location. Staff stocked the store with grocery essentials, including milk, eggs, and bacon. Shelves contain a wide assortment of chips, drinks, desserts, and other snacks. This location has an extensive selection of bottled wines and beer. A walk-in “beer cave” surrounds the shopper with a multitude of beer selections in self-fronting racks that always keep the brews visible to shoppers.

Prepared hot and cold food is another marquee feature of this store, and many new technologies help keep the food at peak taste throughout the day. It starts with an onsite kitchen in the back where precooked base ingredients are heated and assembled into the dishes available in the self-service displays. Hot food shelves use heated air curtains to keep the food at the optimal temperature until purchased. That retail technology works similarly to the cold air curtain used for open-faced refrigeration units. Even the pizza display utilizes new technology to better preserve the product. In addition to heating, it uses humidity controls to prevent the dough from drying out.

*Hot dispensers use heated air-curtain similar to the cool air-curtain used for open-faced food storage*

People looking for the staple of this type of store can use the brewed-to-order automated coffee machine. However, the cutting-edge automatic milkshake machine could see significantly more use, at least during summer. Customers can place a special ice cream cup into the machine and have it whip the frosty creation while they wait. Romero-Chavez explained that he has high hopes for serving the neighborhood. “This should be the destination for the whole community.” He envisions it replacing some grocery store trips for people in the community. The central location for the store has the potential to fill the gap left by last year’s closure of Sunny 82nd Market. Romero-Chavez is particularly excited to serve people who use the Montavilla Park and Community Center across the street that may need a take-and-go option.

Speed of shopping is an integral part of this store’s redesign, and Jacksons has just begun to roll out self-checkout to improve the customer experience. Each payment terminal can flip over and become a cashier-free station for credit card paying patrons. Age-verified products and cash sales will require store staff to ring up the purchases, but customers can otherwise checkout independently without waiting in line. This process only recently graduated out of testing, making this one of the first locations in Oregon to implement this payment option.

Over the last month, new store staff have trained at other locations. Jacksons has filled thirteen of the sixteen positions, and those employees have spent the previous few days readying the shop. The store will open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight, with plans to transition to 24-hour service when business conditions warrant it. People working and living near this store should now have a new option for convenient access to a variety of food items.

Jacob Loeb

Construction June 20, 2023

Washman Expansion Begins Construction

Heavy equipment is onsite at the Washman car wash on NE 82nd Avenue and Glisan Street. The business is expanding the facility to support its growing customer base and improve site safety. Recently, crews removed nine trees and prepared the old gravel employee parking lot along NE 81st Avenue for a sizeable self-service vacuum parking area. Landscaping planned for the site will plant over 30 new trees adding shade to the sidewalk along the property’s western edge and creating a buffer between the neighboring building to the south. A six-foot-tall welded steel fence will surround much of the currently open property helping to define the reduced vehicle entry and exit points.

Last summer, Washman submitted permit applications to expand their auto spa facility at 315 NE 82nd Avenue, occupying most of a city block. The project’s primary goal centers on moving self-service vacuum stations from their current position around the car wash tunnel to a separate area on adjacent land owned by the company. Relocating that equipment allows for increased cleaning stations while creating more queueing space for vehicles heading into the automated wash. Site upgrades also include a reduction in curb cuts leading into the property, making for a safer pedestrian realm.

*Image from plan set with Montavilla News illustrations in color*. *Black arrows indicate vehicle path.*

Previously, this location saw motorists enter the site at unpredictable points along its NE 82nd Avenue and NE Glisan Street frontages, causing conflicts between people on the sidewalk and vehicles. Reconstructed sidewalks and new fencing around the block will clarify where potential collisions could occur for drivers and pedestrians. The new configuration will also prevent left turns onto NE Glisan Street, further reducing the potential for car crashes.

In addition to trees and other landscaping planned at the site, Washman will construct the new vacuum station lot with porous asphalt pavement. This parking surface allows water to pass through the material, allowing rainfall to absorb naturally into the ground below, leaving the area free of standing water and reducing the need for excessive drainage infrastructure.

The new vacuum system installed during this upgrade will use a central shed for the mechanical equipment, with PVC pipes running to each cleaning stall’s hose. This configuration will place the noisiest equipment away from the apartment buildings along NE 81st Avenue. David Tarlow, Chief Financial Officer of Washman, explained last year how excited the company is for this project and what it means for pedestrian safety. “We believe this will result in less traffic near the school than there is now, and the SE 82nd sidewalk that borders our site will be less congested and safer with the removal of the vacuums,” said Tarlow.

This project should progress faster than the housing construction projects underway in the area. However, Washman will remain open during construction, and work delays may occur to maintain business operations. During sidewalk construction, pedestrians should use alternate routes and avoid this block, and drivers should use caution in this area.

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Avenue Business Association board where Washman is a member organization.

Construction, Infrastructure May 5, 2023

Dispensary Work Improving Pedestrian Realm

Cement masons are currently reconstructing and improving the sidewalk around the nearly 100-year-old retail building at 6834 NE Glisan Street. This work will increase the sidewalk corner, extending the curb’s edge into the parking lane and shortening the crosswalk distance across NE Glisan Street. The infrastructure enhancements are part of a multi-year tenant improvement project for Green Front Dispensary and should create a safer pedestrian realm.

In 2021, Green Front Dispensary began work on hardening the building’s security and providing other internal upgrades to the space. The permits call for the installation of a reinforced cinderblock storage vault and bullet-resistant walls around the cashiers. It also created a new entry vestibule, limiting direct access to the main sales floor. These security measures speak to the constant threat to employees working in a cash-only business. Workers at other dispensaries have died during robberies, and many marijuana businesses have looked for ways to protect staff by implementing security designs pioneered in the banking industry.

The high cost of these internal updates has an external community benefit. When a permit’s valuation is thirty-five percent or more of the assessed value of improvements on a site, the property owner is required to make updates to the public right-of-way if the infrastructure is not currently meeting city standards. The sidewalks surrounding the building lacked ADA-compliant curb ramps and had substandard curbs.

This reconstruction project will create sidewalks that offer the high level of safety and accessibility that the city now requires, along with enhanced aesthetics. Earlier plans for this sidewalk segment showed four street trees distributed around the building. The current layout only offers two large tree wells for the existing juvenile trees planted previously. Regardless of lower tree density, these sidewalk updates should enhance the area for customers and the general public. Depending on the weather, look for the sidewalk to reopen in the following weeks.

*Green Front’s sidewalks prior to construction project*

Jacob Loeb

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Community, Infrastructure March 9, 2023March 17, 2023

BPS Completes NE Portland Public Trash Can Rollout

Last month, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) installed trash cans throughout NE Portland, including parts of Montavilla. This latest rollout is part of a multi-year expansion of the City-managed rubbish collection program that started in 2017 with the Jade District. In 2016, Portland City Council voted to expand the city’s public trash can program into underserved areas and increase the solid waste commercial tonnage fee by $1.30 to fund the program.

Because Montavilla spans Northeast and Southeast Portland, the phased rollout of public trash cans occurred in different years. The neighborhood first received new rubbish receptacles south of E Burnside Street in December 2021. A year later, BPS crews began delivering cans to locations in North Montavilla. BPS staff placed units in high-traffic corridors along NE 82nd Avenue and NE Glisan Street. The intersection of E Burnside Street and 82nd Avenue gained three new cans. That addition brings the total to four trash enclosures, including the existing TriMet-owned can on the southeast corner. NE Glisan Street and NE 82nd Avenue also received multiple units adjacent to the bus shelters. Crews installed the remaining Montavilla cans in places identified as problem areas during a 2022 community survey. With trash can expansion work now covering all areas East of the Willamette River, BPS will spend the next two years increasing unit count in Northwest, South, and Southwest Portland.

The density of public trash cans is still insufficient on many streets, and littering will continue. However, this expansion is a significant push forward by the City to provide basic infrastructure for Portland’s residents. Trash cans alone will not prevent street trash, but they will reduce the overall volume of improperly discarded items and make it easier for civic-minded people clean public spaces. Look for the new cans already on the street and report any overflowing cans or other problems online to 311, by phone (503-823-4000), or by email (311@portlandoregon.gov).

*BPS created map of NE Portland cans cropped to highlight Montavilla*

Jacob Loeb

Correction (March 16th, 2023): The original version of this article indicated that BPS completed its trash can expansion. The city will continue adding new cans in other areas over the next two years.

Construction, Demolition, Infrastructure March 5, 2023March 17, 2023

A CoW Will Now Connect Your Call

In the next few months, the mobile phone network operator Verizon Wireless will deploy a temporary Cell-tower on Wheels (CoW) to 432 NE 74th Avenue. This device will support the wireless network during the demolition and reconstruction of the site’s equipment room. The existing cell tower will remain on NE Glisan Street and return to operation after demolition crews raze the former TV broadcast facility where the network equipment is currently located.

Last December, Verizon Wireless filed a permit to create a new equipment area within a ten by twenty-foot fenced area on the residentially-zoned southern portion of the property. The enclosure will house equipment cabinets and a generator associated with cell phone antennas on a utility pole in the NE Glisan Street right-of-way. Crews will construct a fully sight-obscuring eight-and-a-half-foot tall wood fence around the equipment shed and standby power generator. The wireless support staff will access the space through a four-foot gate on the north side. Landscapers will provide plantings around the outside perimeter to further blend the structures into the residential streetscape.

*Plan set from 2019 Cell Site upgrade showing equipment room being demolished*

The new weather enclosures installed behind the fence will replace the existing three racks full of batteries, power management devices, and radio equipment stored in the northeast corner of the former TV studio. Crews will deconstruct the building to make way for the site’s two future low-income and supportive housing developments. Verizon Wireless will deploy the portable cell tower to maintain cell phone coverage during construction. It includes a cellular antenna, transceiver device, battery, and other necessary equipment required to provide a stable wireless mobile network. The transition to the temporary equipment should be seamless for users. Expect new equipment to arrive on site later this year ahead of demolition work.

Jacob Loeb

New Business February 11, 2023March 25, 2023

Black Diamond Barber Shop on NE Glisan

Five months ago, Alain Martinez Castellanos opened Black Diamond Barber Shop at 9047 NE Glisan Street after ten years of cutting hair in other US shops. Castellanos’s passion for his craft started at age 14 under the instruction of his grandfather and uncle in Cuba. This family profession and pride in work is the foundation of the barbershop, showing in the multitude of five-star reviews.

Castellanos chose this three-chair storefront because of its location close to his home and its position along a major road near two freeways. The shop specializes in taper fades, razor fades, and braids, with hair coloring services coming soon. Black Diamond is a classic barbershop that can handle the full range of hair types, offering a clean cut with sharp lines. Customers span all ages and styles, supporting basic trims to intricate designs.

Castellanos brings a passion for his work uniquely found in those who have immersed themselves in a professional field. The company’s Instagram account [@black_diamond_barber_shop] and online booking site feature images of some common cuts and services. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome.

Jacob Loeb

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