A new mural by artist Jeremy Nichols adds an underwater view to the side of Ocean Blue Seafood on SE Division Street. This colorful presentation at 8335 SE Division Street transformed a blank and often tagged wall at the seafood distributor into a vibrant coral reef with aquatic life navigating the blue waters lapping at the top of the building’s parapet.
Mural at at 8335 SE Division St. (Sara Sjol and Tiffany Conklin)
APANO commissioned this mural, capturing the underwater landscape through spray paint, with funding from a Venture Portland grant. The Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) managed the project and supported the renowned Asian American artist, working under the name “Plastic Birdie.” The business owner, Bing Chan, is a longtime supporter of the Jade District and APANO’s efforts in the area. He is excited to have this artwork adorn his building, enhancing the streetscape along the busy roadway.
Jeremy Nichols, “Plastic Birdie,” working on mural at at 8335 SE Division St. (Sara Sjol and Tiffany Conklin)
The Ocean Blue Seafood building is on the same block as the long-anticipated Jade Lofts development. Its project leaders anticipate the four-story multifamily apartment building will bring just under 150 units of housing to the area, driving increased activity along this section of SE Division Street. Creating an inviting pedestrian zone is an essential component to cultivating a safe space for patrons of local businesses, as well as future and current residents navigating the Jade District. APANO representatives believe this mural is a significant step toward creating a more walkable environment. The new mural is complete, and all users of SE Division Street can now enjoy the ocean view as they pass by the building.
by
Jacob Loeb
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After a prolonged closure, staff at the Cookies cannabis store at 7916 SE Division Street have turned on the open sign and hung a “Now Open!” banner in the front window ahead of the shop’s August 16th grand opening. It closed its doors in late 2023, with the site initially developing signs of neglect. The original owners posted a temporary construction-closure notice, and people cleaned up the site after some initial complaints. However, the storefront did not reopen as planned and sat empty with paper up in the windows until the new owner took over the space earlier this year. The people behind the Cookies location on SE 7th Avenue will reopen the SE Division Street store with Cookies’ products and a selection from local producers.
Nate McCormick is the manager of the store, and Joseph “Joey” Mangione leads the business through a new company called GC3 LLC. McCormick explained that the new organization took over the SE Division Street location from its previous operator, TRP Co., as part of an agreement to rebrand the 621 SE 7th Avenue store from Gräs Cannabis to a Cookies franchise location. Part of the transfer of the Cookies brand use rights included the eventual expansion into the SE Division Street location. The takeover was supposed to be a turnkey move-in. However, McCormick said it required hours of work to get the store back into shape, along with other maintenance tasks needed during the store’s time closed.
This shop will make the third Cookies location in Portland, but a different group owns the one on NE Halsey. This variation in ownership is due to the brand’s bifurcation. The cannabis breeding and marketing operation remains separate from the retail arm that employs a light franchise model. That allows the store to use the color scheme, logos, customer furnishings, and sell branded merchandise. Most notably, the store will feature the renowned Cookies created cannabis. “It’s either a strain, for instance, ‘Girl Scout Cookies’. That is a great strain, and there are a lot of great lineages that come from that strain. But Cookies was originally known for breeding, started by a guy named Berner (Gilbert Milam Jr.),” explained McCormick. “He was pretty big in the cannabis industry down in San Francisco, and he created strains that went viral, I guess you could say. So Cookies is a strain, but it’s also a mix of different strains that are bred by a team of Cookies breeders. For instance, ‘Georgia Pie’ and ‘Gary Payton’ are strains that are created by Cookies.”
Because the store is a local chain using the national Cookies brand, the shop managers have the flexibility to sell other cannabis flower from local growers and feature products from vendors of their choosing, including the treat producer Sweet and Salty PDX. Nate McCormick explained that the store will veer away from prepackaged marijuana by adopting a deli-style showroom where bud tenders store each flower type in bulk within large glass jars and the staff portion out what the customer asks for. McCormick explained that this is a feature of quality dispensaries with well-trained staff who are used to serving discerning patrons in a competitive marketplace. “People want to see what they’re purchasing before they actually take it home. The [product] also smells different when it’s in the jar,” said McCormick. Cookies’ branded stores all have a display table with the shop’s selections represented in little labeled jars. People can twist open a vent on the bottom to smell the flower, but McCormick says customers will have the best purchasing experience when picking specific flower from the large storage jars. However, he noted that people enjoy the self-exploration found at the display table when the shop is busy or if they do not want to talk with the staff.
Cookies branded display table with cannabis flower on display and sniff through a vent
Although employees sell their cannabis flower deli-style, the store’s range of edible products and vape products are pre-packed for consistency and convenience. The store works with P3 Distributing for packaging. They partner with that supplier to offer a recycling program to reduce waste. People can bring back empty mylar bags, glass drams, plastic drams, and the cardboard boxes some products come in for recycling. McCormick wishes they could recycle disposable vape products with batteries, but the program is limited to packaging at the moment.
Deli-style jars behind the sales counter
McCormick explained that they want this location to have a lasting positive impact on its customers, offering more than intoxicants. The store will feature products from local artists, including Nug Nips apparel made by one of their bud tenders. People can also expect to see more events featuring a food cart and music on the property. They also have many products aimed at more of the wellness side of the cannabis industry, with products to reduce stress, help people sleep, or reduce pain with low-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) items produced so people can stay alert.
Having a new owner at the property is a welcome change for many residents and former employees who were not happy with the first launch of the SE Division Street location. Brandon Johnson leads Cookies Retail (CRE) and also co-founded the Los Angeles-headquartered TRP Co., the former operator of this location. The difference between CRE and TRP is blurry, according to a June 17th MJBizDaily article detailing the outcome of a court battle between the main Cookies brand owner and one of its largest store operators. This recent brand dispute was just the most recent challenge for TRP, particularly when it came to this location across the Street from Portland Community College’s Southeast campus.
Cookies at 7916 SE Division St from September 2023 after it closed
Problems at this location began before it opened, with past employees describing a troubled point-of-sale equipment rollout and supply chain issues. The original staff worked to build a fitting Portland representation of the national Cookies brand, but said they were laid off and rehired as the former management addressed roadblocks. After the slow start, they were able to finally open the location. However, a car crashed through the storefront in November 2022, forcing customers to enter the store through makeshift plywood doors. The owners added additional bollards to protect the entryway, and a former patrol vehicle with Green-Way Medicinal markings began appearing frequently at the site. Not long after, the store closed for repairs that occurred almost a year later. An “opening soon” sign appeared in January 2024, but the location remained closed until July 2025, when the new operators opened the store with limited hours for a soft launch.
Crews fixing front doors on Cookies at 7916 SE Division Oct 16, 2023
The new owners want people to know that they are bringing a new approach to this store while also building on the Cookies brand. McCormick said that consumers think of Cookies as a premium product, but he said they will keep pricing competitive and have items for nearly any price point. They also have a customer loyalty program that helps keep pricing low for frequent shoppers. Their team has operated the SE 7th Avenue Cookies for a year and a half, and this expansion is a substantial endeavor for the small, locally owned business. They anticipate people at the Jade International Night Market will walk across the street to visit them on the August 16th grand opening. However, they will be open daily for people 21 years or older to stop and shop with them whenever convenient. Follow their Instagram account for more details.
Drivers using SE 82nd Avenue and SE Division Street should anticipate two weeks of traffic disruption starting on Monday, August 4th. Crews from Raimore Construction working with The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) will close lanes for repaving from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the project, with two Friday night work times from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Saturday. That overnight construction occurs on August 8th to 9th and August 15th to 16th, when the project planners estimate the repaving work will conclude. During the traffic disruption, barriers will consolidate 82nd Avenue to one lane in each direction, and flaggers will prohibit left turns onto Division Street during working hours.
This roadwork supports ongoing safety and maintenance upgrades on 82nd Avenue required to address deferred maintenance issues identified after the jurisdictional transfer of the former state Highway from the Oregon Department of Transportation to PBOT on June 1st, 2022. Unlike many repaving projects that only grind off the top layer of asphalt and replace it with a fresh mixture of aggregate and bitumen, this project requires more significant work in the outer lanes. In its early stages, 82nd Avenue initially supported only three lanes of traffic, with one lane for vehicles traveling in each direction and a center turn lane. Transportation officials reserved the outer edges of the street for parking, and engineers did not build parking pavement to the same standard as the street’s center. When transportation officials removed parking to add another travel lane in each direction, they did not update the road’s supporting base, leading to premature wear. Crews working on this project will need to remove the outer lanes to their base layer and reengineer it to support the weight of vehicles in motion above it before repaving the whole surface. The results will provide a smoother road surface that should last longer before requiring future repairs.
Paving graphic courtesy PBOT
PBOT expects the early August work to create significant traffic impacts, with the greatest delays occurring during the morning and evening commutes. All street users should anticipate delays, including pedestrians and transit users. Crews will turn off the traffic signal at SE 82nd Avenue and Division, and flaggers will direct traffic through the intersection. North and southbound drivers on 82nd Avenue will only have the option to travel straight or turn right at SE Division Street. Excavation work on the outer lanes will temporarily block some business driveway access. Raimore Construction representatives will work with affected properties to limit workplace disruptions, and drivers must follow worker directions in the worksite to remain safe and not cause damage by driving into an unsafe space.
Repaving will begin on the west side of SE 82nd Avenue and transition to the east side of the street midway through the project. PBOT anticipates that at least one travel lane in each direction will remain open. Businesses on 82nd Avenue will remain open during construction. However, locations closest to the roadwork should expect dust, noise, and vibrations from the heavy equipment working in the area. Street sweeping equipment will traverse the site to remove construction debris. TriMet’s website does not currently list any stop closures for the 72 bus line, but transit riders should check for service impacts before heading out between August 4th and 16th.
Update August 5,2025: TriMet stopes in the area re closed with the following message about temporary stop locations. “Through Friday, August 8, no service to the southbound stops at 2200 Block 82nd (Stop ID 7923), SE 82nd & Clinton (Stop ID 7948) and SE 82nd & Division (Stop ID 7958) due to construction. Use the temporary stops approx. 400 ft north of 2200 Block on utility pole, and approx.500 ft south of Clinton on utility pole.”
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Work is underway on three connected townhomes along a cul-de-sac section on SE 93rd Avenue. The two-story buildings took the developer over three years to start work, with plans dating back to May 2022. Demolition crews removed the existing 1944-era single-family home at 2421 SE 93rd Avenue in early 2023, and the site sat vacant behind construction fencing for another two years until work resumed this summer.
2421 SE 93rd Ave May 2022
2421 SE 93rd Ave March 2023 after crews razed house leaving only the foundation
Sunstone Homes submitted the original permit applications to construct the three townhouses near SE Division Street and Interstate 205 on a 63-by-75-foot lot. Each new residence offers around 1500 square feet of living space with two full bathrooms and one half-bath for each townhouse. Each home includes an attached single-car garage taking up nearly half the building’s frontage but fitting in with Portland’s rules. Portland’s updated parking and onsite vehicle storage rules restrict excessive attached garages on street-facing walls. It says the length of the garage wall facing the street may be up to 50 percent of the total length of the street-facing building facade. However, if any or all the units in a multiunit development are less than 22 feet wide, the limitation applies to the total length of the street-facing facades.
Onsite parking could be an advantage to selling these homes, according to some area real estate sellers who still see buyers interested in the option. This street also has an abundance of on-street parking as the Interstate 205 Multi-use-path runs along the opposite side of SE 93rd Avenue, and no homes are located east of the street until the other side of the I-205 freeway. This location is also ideal for transit riders as the cul-de-sac turnaround abuts a SE Division Street TriMet FX bus station. Additionally, the MAX light rail Green Line station is south of SE Division Street, a few hundred feet away.
Portland Maps image showing lot and cul-de-sac
As a formally dormant project, this is an indication that builders are willing to spend on housing in this current market. There are dozens of similar projects in the area that are also waiting to break ground, some of them vacant lots like this one on SE 93rd Avenue. This project could be the start of a new construction wave that Portland is trying to cultivate. Especially after City officials temporarily suspended System Development Charges (SDCs) for most new residential projects. SDCs are one-time fees charged to new development and redevelopment that increase demand on public infrastructure. The money collected improves utilities, roads, and parks. That new policy will apply to projects approved from August 15, 2025, to September 30, 2028, or until builders create 5,000 new units of housing. This short-term measure will eliminate a considerable cost for builders, but not necessarily enough to make all paused projects profitable.
People should expect work to continue on the SE 93rd Avenue townhomes through the summer, with crews likely completing the properties later in 2025.
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Thang Long Cuisine opened in the former Thai Fresh location at 8409 SE Division Street in late April, replacing HÂP Fresh, which briefly occupied the space. The new restaurant will host a grand opening celebration on the weekend of May 11th and 12th. Co-owners Minh Pham and Thuy Nguyen took over the shop from the previous business to start their first Portland restaurant. This new dining location will inherit some of the more popular dishes from the last tenants while eventually incorporating traditional northern Vietnamese dishes of the new owner’s creation.
Thang Long Cuisine is the product of a mother-and-son team looking to blend flavors of their past with the culinary landscape in the Jade District. This shop is the first restaurant for Minh Pham, who currently works for a knife manufacturer. Consequently, they will rely on his mother’s culinary skills honed in Vietnam. Nguyen ran a restaurant for almost six years before moving to the United States and has a deep passion for feeding a community.
The new owners purchased the restaurant equipment and took over its lease from the previous operator with plans to pick up where it left off and then slowly convert it to their vision. “We will take over everything, including the menu. So we’re going to still focus on dumplings, and in the future, we’ll turn to our own recipes,” said Pham. Inspiration for the new dishes will come from their native home, Hanoi, and focus on the classic dishes that the modern inhabitants of that region still enjoy. The family history in that city extends beyond the future menu to influence the business’ name.
Thang Long is the historic name for Hanoi, Vietnam. It translates to ‘Ascending Dragon,’ and the owners felt it was a perfect fit for a restaurant opening this year. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, providing a fortuitous double meaning. Designers incorporated a dragon into the Thang Long Cuisine logo, and Minh Pham created a long-bodied dragon along the dining room wall, with steamer baskets providing a scale-like texture to the design.
They offer table service seven days a week for lunch and dinner. The owners will finalize the schedule as they gauge community demand and work out staffing needs. People can dine in or grab takeout, with some delivery service through Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. They plan to expand to offer delivery service through an employee to keep pricing reasonable. Pham explained that they will rely on customer feedback for many decisions, including menu changes. Part of the sale contract includes guidance and training from the previous restaurant owners, allowing the kitchen to prepare many requested items from past iterations while working on introducing new menu items. They also intend to bring back catering and event hosting services that were appreciated functions Thai Fresh offered the community.
Minh Pham and Thuy Nguyen invite the community to visit the restaurant next weekend, May 11th and 12th, for special discounts. Guests visiting those two days will receive buy-one-get-one-free pricing on all appetizer menu items. However, they are open now if people want to stop in or order delivery. Pham hopes people will share feedback about what they like and want to see from his shop. They recognize that this area has diverse tastes and hope they can find a niche in the community by offering quality Asian cuisine with a focus on dishes from northern Vietnam.
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This April, Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) will open a new bike path and multiuse trail leading to Mt. Tabor Park from SE 64th Avenue and SE Division Street. This well-lit and wide paved path borders the western edge of PP&R’s new maintenance shop. The 500-foot walkway significantly reduces the walking distance for people living near SE Division when visiting the park. It connects users to a freshly resurfaced segment of SE 64th Avenue that has a paved sidewalk on its eastern edge.
PP&R path site plan
In 2021, crews began construction on the PP&R Maintenance Yard property, initially designed as horse stables in the early 1900s. Over the years, crews modernized the central maintenance facility at Mt. Tabor Park with new buildings, offices, greenhouses, and storage areas. The improvements implemented plans from 2008 through funding that included the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond and System Development Charges. The Mt. Tabor Yard is the primary dispatch point for PP&R maintenance and nursery services across Portland, with over 160 maintenance employees working from this location. The street improvements and pathway are minor compared to the overall project, but park visitors will immediately recognize the benefits of the new access point. Private property along SE Division Street blocks most entrances to Mt. Tabor Park, making this pathway significant for people not driving to the natural area.
The new pathway is lined with lampposts, mimicking the classic design seen throughout Mt. Tabor Park and other PP&R properties of a similar age. Midway along the path, a metal bridge crosses over a large bio-swale area used for stormwater management. Several seating areas allow people to wait for members of their party to arrive or take a peaceful rest away from the busy street. Landscaping features many trees and natural ground cover that will help absorb rainwater that tends to follow this path down the mountain.
Bridge over bio swale
PP&R expects to open the bike path and multiuse trail to the public around April 1st, 2024. Officials will plan a community celebration later this year when crews complete the Mt. Tabor Maintenance Yard project. The new facilities should help the parks bureau staff work more efficiently, and the improved storage space will protect the city’s equipment investments. Starting in April, residents can glance east while walking along SE 64th Avenue and see the PP&R maintenance and horticultural services staff working to keep Portland’s green spaces accessible.
Stone inscribed message at the SE 64th Avenue and SE Division Street pathway entrance
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Update: This week, demolition crews began deconstructing the fire-damaged home at 7645 SE Division Street. Neighbors have waited years for this uninhabitable structure’s removal. The new owners of this property have not yet announced plans for this half-acre lot. However, this recent demolition work is the first step towards redevelopment.
Article originally published on April 17th, 2023.
A 2021 fire destroyed substantial portions of the 1922-era home at 7645 SE Division Street. Even before the fire, the derelict single-family residence attracted squatters, causing issues for adjacent neighbors. Now the property’s new owners have plans to demolish the 1,926-square-foot home and detached garage while preserving the basement cavity for future development on the nearly half-acre parcel. The recent property sale and permit applications could indicate that site’s redevelopment is finally underway.
Image from Portland Maps
Since the turn of the century, the home has sold six times, with the most recent exchange occurring last February. The new owners intend to reuse some of the existing structures on the property. In addition to retaining the basement footprint, half of the home’s driveway will remain post-demolition, acting as a parking pad. The Residential Multi-Dwelling zoned property is expansive and could support a large number of homes. The 2019 remodel plans will likely no longer apply to any future project. However, retaining the basement could indicate an interest in rebuilding a similar structure on the site.
Regardless of future redevelopment planned at this location, the demolition should remove a nuisance structure. With the proposed deconstruction just months away, residents bothered by the detraining building should see relief from a problem property. 35-Day Demo Delay concludes on May 17th. After that, the City can issue the permit, and crews could remove the fire-damaged building by Summer. Expect to see future coverage of this site when the owners submit building permits for the new housing coming to this property.
The new owners of the Cherry Grove Mobile Home Park will soon demolish the 1931-era single-family home on the property to construct a new tenant laundry room and two additional Recreational Vehicle (RV) parking pads with utility connections. Bexco Property purchased the parcel at 9035 SE Division Street in August 2020. The sub-30-unit site offers a mix of mobile homes, studio apartments, and RVs.
1931 era single family home scheduled for demolition
According to a City of Portland inventory of Manufactured Dwelling Parks, the Cherry Grove site began operation in 1946, offering cost-effective housing to the neighborhood. This location is one of two Montavilla properties where people can rent or park mobile dwellings. When correctly managed, mobile home parks provide an essential niche in the housing ecosystem. These renovations indicate an investment in the property amenities while adding to the available unit count.
The old house on the property is stripped and ready for deconstruction. Demolition crews must wait until a 35-holding period elapses on October 13th. Then, they will level the single-story building and fill its basement cavity. Once the area is clear, construction workers can build the new tenant laundry room and RV parking pads.
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Over the last month, the Cookies cannabis store at 7916 SE Division Street has remained closed to customers, with a repurposed patrol car blocking its parking. Recent signs of neglect began after this marijuana chain posted a temporary construction-closure notice. Since then, miscreants have broken the parked car’s windows and tagged it with graffiti. The business owner has yet to file permit applications for the renovations, and a recent Nuisance complaint cites trash and tall weeds at the property.
Problems at this location began last year after a car crashed through the storefront in November 2022. Since then, customers have entered the store through makeshift plywood doors. The owners added four bollards to protect the entryway, and a former patrol vehicle with Green-Way Medicinal markings began appearing frequently at the site. The Cookies’ location directory no longer lists the shuttered SE Division location, and it is not visible on Portland’s map of cannabis retailers. However, the city’s site still lists the location’s license as active.
Billed as a cannabis company and lifestyle brand, the California-based Cookies focuses on its specialized strains, including the signature Girl Scout Cookies pot products. The Division shop was one of two Cookies storefronts in Portland. Three Lemonnade-branded partner dispensary locations are also within the city limits. The company has reportedly faced lawsuits over improper business practices. However, those cases are in the early stages and likely unrelated to this location’s problems.
The property owner and Cookies staff have yet to respond to inquiries regarding a reopening date for this business. The location is only a few years old, and its permanent closure seems unlikely. However, its page deletion from the company website and prolonged closure without signs of work point towards a more significant change at this location. The active Nuisance complaint could instigate improvements around the site. The business owner may remove the damaged vehicle or add other site protections to the closed property.
A recently purchased wooded lot at SE 76th Avenue and Division Street may soon host six new two-story townhouses. This 4,233 square foot parcel at 2401 SE 76th Avenue originally served as the side yard for the 1950-era home to its south. Five of the six residences will have an entrance facing SE Division Street, with doorways opening onto a recently created TriMet FX2 bus platform. One unit is positioned with the front door on SE 76th Avenue.
Provision Investment Inc purchased this property in September 2021. It has changed hands twice since then and is currently owned by Montana Investments, a Limited Liability Company (LLC). That LLC has a single member, Andrey Bolokhovskiy, who also owns Provision.
For this site to support six homes, the developer may need to remove most or all of the trees on the property. That could significantly change the appearance of the corner and further transform SE Division into a constantly urban Street. This location will not offer onsite parking or curbside parking due to its proximity to a bus stop. However, housing in this location will have access to fast public transit right outside the front door of each new home. The permit applications still need to be approved, and the project could change before work begins. If approved, expect construction to start in the second half of 2023.
Update – The approved permits for this development show plans to retain nearly all trees along SE Divisions Street. Documents list the addresses of these homes on SE 76th Avenue instead of split between SE 76th and Division. The article has been updated to reflect those changes.
By
Jacob Loeb
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