Tag: Washman

Construction

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.

By

Jacob Loeb

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

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Construction, Food and Drink, Infrastructure, New Business

Lane Closures on NE 82nd and Glisan Bring New Sidewalks

Work on the Jacksons convenience store and gas station at 515 NE 82nd Avenue closed one lane on NE 82nd Avenue and NE Glisan Street as crews construct new sidewalks around two sides of the 40,250 square foot property. Construction of the new fueling station pumps and retail building is nearing completion, and now cement masons will build wider walkways around the site. The southbound TriMet 72 bus stop in front of the property is closed during this phase of the project. Riders can use the temporary stop across NE Glisan Street by Washman Auto Spa.

Over the following weeks, one southbound lane of NE 82nd Avenue and one westbound lane of NE Glisan Street are closed to traffic near the property. Sidewalks detour pedestrians onto the roadway to bypass the construction. However, until workers complete the new walkway, it is recommended that people use the opposite sidewalks while walking in this area. In addition to the expanded sidewalks with fewer curb cuts to navigate, pedestrians will soon have a corner public plaza to rest at.

Site Plan as presented to the Montavilla Neighborhood Association by PM Design Group, courtesy Jacksons.

This location will soon become safer for people thanks to an expanded pedestrian realm and a reduction in places where a vehicle crosses the sidewalk. Developers reduced curb cuts into this area in half, taking six entry points down to three and pushing them away from the corner crosswalk zone. The project designers also relocated the convenience store closer to the sidewalk so shoppers not traveling by car can have safe entry. Expect construction to continue into summer, with a store opening date later this year.

TriMet 72 bus stop temporary relocated on the south side of NE Glisan in front of Washman

By

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, Renovation

Washman Remodel Improves Facility and Sidewalks

Washman Car Wash in Montavilla will soon undergo a remodel designed to enhance the neighborhood’s walkability and expand the facility to meet demand. The auto spa company recently submitted a permit application to construct 31 new vacuum stations on the west side of the property. This expansion onto previously unused land allows for the decommissioning of thirteen vacuum units along NE 82nd Avenue, reducing the need for cars to cross the sidewalk for much of the block. Construction crews will also repair the worn sidewalk on NE 81st and 82nd Avenues.

Over the last 20 years, Washman purchased the adjacent lots west of its property at 315 NE 82nd Avenue. The cleared land has served as employee parking and storage in recent years. Now they will construct a new vacuum center on that undeveloped land and shift site operations west, away from the heavy traffic on NE 82nd Avenue and NE Glisan Street. The expanded area will eliminate the current congestion experienced on the property’s eastern edge, solving a long-standing annoyance for pedestrians walking around the business.

Blue lines indicate site for new vacuum stations. Image from Portland Maps

The Washman Car Wash is a busy location located on the corner of two well-traveled roads. Consequently, cars trying to enter or leave the property must do so quickly to match the flow of traffic. Cars tend to ignore the marked curb cuts and drive over the sidewalk to enter the business wherever space is available. Vehicles use alternative entry points so frequently that the sidewalk’s edge has deteriorated along most of the property’s frontage. This behavior creates a dangerous condition where drivers and pedestrians mix in unpredictable places, frustrating both parties. Washman’s location next door to Vestal Elementary School and kitty-corner to the Montavilla Park Community Center further intensifies this problem.

The need to improve the pedestrian realm around the site is a key part of Washman’s goals for this project. Although vehicles will still drive along the 82nd Avenue edge of the building to enter the car wash, removing the vacuums will provide extra space for the cars to queue up. The fence along the eastern property line will extend north, limiting vehicle access to only one curb cut on NE 82nd Avenue. Further adjustments will impose a right-turn-only limit on cars exiting onto NE Glisan Street. David Tarlow, Chief Financial Officer of Washman, explained that these changes should improve the conditions around this location, focusing on student wellbeing. “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.”

The permit calls for clearing some trees on the property near where crews will install the vacuum units. The project includes landscaping along the property’s west edge and paving the gravel areas. Permits for large commercial projects can take six to eighteen months for City staff to approve. Expect to see construction begin in 2023 unless there are unexpected delays. When this work is complete, the site should be safer for pedestrians and more convenient for customers to navigate.

Gravel employee parking lot to be paved and used for vacuum stations

By

Jacob Loeb

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