At the end of January, crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) completed the installation of slightly raised concrete separators for the newly created parking-buffered bike lane on the south side of SE Washington Street. This new physical infrastructure helps keep parking vehicles from encroaching on the curbside non-automotive path. However, the installation of the bicycle safety infrastructure on the one-way street is not universally appreciated by street users.

I think most would agree that the Academy Theater on SE Stark is one of Montavilla’s most outstanding historical buildings. When it opened in 1948, it could claim to be the most modern building on Montavilla’s main street. How it came to be and how it survived is a story with many twists and turns. It began as the dreamchild of Fred Teeny (1914-1979) and his wife Lillian Mary Shaheen Teeney (1920-2009).

Crews recently built the foundation for a new home and attached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) at 2701 SE 85th Avenue and will soon begin framing on the three-story structure. This lot has remained vacant since the previous property owner demolished the original single-story home in 2018. In 2021, Ernie Jette Construction bought the 1,936-square-foot corner property after it was split from the parcel that currently supports a 1997-era duplex.

TriMet will honor Rosa Parks with free rides for all passengers this Wednesday, February 4th. Transit operators will suspend fare collection on that day until 2 a.m. February 5th. Portland Streetcar and C-TRAN operators will also offer rides without cost in observation of the civil rights icon's 113th birthday. Riders who tap a Hop card or ticket will receive confirmation of valid fare, but the automated systems won't charge them, and ticket machines will not allow any ticket purchases on February 4th.

On January 27th, contractors working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation laid new asphalt along a segment of SE 85th Avenue behind the Fubonn Shopping Center, temporarily closing the street to through traffic. This work is part of the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project, which created sidewalks from SE Division Street to SE Powell Boulevard along SE 85th Avenue.

Crews recently completed half of a new mini-roundabout along NE Halsey Street as they work to reopen NE 80th and NE 81st Avenues to car traffic. Contractors working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation installed underground stormwater management pipes that connect with relocated catch basins as part of this street reconfiguration, which includes reconstructed sidewalks and curbs. NE Halsey remains open for east-west through traffic.

TESO Life will open its first Portland location at 10548 SE Washington Street next Saturday, January 31st. The Asian household goods seller took over the 23,200-square-foot storefront left vacant by Big Lots four years ago at Plaza 205. The shopping complex is currently reinventing itself to serve people interested in items and flavors from across Asia. Shoppers will find a variety of imported products, claw machines, and collectables inside the Japanese department store.

On January 22nd, Portland's first free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in the Gateway district across from Mall 205. The store is unique in several ways from the other locations in the outer Portland area. It has a larger kitchen than most stores, a kids' play area less often included in new facilities, and no drive-through window. Instead of hosting lines of cars, the fast food destination will serve guests with a digitized version of a drive-in model, allowing customers to park and order via a mobile app, with meals brought to the vehicle.

Crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will update sidewalk corners along NE Glisan Street as part of the planned NE Glisan Pave and Paint Project, which will use pavement maintenance to restripe and reconfigure the roadway from NE 82nd to 92nd avenues. Ahead of the planned summer work, contractors will begin rebuilding crossing points to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant standards for curb ramps and updating stormwater catch basin placement to match the new ramps and better handle rainwater runoff.

The owners of two lots along 82nd Avenue at SE Ash Street have their property listed for lease or sale after years of trying to make a food cart pod project pencil out in that location. B&U Properties LLC acquired 218 and 322 SE 82nd Avenue in 2021, planning to transform the combined property into an active community hub, but required improvements to the sidewalk along the site’s 360 linear feet of frontage, and other development expenses caused the restaurant owner team to focus their immediate efforts on a…

Q – What are the metal rings in old Montavilla curbs? A – Ringbolts, as these were originally called, were placed in Portland sidewalk curbs in the early 20th century as hitches for horses to stop them from running off. Individual horse owners needed hitches for private use. Merchants needed them even more for home deliveries of fuel supplies, ice, groceries, etc.

Cascade Physical Therapy recently repurchased its former Montavilla location at 9310 SE Stark Street, an establishment that the previous owners split off from their Gresham-based company two decades ago. New owners, Dr. Liz Reynolds and Erika Elliott, are now working to reunify the two locations and serve more people who need help recovering from workplace or automotive injuries, while also addressing general pain and age-related decline.

Recently, TriMet announced a series of proposed cost-cutting measures planned for this August. Elimination of the Line 19 Bus route is among the possible reductions, and its closure would end NE Glisan Street's century-long run as Montavilla's transit backbone. Other potential changes would similarly reduce functionality for transit users, push more people to existing TriMet lines, or encourage driving to a destination.

As Portland's first free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurant prepares to open in early 2026, pedestrians traveling around the Mall 205 area in the Gateway district gain access to wider sidewalks with street furniture offering places to rest. Recently, crews removed construction fencing around the new fast food destination at 9950 SE Stark Street, fully opening the area to street users. Cluster of three round concrete seating on the southeast corner of SE 99th and Stark St…

Home Forward, Portland’s housing authority, is selling a 3,880-square-foot group home in Montavilla as it anticipates a $35 million budget shortfall in 2026. The 1999-built facility at 9350 SE Taylor Street last served as a resident support home for individuals with developmental disabilities operated by Dungarvin Oregon. The property, bordered by the Interstate 205 Multi-use-path on two sides, is currently secured with plywood "due to prior break-ins while vacant," according to a…

With 2025 officially closed, here is a look back at the top stories readers viewed and shared in the past year. Many of the most visited articles center on the Gateway area with the opening of Portland’s first 99 Ranch Market on August 16th and the construction of Portland’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant within city limits since the Lloyd Center food court location closed in 2003.

TriMet will once again offer fare-free transportation for revelers heading out to celebrate the end of the year and will help get them home safe, thanks to sponsorship from Oregonians Credit Union. Starting at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, all MAX and bus trips are free until service ends early on New Year’s Day. For those outside the public transportation service area, the City of Portland has partnered with…

Despite the damp winter conditions, the use of personal fireworks remains illegal in Portland, as it has since the City Council passed an ordinance in March 2022. This New Year's Eve, Portland Fire and Rescue (PF&R) and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) ask everyone within city limits to obey the ban and report violators through an online form…

Three Montavilla car lots sit empty along 82nd Avenue at the end of 2025, marking a shift in an area known as Portland's used car destination for budget-conscious buyers. It is not uncommon for locations to change tenants and for lots to relocate within the area. However, some auto industry businesses blame City-led changes to infrastructure and potential tax increases for adding to their operating pressures.

On December 19th, Portland Water Bureau (PWB) announced a complete switch to groundwater from Portland's Columbia South Shore Well Field in response to higher amounts of organic material suspended in the Bull Run Watershed after this week's heavy rainstorm. City ratepayers receive water from two primary sources that utility operators can switch between or blend together based on supply and environmental conditions.

As part of the 82nd Avenue Transit Project currently under development, Oregon Metro and TriMet have launched a survey to gauge the impact of station construction on recreational and historic areas along the planned Bus Rapid Transit route. Provided details and several questions focus on work to convert the existing bus stop in front of the Montavilla Community Center, at…

Cleanup crews from Central City Concern (CCC) began providing basic sidewalk cleaning services in Montavilla's major business corridors in October. The Public Environment Management Office (PEMO), part of Portland Solutions, contracted with the employment opportunity program operator to improve conditions around neighborhood economic centers, aiming to create safer, more welcoming spaces. The rollout's timing coincides with the critical holiday shopping season when small businesses depend on customers coming out to local storefronts and shopping within the community.

Starting in the middle of December, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) maintenance crews will return to the Montavilla area to grade and re-gravel unpaved residential streets as part of the City’s Gravel Street Service enacted in 2018. The program rotates crews on a three-year cycle between areas of the city, working from November through February, mostly on weekdays, from 7 a.m.

Q – Was cycling popular in Montavilla's early years? A – Soon after the invention of the modern two-wheeler, the bicycle craze swept the country. It reached its peak in the 1890s and early 20th century. In Montavilla, there were not only local bicyclists but also Portlanders who liked to head for the countryside in east Multnomah County. A popular bicycle route, the Base Line Cycle Path, went right through Montavilla on what is now Stark Street.

Sadie Veterinary Urgent Care at 8037 SE Stark Street will expand into the adjacent storefront that most recently hosted Union Rose before it relocated to the Plural Collective in Sellwood. Pending building permit approval, renovation work on the neighboring space will begin in the first half of 2026, with an anticipated completion in the summer. The frequently busy care center for cats and dogs will remain open during renovations, with minor disruptions as staff reorganize the facility to make better use of the significantly larger space.