‘City of
Roses'
Grammy Winner
Welcome
Esperanza
Spalding draws
crowd to PSU
Hoop Star
Krystal Forthan
gains appointment
on two high school
all-American teams
See page 3
See page 17
Observer
Volume XXXXI, Number 9
Wednesday • March 02, 2011
L
E stablished in 1970
1
Committed to Cultural Diversity
untrv sen
www.portlandobserver.com
Last Thursday
Consensus
Still in Limbo
A plan to manage
festive crowds
eludes officials
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
photo by
C liff P fenning /T he P ortland O bserver
Angela and Jonathan Park are giving the Soul of Portland a new look by opening Yummy Mongolian BBQ at 7330 N E
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Betting on the Neighborhood
Former Yam Yam’s
will re-open as
Mongolian BBQ
C liff P fenning
T he P ortland O bserver
by
Near the comer of Northeast Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard and Lombard Street, a pair
of hearty business owners is preparing to
open a family-style restaurant based on the
optimistic view that the surrounding area
can support it.
Forget about a tough image of the neigh­
borhood, Jonathan and Angela Park are ex­
cited about the city’s economic future and
the ongoing revitalization of the busy street,
which is promoted by the Portland Develop­
ment Commission as “The Soul of Portland.”
The one thing they’re doing different is
paying for the property and four months of changing and it’s ready for this kind of
building renovations without any financial restaurant.
assistance from the PDC.
“Our bank, our financing, has looked at
The former Yam Yam’ s B BQ site - a long­ our plan and they’re 100 percent behind
time neighborhood staple - doesn’t fall within what w e’re doing. Owning the land is a big
the governmental agency’s Urban Renewal part of that because we don’t have to pay
District which was set up to help businesses rent.”
along the thoroughfare. That district ends at
The business is across the street from
Rosa Parks Boulevard, less than a dozen Teriyaki Heaven, which features Oregon
blocks from the restaurant at 7339 N.E. Mar­ Lottery games and serves alcohol, and one
tin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
block south of a Taco Bell, which doesn’t
The Park’s Yummy Mongolian BBQ is set serve alcohol, but has a drive-thru.
to open in the next two weeks with a unique
The Parks have looked into opening a
and family oriented business plan.
Portland restaurant since buying Yummy
“W e’re not going to serve alcohol, so Mongolian Grill in Vancouver, five years
we’re aiming for families,” Jonathan Park ago. They checked into sites in Tigard,
said Friday as the renovation of the building Milwaukie and East Portland, but finally
entered its final phase. “W e’re going to have settled on MLK because of the availability
a Lego area for kids to play, which we think of the property and its distance from other
will be attractive to families. We know what
continued
on page 4
people say about this area, but we think it’s
As soon as the sun parts clouds over
northeast Alberta Street, so to emits the
controversy of the on-going celebrations of
Last Thursday, along with the renewed ex­
pectancy of rowdy crowds that will begin to
accumulate along the bar-lined streets.
But one year after trying to address issues
with the monthly festivities, a consensus on
how to manage the crowds is still in limbo.
In recent years. Last Thursday has seem­
ingly too often spun out of control as resi­
dents complain about an event turned frat
party with increased noise levels coming
from too many inebriated patrons, illegal
parking, and morning after messes of trash
and vomit.
Mayor Sam Adams and City Commis­
sioner Amanda Fritz sat down with several
Last Thursday stakeholders for public testi­
mony a year ago. Hundreds of residents,
business people, neighborhood activists,
vendors and attendees, showed up to report
the good, bad, and ugly sides of the event.
While some petitioned for more control
and city authority over the event, others
defended its organic nature, seeking aligned
yet unstructured management.
But after 12 months of trying, no consen­
sus has been found. The stagnated problem
lies in the fact that Last Thursday is not run
by a single entity, and no one party has taken
full responsibility for its management.
Roy Kaufman, spokesperson for Adams,
says the mayor's public safety director has
continued
on page 10