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The ivy island outside the St. Johns Burgerville will soon become a landscaped gateway greenspace.
The St. Johns Main Street Coalition is partnering with Burgerville and DeSantis Landscaping to remove the invasive plants and replace them with native plants and gravel paths. They’re also planning to install benches.
PBOT owns but does not maintain the land at the intersection of North Ivanhoe and Philadelphia streets, and residents have reported spotting “some unsightly and unsanitary rodents” there.
Burgerville and its landscaper DeSantis approached the Main Street Coalition last year after the nonprofit redesigned the intersection at Richmond and Lombard. Working with the University of Portland, the coalition put 300 plants there last October.
Burgerville hoped the coalition could help it do something similar on the patch outside its property.
“St. Johns has what feels to residents a high number of unmaintained areas,” said Robin Wright, the coalition’s program director. “These two areas have often been a topic of conversation in the community. People wanted to see how we can turn those into a better welcome, how we can have the spaces communicate better the pride people have in St. Johns.”
The coalition began working with PBOT to finalize a maintenance agreement. The bureau has an adopt-a-landscape program. Once the agreement is finalized, Burgerville will take over the on-going maintenance.
The coalition’s design committee will hold an open house Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the coalition’s office, 8250 N. Lombard St. They’ll also present to the St. Johns Neighborhood Association on Feb. 10.
The groups will bring volunteers out to replant the site March 22. They’ll host two other volunteer days to clear debris and install hardscaping.
Burgerville and DeSantis both chipped in money for the project, and the Main Street Coalition won a Portland Development Commission district improvement grant for the work.
Project leaders are brainstorming ideas for the second phase of the redesign. If you have ideas, email info@stjohnsmainstreet.org.
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