Inner Eastside For All

The Sunnyside Neighborhood Association has been asked to sign onto a letter supporting the rezoning of Sunnyside and other eastside neighborhoods to allow for more multi-family housing. The group requesting our support, Portland: Neighbors Welcome, is a volunteer organization that advocates for housing abundance and tenants’ advocacy. The “Inner Eastside for All” concept proposes to re-legalize a broader range of housing types, up to multi-family mixed-use buildings throughout the Inner Eastside beyond transit corridors. The suggested boundaries for this rezone run from SE 12th out to 60th and from NE Fremont down to Powell Blvd. According to the letter, “Rezoning to allow additional mixed-use and multifamily buildings in large parts of the district will serve many more residents and allow many more homes within several blocks of shops and transit,” and the “vision is for the Inner Eastside to achieve a more equitable version of the NW Alphabet District: a dynamic, walkable
neighborhood with a mix of mid-sized apartment buildings, single-family homes, and every type in-between, well-served by transit, and with commercial centers, corner stores, and shared neighborhood spaces.” Matt Tuckerbaum from Portland: Neighbors Welcome will be at our March meeting to tell us more about this proposed concept.

Getting to Know Your Neighbors

Q&A with Tiffany Koyama Lane

During the pandemic, you may have seen Tiffany Koyama Lane, a third-grade teacher at Sunnyside Environmental School, collecting signatures for the Universal Preschool measure at Laurelhurst Park or at the entrance to Mount Tabor. Thanks in no small part to volunteers like Koyama Lane (who personally collected over 1,000 signatures), this became Preschool for All, a ballot initiative that Portlanders overwhelmingly voted for in 2020. It was during this period of canvassing and talking to hundreds of Portland parents and kids about the importance of free, universal early childhood education that Koyama Lane got the nickname “Teacher Tiffany.”  A lead external organizer for the Portland Association of Teachers, Koyama Lane is now putting her organizing and leadership skills to good use by running for Portland City Council, District 3.  She and her husband, novelist and stay-at-home dad Tim Lane, live in Sunnyside with their two kids.

Will you introduce yourself and tell us why you’re running for office?

Tiffany: My name is Tiffany Koyama Lane (she/her). I’m a teacher and a working mom. I have two kiddos—a six year old and an eight year old. I’m running for City Council because my community has been asking me to for many years. As a teacher, I interact with all different sorts of families and hold space for all of them and have to find solutions that consider all the kids and parents and caregivers. A public school really is a mirror for the neighborhood, for the city and for what’s happening.

In 2021, a group of houseless people set up an encampment at Sunnyside School after their camp was swept at Laurelhurst Park. This was during the pandemic, before kids returned to in-person school. Some parents expressed concerns about a camp so close to school property—they worried about needles getting left near the playground, drugs, and other safety issues.

Tiffany: My official stance would be that we need to have a robust shelter system with options for tiny house villages. Those need to be expanded because they’re working. We also need a unified housing list so when people are moving into housing, instead of one person applying to 20 different management companies, there’s more of a centralized and streamlined approach.

I also do want to say that I acknowledge that it’s a really intense presence to have a camp at a school, on a playground. The parents and the people who were concerned—they have a right to feel safe. I don’t think that that should be disregarded.

Were you concerned?

Tiffany: I wasn’t. But I also would go and talk to those neighbors and they were positive conversations. And even before—houseless folks have been there for a while—and some of those folks would look out for kids and de-escalate people. A lot of the relationships have been going on for a long time and are friendly. I don’t think those are highlighted enough.

How do you feel about Measure 110—should it be repealed? How can it be altered to make it work more effectively?

Tiffany: I do not want to repeal Measure 110. The implementation has not addressed the vast underlying conditions, namely, the holes in our treatment services and the huge barriers to access. Recriminalizing drugs would not change those underlying conditions—it is not a problem the city can or should arrest its way out of. Any changes made to the law need to be done in collaboration with people who have on-the-ground experience of addiction issues. The majority of police are not equipped to do social work.

Multnomah County is in charge of homeless services. But it’s the Portland Housing Bureau that’s tasked with building more housing. What should the City be doing that it isn’t right now?

Tiffany: I believe in workforce housing and making sure that people can live and work in the same place. I’m very fortunate. We need to make sure we aren’t losing important members of our community—essential workers, teachers, nurses—because they simply can’t afford to live here. There are examples like in Oakland, California where they’ve got workforce housing for teachers that I think we should be looking at.

The SNA plans to interview other City Council candidates for District 3 who live in Sunnyside over the coming months.

Critic’s Corner: Review of Rip City Remix, Portland’s G-league Basketball Team

Portland has a new minor league basketball team, Rip City Remix, part of the NBA’s G-league.  G-league is the level before the actual NBA. The Rip City Remix plays all kinds of teams. They played the Delaware Blue Coats, the Santa Cruz Warriors and even the Mexico City Capitanes. My opinion is that they’re so good that they should be part of the NBA! For example Antoine Davis, who plays for Rip City Remix, should be in the NBA. They’ve won. They’ve lost. Once they won with a three point shot. They once got a hundred points and all the kids got free ice cream! Also, on the side they have big screens (which mostly advertise soft drinks). It’s at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland. You can also fill out a form and get courtside seats! (Only if you win a contest.) You get a really good view too. After the games they also let you take pictures with the players. You should probably go!!

Want to see your name in print? We are looking for Sunnyside-based students to submit reviews of books, restaurants, food carts, movies or anything else that your fellow Sunnyside residents might enjoy knowing about. Please submit ideas to Hannah at [email protected].

Getting to Know Your Neighbors

Q&A with the Vuong Family at Annam VL

Portland is home to many wonderful Vietnamese restaurants, but those owned by the Vuong and Luu family are probably the most well known—both in Portland and beyond. With two James Beard nominations (Best Chef NW: 2017, 2018 and—breaking news!—2024) and accolades in publications from Portland Monthly to Bon Appétit, this family of self-described “professional home cooks” has for 20 years established a devoted following at their two locations Ha VL (2738 SE 82nd Avenue) and Rose VL Deli (6424 SE Powell). In December, the family opened a third location, Annam VL (3336 SE Belmont), in the Sunnyside Neighborhood. We caught up with the family, the third generation of which is helping run the restaurants, in January to learn more.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Why did you choose the Sunnyside Neighborhood and Belmont Street?

Our original plan, which was heavily influenced by our mother, Christina Luu, was to open up the third VL restaurant in Beaverton. Unfortunately, the early times of COVID delayed many projects. With restaurants stabilized by early 2023, we began looking again. We wanted a more central Southeast Portland location and just happened to see a storefront for sale at the perfect time. We did restaurant renovations within about 30 days of receiving the keys—all with the help of our daughter and sons, extended family and significant others.

Tell us about your family’s culinary history in Portland restaurants. Also, what is signified by the “VL” in each of the restaurant names?

Ha VL was the first restaurant to open up in 2004 by our parents, William Vuong & Christina Luu, starting out as a Bánh Mì shop (Vietnamese sandwiches) and later evolved to feature súp (Vietnamese noodle soup). Our parents opened their second restaurant, Rose VL in 2015. The meals we serve are a reflection of our culture and the taste comes from the memories of our past. We like to call ourselves professional home cooks, as we mainly cook for our family and children. The VL initials are a representation of both surnames in the family, Vuong & Luu.

Your restaurants have been written about locally and nationally in major food publications. What do you feel sets them apart?

We limit our súp in batches to focus on quality over quantity. Each broth is simmered for hours, and delicately seasoned. With a rotating súp menu, no main ingredient is recycled to keep our standards up. We have a rotating menu to show that there is more than just Phở for Vietnamese súp. Our menu is a way to educate others about súp from all different regions of Vietnam. Our influences are from north and south Vietnam, and even the combination between the two different regions.

Tell us about the menu and what to expect each day?

Our rotating menu is influenced by different regions of Vietnam. These are all family recipes we have enjoyed at the dinner table. With Portland’s growing diversity, we are able to have access to more specialized ingredients in the last decade to help us cook and reminisce about our time back home. Our súp is heavily influenced by William’s Middle Vietnamese cooking style and Christina’s North Vietnamese cooking style. There are many other different regions, and even different family methods on the interpretation of traditional meals. There’s no right or wrong; it’s a matter of interpretation. What we bring to Annam VL is our presentation of our family’s súp, continuing to showcase traditional Vietnamese cuisine outside of the familiar. 

How is business so far, and how has the neighborhood responded?

We are extremely grateful for the kindness, hospitality, and love from the Belmont neighborhood. During renovation we had our doors propped open for the small social gatherings, conversations, and shared meals we had from locals and neighboring stores. From the property management, restaurants, tea shop, grocery store, bars, and much more, we are just overwhelmed with the support we have received. There is a true feel to the Belmont neighborhood that makes it feel like a community. The benefit of being able to converse with our guests and receive feedback helps our business.  Annam VL did not anticipate such a crowd during the first few months of opening.

Do you have any plans for future restaurants in Portland, and are there other neighborhoods that you believe would be good for a restaurant?

As parents, we can only desire that our restaurant follows tradition and is passed down to future generations. While it’s exciting to think of new locations, we are focusing on the quality service we can provide and community building. Our schedule is currently full.

What are your favorite restaurants in Portland?

Our family has always loved visiting local restaurants of all cuisines—including food carts! We love our next door neighbors at Straight From New York Pizza for the quick bites. We really enjoyed the innovation and food done by Peter Cho & Sun Young over at Han Oak (511 NE 24th Ave). Our family treasures would be Jin Jin Deli (8220 SE Harrison) with our favorite items being bánh bột Chiên (fried dough cake), cơm chiên cá mặn (salty fish fried rice), and Hủ Tiếu sa tế bò (beef satay noodles). While we haven’t had the chance to visit many of the new Vietnamese restaurants that are opening throughout Portland, it’s inspiring to see how much Portland has progressed to have these local businesses.

News from the President

Happy New Year Sunnyside! Here’s to a bright and joyful 2024 full of renewal for Portland and joy for you and for your family.

It’s still a busy Christmas time while I am writing this, so just a couple of quick notes this month….

First, our next General Meeting at SE Uplift on January 11th at 7 p.m. will double as a public engagement meeting for the Multnomah County Library system regarding the Belmont Library renovations. If you came to our last meeting in November and heard about the plans, come back and ask any questions you have. If you missed that meeting, here is another opportunity to learn about the coming changes to your local library and provide feedback.

Second, have you heard about the new Play Streets program from PBOT? This program aims to transform neighborhood streets into recurring pop-up community hubs for socializing, play and physical activity. Events might include games, cultural performances, kids demonstrations and more. The best part is that the city can provide up to $5000 in funding, training and access to city amenities like the mobile library truck. Learn more at portland.gov/transportation/permitting/learn-about-play-streets-program. If you and some neighbors are interested, the SNA can help! We, through our relationship with SE Uplift, can act as your nonprofit fiscal sponsor and help with coordination and outreach. Please contact us ASAP at [email protected]. Applications are due January 31st, so don’t wait!

Finally, thank you to all the volunteers who helped organize, promote, and staff our 4th Annual Winter Clothing Drive. The event was a huge success, thanks in part to all of you who volunteered your time and energy and those in the neighborhood who donated warm coats, sweaters, tents, sleeping bags, etc.  We truly appreciate that you care about your houseless neighbors. And, a big thanks to local businesses ¿Porque No?, Dove Vivi, Henry Higgins Bagels, and New Seasons for donating food and/or gift certificates so we could buy warm food for our houseless friends.