I went there this past Friday because I read a Facebook post that this was going to be its last weekend. It has been one of my favorite places in Portland to enjoy not only great food-truck fare (courtesy of star chef Matt Ginn of EVO fame) but the view had been fantastic last year. I noticed this at my first visit of the season several months ago when the food truck marina was not up to its past scenic glories that it had in its first year. The bar area had been moved down a bit, the dining bar shelf that ran along the water’s edge was gone, and the bar still hadn’t been constructed yet.
The problem was that the city mandated that all structures at the site couldn’t be movable, that they had to be constructed in a less permanent nature and it took a long time to get the city staff to coordinate its rulings because of pandemic absenteeism at City Hall.
Here is my story from last year when the marina bar opened. See link
This was the scene at the newly opened EVO X food truck marina in June of 2020
On my visit last Friday, September 2021. Weather wise the day was not perfect, it was after Labor Day so crowds had gone; I’m not sure how the marina restaurant did this summer since I didn’t go very often, but on its last day at 1:30 in the afternoon, this was not too encouraging. I asked some staff members what happened? They said, carefully, that the city had given them a lot of trouble with zoning issues, delaying when they could be in full swing and curtailing what they could do. Notice that the waterfront dining bar was gone.
This was the scene on the marina food truck’s last weekend
The marina bar is part of the larger complex known at 58 Fore Street or Portland Foreside–and this is what is planned (see below). Whether it happens or not depends on the tenacity of the developers and their deep pockets funded by myriad investors and a New York venture capital fund who sees its potential as a worthwhile investment. The city, however, in its finite wisdom, is a cog in the wheel of its future. I’m surprised they haven’t asked for a homeless shelter.
In that rendering is presumed space for dining, for living, for hotel, for office, retail, marina, open space for public park. Currently under development is a food hall, hotel, office building and residences. Time will tell.