Scoop: New food cart pod planned near Peninsula Park
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The site of a future food cart pod. Photo: Courtesy of Yusuf Godil
A new food cart pod with an indoor bar, coffee shop and space for seven carts is in the works across the street from Peninsula Park.
The big picture: The project aims to turn an underused corner into a neighborhood gathering place steps away from one of the city's most popular parks.
- "The goal is how do you bring more traction to the Piedmont neighborhood that doesn't have a lot of attraction outside the park," Yusuf Godil, who bought the site with his wife Sarah in April, told Axios.
State of play: Godil said he was drawn to the location because he's often left Peninsula Park after a tennis or soccer game and realized there were not a lot of options nearby to grab food and a beer.
- "I thought, 'This could be a nice corner.' There's nothing around here,'' he said.
- Godil is tentatively calling the project Peninsula Market and envisions its design as an extension of the park — with roses painted along exterior columns, landscaping and a large tree inside beneath the building's skylights.
Between the lines: This is Godil's first foray into food and beverage development. He has spent recent months visiting farmers markets and pop-ups to meet prospective vendors.
- "I'd love to find ways to support individuals who are looking to be creative and want to take a risk without having to put in 50 grand or 30 grand into something," he said.
- No Preference, the cafe on East Burnside, is the only tenant confirmed so far and will operate a new shop inside the building, Godil said. He's recruiting seven food carts, along with an operator for the planned pizza and ice cream shop.
Flashback: Built as a Safeway in 1937, the building later housed an auto garage, detailing shop and — until 2015 — a coffee shop in the same Albina-facing corner where No Preference plans to open.
What's next: Godil is working with architect Brett Schulz — who worked on The Heist, PGE Park and Duality Brewing — and submitted exterior plans to the city last month and hopes to receive permits in the coming months.
- His goal is to have the coffee shop and the carts open by next spring, followed by the bar later that summer.