A 100-year-old automotive garage has been transformed into a food cart pod and community plaza on a popular stretch of Northeast Fremont.

The big picture: Once home to Barrett Automotive, Fremont Garage is opening just before Memorial Day and will host nearly a dozen food carts in a revamped, racing-themed space designed to feel less like a parking lot and more like a neighborhood "town square," general manager Tyler Caffal told Axios.

• "People long for more public gathering places," he said.

The lineup so far includes eight carts — Poblano Pepper, Best Shawarma, Wolf's Head Burgers, Sakura Yakitori, Que Bacano and Namo Buddha Indian Cuisine — a full-service indoor bar, children's play area and heated outdoor seating.

• The mix of vendors was designed to avoid overlapping cuisines and prevent competition with neighboring brick and mortars, said Caffal, who spent over a decade working in New York hospitality.
• Plus: The block next to Fremont Garage will pilot a seasonal public plaza with closed street space starting in July.

Zoom in: Portland's food cart scene has evolved in recent years from just a cluster of carts in a parking lot.

• Fremont Garage's owner-developer Daniel Silvey, of DBS Group, said tighter city rules around sewer and "gray water" infrastructure have fueled demand for professionally managed pods with permanent utility hookups.
• Pods like The Heist, Hinterland, Hillsboro Station and The Zipper also inspired the project, Silvey said.

The growing popularity of these more-permanent, theme-driven food cart developments function as neighborhood gathering spaces as much as dining destinations, he added.

The bottom line: Regardless of how prolific food carts are here, Portlanders still have an appetite for them.

• Fremont Garage received more than 500 neighborhood survey responses when the owners asked what the pod should include.
• "Portland is a naturally curious city when it comes to food," Caffall said, adding that we "love to see how many different types of food go with beer."

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Homelessness in Multnomah County is expected to increase through next summer amid looming cuts to shelter and outreach services.

Why it matters: Multnomah County faces a projected $67 million budget shortfall that could reduce homelessness services as the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to rise.

Driving the news: Funds for homeless outreach, shelter and eviction prevention are dropping while the costs for all those services are going up, Anna Plumb, deputy director of homeless services, told county commissioners this week, per the Oregonian.

• The county will likely need to close six shelters and five day centers while cutting back on outreach and job training, Plumb said.

By the numbers: More than 18,000 people were experiencing homelessness in February, according to county data.

• Under most scenarios, some of which count on money with no identified source, homelessness was still projected to rise to at least 20,000 by June of next year.

What's next: Commissioners have already started proposing amendments to the budget and the next public hearing will take place at Mt. Hood Community College May 13 at 6pm.

• Commissioners are expected to vote on a final budget this summer.

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Multnomah Athletic Club managers said it could be weeks before the exclusive club could open again following extensive damage assessments from Saturday's attack. (OPB)

🚌 Parents warn proposed cuts to Portland Public Schools' bus service could lead to less participation in a district program for talented and gifted students that relies on school transportation . (The Oregonian)

💉 Multnomah County commissioners are considering a ban on needle distribution and exchange sites near schools. (Willamette Week)

😢 Alpenrausch, the nationally-acclaimed, Alpine-inspired Southeast Division restaurant, will close at the end of the month. (Portland Business Journal)

The roses are beginning to bloom for the season at Peninsula Park — the site of where the official Portland rose was first cultivated.

• Make your plans, and clear your sinuses, accordingly.

That's all.