A while back, Bill Barrett, owner of the long-running automotive repair business under his name at NE 44th and Fremont, made a call to a friend to discuss selling his property that housed it all. That friend connected Barrett with David and Daniel Silvey to consider the purchase. The Silveys are a father-son duo that comprises DBS Group, a real estate development enterprise. Things clicked, the purchase was made, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In November, the City of Portland notified BWNA of DBS’s proposed food cart development at 4403 NE Fremont St., a portion of the property that served Barrett Automotive operations. The proposal is to remove the central building on the site and renovate the others to create a seven-unit food cart pod with indoor and outdoor seating, a bar, and other amenities.
A recent conversation with Daniel Silvey revealed more details about the motivation for the project, the plans, and the timeline.
When the Silveys checked out the area, one thing jumped out at them.
“There was no central gathering place in this retail-heavy business district, which a food cart pod often creates,” said Silvey. “These places tend to bring people together.”
The Silveys hope to play off the history of the place in designing the repurposed space.
“We’ll maintain the industrial feel,” said Silvey. “We hope to keep the character of what was there intact.”
Some ideas being kicked around are to use the old Barrett’s sign to announce the cart pod name, which has yet to be determined, as well as advertising the various food carts.
Specific carts haven’t yet been chosen, but the Silveys are seeking a diversity of food offerings — and with only seven carts, feel they can be selective. Finding vendors from the neighborhood or nearby is also of interest. He encouraged those people to contact him even though the estimated time for the opening of the food cart pod is summer 2024. To reach Daniel Silvey call (503) 201-8537.
Susan Trabucco is the volunteer editor of this newsletter. She was the founder, editor, and publisher of a regional business journal. Susan and her husband have called B-W home since 2012, where she practices zonal denial in her tropical-ish garden. Reach her by emailing Editor@BWNApdx.org.