The Business Breakfast Club brings together Bayside business owners monthly to foster collaboration, strengthen connections, and build a more vibrant commercial community in Bayside. Since launching in early 2025, the group has met at rotating local businesses to discuss neighborhood branding, wayfinding signage, pedestrian safety, and opportunities to work with organizations like Buy Local, Creative Portland, and Portland Downtown. The team is working on exciting initiatives including a visitors’ guide for the neighborhood and coordinating business support for community events like the fall cleanup. This team proves that nothing beats making personal connections in real life to make Bayside a welcoming and thriving place for local commerce.
The Citizens’ Trash Brigade keeps Bayside clean and beautiful through regular community cleanups and volunteer action. Beyond the longstanding tradition of annual spring and fall neighborhood cleanups that bring neighbors together to prepare for changing seasons, the CTB has expanded to include monthly targeted “walk the block” cleanups that focus on one street at a time. Armed with gloves, bags, pickers, and community spirit, volunteers meet at designated locations to tackle litter while strengthening neighborhood bonds. Recent cleanups have been enhanced by partnerships with local businesses who offer discount coupons to volunteers, turning civic duty into an opportunity to support Bayside shops and services while making a visible difference in the neighborhood’s appearance.
The Garden Team has been growing community connections since 2001 at the Bayside Community Garden located at 78 Chestnut Street. Unique as Portland’s only community garden run by a neighborhood association without city funding or support, the garden is a testament to over two decades of dedication from residents who have poured their hearts into maintaining this rare green space in one of Portland’s most challenged urban neighborhoods. The garden provides affordable plots for just $30 per season and serves as a peaceful gathering place where neighbors can garden, grow fresh food, and cultivate strong relationships. All plot holders contribute to maintenance and operations, making it a true community effort that enhances the livability and equality of the Bayside neighborhood amid mounting development pressures.
Events Team (BAYsideBEEs)
The Events Team, known as the BAYsideBEEs, brings fun and connection to Bayside through creative community gatherings and celebrations. Led by longtime Bayside artist-in-residence Deirdre Paul, the team’s mission is to add “more fun” to everything the neighborhood does, from block parties and community meals to candidate forums and seasonal festivals. Recent successes include the inaugural Bayside Trail Halloween Pet Costume Parade and Neighborhood Harvest Festival, featuring live music, food trucks, prizes, and activities for both humans and their four-legged friends. The BAYsideBEEs are always looking for volunteers to help plan and execute events that bring neighbors together, strengthen community bonds, and showcase Bayside’s unique character and creative spirit.
The Relevant Developments Team monitors and engages with proposed construction projects and planning initiatives that will shape Bayside’s future. The team closely follows major developments including Port Property’s massive 804-unit Bayside Master Development Plan, the proposed 3,300-seat music venue at Myrtle Street and Cumberland Avenue, Avesta’s 48-unit “housing first” project at the former Oxford Street shelter site, and childcare and housing projects throughout the neighborhood. By attending planning board meetings, organizing neighborhood meetings, and encouraging community members to submit public comments, the team ensures that Bayside voices are heard in decisions affecting housing, affordability, infrastructure, and the neighborhood’s evolving character. The team keeps residents informed about timelines, design details, and opportunities to participate in the planning process.
The Public Art Team creates and promotes visual arts throughout Bayside to enhance the neighborhood’s cultural identity and sense of place. The team is actively seeking funding for public art projects, including an innovative initiative to transform material from a historic oak tree that was removed from Oxford Street into community artwork. The team has supported Portland Downtown’s utility box painting program and is working to revive the BNA Black Frame Art Sale fundraiser, a beloved event that previously showcased local artists while raising funds for neighborhood initiatives. Through these efforts, the team aims to make art accessible to all residents while celebrating Bayside’s creative spirit and adding beauty to streets and public spaces throughout the neighborhood.
The Safe Streets Team focuses on public safety, walkability, infrastructure improvements, and crime prevention to make Bayside safer and more livable for all residents. The team works to address the reality that Bayside accounts for a disproportionate percentage of Portland police calls for service, while also advocating for improvements to infrastructure, lighting, crosswalks, and pedestrian-friendly street design. By monitoring crime statistics, engaging with Portland Police’s Midtown Community Policing team, and bringing community concerns to city officials, the team seeks to create streets where children can walk to school safely, neighbors feel comfortable greeting each other, and all residents can move through the neighborhood confidently. The team is currently seeking new leadership to continue this vital work.
Student Group
The Student Group serves as the liaison between the Bayside Neighborhood Association and local schools including Baxter Academy and Portland High School. This team provides an important bridge for student voices and perspectives to be included in neighborhood planning and activities, while also creating opportunities for young people to get involved in community service and civic engagement. By connecting students with BNA initiatives like cleanups, events, and community projects, the group helps foster the next generation of community leaders and ensures that young residents have a say in shaping their neighborhood’s future. The team welcomes students who want to make a difference, learn about local government, and contribute their fresh ideas and energy to Bayside.
Comms Team
The Comms Team manages technical aspects of the BNA’s communications and digital presence, including the website, workspace coordination, social media channels, community calendar, newsletter, and outreach materials. The team ensures that neighborhood news, events, and opportunities for engagement reach residents through multiple platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor. The team also helps support The Baysider newspaper. By maintaining clear, accessible communication channels, the Comms Team helps keep the community informed, connected, and empowered to participate in shaping Bayside’s future.
The Green Team advocates for and engages in the planting, maintenance, and stewardship of trails, playgrounds, and green spaces throughout Bayside, working to bring more trees and greenery to a neighborhood that has historically been underserved in this area. The team works closely with Portland’s Parks Department and City Arborist on tree planting initiatives, coordinates care for the Bayside Trail’s sapling forest, and advocates for development projects to allocate tree-planting fees specifically for use within the neighborhood boundaries. Recent accomplishments include organizing meaningful ceremonies like the blessing of the Bayside Trail sapling forest by the Penobscot Nation’s Burnurwurbskek Singers, and conducting forest bathing experiences to help residents connect with nature. The team recognizes that green spaces and tree canopy are vital to creating a healthy, livable, and sustainable urban neighborhood.
Since 1999, The Baysider has been the voice of Bayside—starting as The Bayside Newsletter, evolving into Inside Bayside, and becoming the community newspaper you know today. For over two decades, neighbors, writers, and volunteers have used these pages to share the stories that matter most: new businesses, local events, neighborhood history, and the voices of the people who make Bayside unique.
The Baysider brings you the updates, perspectives, and community news that keep Bayside connected. From development updates to profiles of local businesses, from event calendars to the issues shaping our neighborhood’s future—we’re here to inform, engage, and celebrate what makes this corner of Portland special.
Whether you’re a longtime resident, a new neighbor, a business owner, or simply curious about this evolving neighborhood, The Baysider is your guide to where Portland’s past meets its future.
