The Burgerville at SE 92nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard, vacant since 2021, appears headed for new life as a Panda Express.

Construction fences and heavy equipment now surround the scraped-clean lot at 3504 SE 92nd Ave., where crews began demolishing parts of the former burger joint in June 2026. Site signage and an early-assistance filing with the city both name Panda Express as the incoming tenant, according to Hoodline reporting published June 26. Neither Panda Express nor the property's owner has publicly confirmed a lease.

City permit records show building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire-system, and sign permits tied to the address. The filings include a tenant improvement application and approval to add a canopy and rebuild portions of the existing drive-thru. The permits were submitted in March 2026.

The property is owned by CFT NV Developments LLC. A June 2025 Cushman & Wakefield listing identified CFT NV Developments as Panda Express's development entity after the LLC purchased a Virginia outparcel for $1.4 million to build a Panda Express there.

Burgerville closed the location in 2021, citing rising crime and vandalism near a neighboring encampment. In October 2023, a dumpster fire spread into the building's attic and roof, according to Portland Fire & Rescue. The site was also the first Burgerville to unionize; the Burgerville Workers Union, a chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World, ratified a contract covering the location in December 2021.

Portland's zoning code prohibits new drive-through facilities in commercial mixed-use zones but allows those that existed before May 24, 2018, to continue operating. The catch: if a drive-thru use is discontinued for three continuous years, the right expires permanently.

Burgerville closed in 2021, which would have started that clock toward a 2024 expiration. But a December 2025 decision from the city's Planning & Permitting office found that approved building permits can serve as evidence the drive-thru rights remained active, according to Hoodline. The specific permits or dates the city accepted as evidence are unclear from available records.

"Some municipalities don't allow any new drive-thrus," Burgerville CEO Ed Casey told Eater Portland in May 2024. "Your only options are acquiring and conversion."

No opening date has been announced. Residents can track progress through city permit number 5168637 on PortlandMaps.