Community Event · Portland, OR · 7700 SE Stark
This is a blank plan. 36,590 square feet of open gravel in the heart of Montavilla — and we want the Portland LARP community to help us decide what happens on it. Show up in armor. Show up with ideas. Help us claim this space through play.
What & Why
Montavilla Community Land Trust is working to permanently protect the land at 7700 SE Stark — the home of the Montavilla Farmers Market for nearly two decades. A community land trust removes land from the speculative market forever, keeping it in community hands regardless of who owns the buildings on top.
Larping for Land is how we make that argument visible. We want to fill this lot with combat, creativity, and community — and show Portland what it looks like when a neighborhood actually uses its land. A LARP event here isn't just fun. It's a public claim. It says: this space belongs to the people who gather in it.
We're planning the event with the Portland LARP community — not for them. The map below is a draft. The date is TBD. Your input shapes both.
The Venue
Unlike grass, compacted gravel doesn't turn to mud, doesn't hide ankle traps, and holds its footing through a full day of boffer combat. This lot has hosted 70+ vendor stalls every week for 19 years. It can handle a skirmish.
Flat, unobstructed, corner-lot exposure on two streets. No trees to dodge, no blind corners. You can run a full-field melee or a dozen simultaneous duels and everyone can see what's happening.
At 36,590 sq ft — roughly two-thirds of a city block — this lot is large enough to run dedicated combat, a market, a gathering hall, and a rest zone simultaneously without crowding any of them.
SE Stark and SE 77th Ave is a high-traffic intersection. A visible LARP event here isn't a backyard game — it's a public statement. Pedestrians, drivers, and neighbors will see it. That's the point.
Commercial Mixed-Use 2 zoning explicitly allows community gatherings, markets, and public events. No rezoning fights. No park permit lottery. The land is already classified for exactly this use.
SE Stark is a major bus corridor. The lot is walkable from multiple neighborhoods and accessible without a car — which means a bigger turnout and a broader community showing up.
This is a draft. The zones below are proposals — not a finalized event plan. Click any zone to read what's been proposed for it, then weigh in on r/larping or reach out directly. This map will be updated to reflect community input as it comes in.
Why It Matters
Portland LARPers have no permanent home. Every event is a permit fight, a park lottery, a landlord negotiation, or a favor from someone with a big backyard. A community land trust changes that permanently — and Larping for Land is how we make the case.
Community-controlled land means recurring events happen by right — not by luck. No annual permit applications. No competing with soccer leagues and wedding rentals. The space is yours because the community owns it.
Workshops, armor-making, prop-building, sparring circles, game design sessions — all of it becomes possible when you have a space that can't be sold out from under you. A CLT removes the land from the speculative market forever.
CLT boards are elected by community members. If Portland's LARP community shows up — literally and organizationally — they have a real voice in how this land is used. This isn't asking permission. It's building ownership.
When a neighborhood imagines its land through play, it asserts something. Larping for Land isn't just an event — it's a visible, joyful, public argument that this corner of Montavilla belongs to the people who live and gather here.
The map above is a starting point. We want the Portland LARP community to push back on it, improve it, and show up for it. All skill levels welcome. Costumes encouraged, not required. The date isn't set yet — your input shapes when and how this happens.
Weigh in on r/larping → Contact the Coalition