If the South Waterfront is so dangerous, why is Puddletown Bagels moving there?

The local bakery chain bet on its new RiverPlace location, announced in August, when news of protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office was already well known. It’s far from the first time someone’s seen economic potential in South Portland.

Up to this point, the west bank of the Willamette River south of downtown has been known for its glass high-rises built around Oregon Health & Science University’s sky tram parking lot. The place was deemed a “wasteland” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before then-City Commissioner Charlie Hales took an interest in the 1990s and found $50 million in seed money for developer Homer Williams. Now, a different, less honest branch of the federa

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