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The days are numbered for Portland’s largest food-cart pod.

Food cart owners on Block 216, in downtown, were given letters Thursday to vacate the property by June 30. Parking lot customers on the block received similar letters.

鈥淪ome dude just walked by and said, 鈥業 hate to be the bearer of bad news,’ and handed me the letter,鈥� said Matt Breslow, owner of the聽Grilled Cheese Grill聽food carts.

The block is the site of a planned 35-story tower that would include a hotel, office space, condominiums and retail suites. The proposal from developer Walt Bowen’s聽BPM Real Estate聽Group 飞补蝉听approved by the聽Portland Design Commission聽in December. A shoring and excavation permit is under review by the聽Bureau of Development Services, records show.

The eviction letter spells an end for the food cart pod, which became an international attraction. At its height, more than 50 food carts shared the block, which is bounded by Southwest Ninth and 10th avenues and Washington and Alder streets.

Some food cart operators have no plans for where to move their carts, and face sudden disruption of their business. Others have managed to find open spots at cart pods around Portland. Since the Block 216 proposal came to light last year, some new pods 鈥� including Hawthorne Asylum in Southeast Portland 鈥� have opened. Pod owners as far away as Beaverton have recruited the block’s food cart operators.

Breslow said he’s moving his downtown cart to a pod a few blocks away at Southwest Third Avenue and Washington Street.

Sam Mouzon, who has managed the Dinner Bell Barbecue cart since March 2017, and worked at other carts before that, said other locations won’t measure up.

鈥淭here’s a ton of spots to go, but none anywhere near as good as this,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here’s strength in numbers. That’s what makes this block magical.鈥�

The end of Block 216’s food cart era comes just as the busy summer season gathers momentum.

鈥淚t’s just really sad for us they’re doing this in July, which is the peak,鈥� Mouzon said. 鈥淲e put up with the cold months just to be here in the summer.鈥�

A spokesman for Bowen did not immediately respond to questions.

The city is considering a concept for a Culinary Corridor that would run along Southwest Ninth Avenue at O’Bryant Park, and past the new tower toward Director Park. Planning for that concept, however, has lagged behind Bowen’s tower proposal.

The eviction is particularly tough for many cart owners who are first-generation immigrants and speak limited English.

Boping Wong, who owns the Asian Fusion Bar cart, said she had no plans.

鈥淚 don’t know yet,鈥� she said of the cart’s future.

The collection of carts attracted attention from travel TV shows and social-media users. On Thursday, Lloyd Knight, a Delta Air Lines pilot from Memphis, Tennessee, said he would miss visiting the food carts during his layovers in Portland.

鈥淚t’s unique,鈥� he said.