The Rose Quarter will not host a new Portland Beavers ballpark, putting a potential location back in the city’s Lents neighborhood.
A proposed entertainment district next to the Rose Garden is officially off the table as the location of a new Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark, as city officials revisit a Lents location.
No surprise: we reported last week the city was strongly considering keeping Memorial Coliseum at the behest of preservationists; putting a ballpark in the area meant the Coliseum would be demolished.
This puts ballpark planning where it was two months ago: with a less-than-optimal location and huge gaps in a funding plan. Beavers owner Merritt Paulson has proposed spending $88.8 million on a new Bevos ballpark and a renovation of PGE Park as a soccer-only facility for an MLS expansion franchise. Right now around $65 million or so in potential funding, including contributions from Paulson, have been identified. Obviously the funding gap needs to be addressed, as well as specifically how much Paulson will pay: he’s said in the past he’s willing to put less toward a Lents ballparks because it was a less desirable location than the Rose Quarter. He’s right about that, but structuring a deal that minimizes taxpayer exposure may require Paulson to put in even more than he’s anticipating right now.
RELATED STORIES: Bevos ballpark plans back up in the air — and maybe doomed; Portland ballpark vote delayed as mayor adjusts site, financial plans; New Beavers ballpark wouldn’t happen until 2012 — at the earliest; Cost of Portland redevelopment mushrooms to almost $300 million; Crunching the numbers on a new Bevos ballpark; Portland proposes tearing down Memorial Coliseum for new Bevos ballpark; Portland City Council votes to move ahead with new Bevos ballpark — but takes $15 million from the equation; Paulson agrees to Portland’s financial demands; still may not be enough; Bevos ballpark plan runs into serious financial obstacles; Portland task force gives preliminary approval to new Bevos ballpark — with plenty of conditions; Portland ballpark discussion shifts to Rose Quarter; Decision on new Bevos ballpark location delayed; Will new ballpark fly in Lents?
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