Facing a deadline at the end of May that could end exclusive negotiating rights for a new Willamette River waterfront ballpark, the Portland Diamond Project and the Port of Portland agreed to a six-month extension for further study and talks.
Originally slated to end at the end of May, the exclusive negotiations were designed to address issues like access and zoning issues. But with the need to work out deals with the city and the port, negotiations fast became complex. The deal maintains the waterfront site as the exclusive location for ballpark talks. From the Portland Tribune:
The Portland Diamond Project released a statement on May 28 that said it will pay the port $37,500 for each month of the additional due diligence period, beginning on June 1. The statement said the underused terminal is still its preferred site to build a stadium for the team it hopes to acquire.
“We love the opportunity that Terminal 2 presents for a ballpark on the waterfront and a new neighborhood that extends the central city,” the PDP statement said.
At the same time, the statement said, “We’re focused on Terminal 2, but we’ll be pursuing all options that make sense until shovels are in the ground.”
Portland Diamond Project has been leading the push to bring Major League Baseball to the Oregon city, with a proposed ballpark at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 2 at the center of its effort. After being linked to other sites around Portland, the group unveiled a vision for a proposed ballpark and surrounding development at Terminal 2 in November. The new ballpark is positioned as a candidate for a relocating or expansion team. A number of factors will have to fall into place before future expansion could move forward, including resolutions to the ongoing ballpark searches for the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay Rays. The A’s are making progress on a proposed ballpark at Oakland’s Howard Terminal, but still have to clear several layers of approval before that plan can move forward. The Rays, meanwhile, had discussions of a new ballpark in Tampa end late last year and are locked into a lease for St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field that runs through 2027. For the time being, the Rays have not ruled out the idea of trying to find a solution for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.
Renderings courtesy Portland Diamond Project.
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