Portland Diamond Project (MLB) | Proposed

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

Had no idea pirates were so low I thought that city loves their team

It's still 1.25 MILLION attendance per year, so keep it in perspective.

[PhillyPDX]

Pirates are usually bad and don't spend money. Remember MLB essentially lets rich teams spend what they want, so small market teams are not usually competitive. Hard to sell out games when you, the team, everyone knows you will be bottom feeders.

PNC Park though. Awesome. If you haven't seen it, check out images. I love how integrated it is with the (underrated) Pitts skyline in the background. That's the stadium I sized when I figured you can easily fit a modern baseball stadium on the Lloyd property.

[PhillyPDX]

No new news, but I guess good to see this remain in the press. And without specifics, it appears there might be some behind the scenes discussions going on.

https://www.oregonlive.com/mlb/2023/...-proposal.html

Also, this thread doesn't appear on the list of Portland threads.....how do I find this without a google search?

[CorbinWarrick]

Great idea. The mall isn’t doing shit but rotting away anyways

[sopdx]

I still think the Blanchard site adjacent to NE Broadway and Interstate would be an optimum location. There was a proposal for it years ago. I guess it didn't figure out.

[CorbinWarrick]

Originally Posted by sopdx

I still think the Blanchard site adjacent to NE Broadway and Interstate would be an optimum location. There was a proposal for it years ago. I guess it didn't figure out.

PPS refuses to sell. It’s pretty simple

[sopdx]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

PPS refuses to sell. It’s pretty simple

No, not that simple. PPS did not refuse to sell. The offer was rescinded by the Portland Diamond Project. At that point in 2018, the feeling was that the Albina Vision Project was better suited to the community.

[maccoinnich]

Bill Oram: Portland Diamond Project zeroes in on Lloyd Center for new ballpark proposal



The Portland Diamond Project has been pretty quiet lately.

The pandemic stalled the group’s efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Portland. The city’s once pristine image has taken more hits than Aaron Judge’s Louisville Slugger. The Oakland Athletics, once seen as Portland’s best chance for a relocating team, are on their way to Las Vegas.

In the face of all that adversity, the Diamond Project is making like Robin Sparkles, who sang in “How I Met Your Mother”:

“Let’s go to the mall!”

...continues at the Oregonian.

[PhillyPDX]

Another article today. References yesterday's article, but interesting lots of press suddenly. Maybe there is something really happening? Is this connected to the rumors MLB would only discuss expansion once the stadium issues for the A's and Rays were figured out? With the recent news A's are moving to LV, and Rays seemingly got a new lease on life in TB back in JAN, now the push happens for expansion.

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023...l-revival.html

Also, I find it funny this talk of the mall's "new life" is suddenly being thwarted by a potential MLB stadium. Occasional roller discos, magic stores that pay $1/SF (per article) for rent....hardly should be shocking the owner's see this "renewal" as a stopgap. Are people REALLY surprised/upset? There was a $121M default on a loan. I doubt $1/SF covers building maintenance/utilities, let alone financing, and let alone the opportunity cost for a redevelopment.

[CorbinWarrick]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Another article today. References yesterday's article, but interesting lots of press suddenly. Maybe there is something really happening? Is this connected to the rumors MLB would only discuss expansion once the stadium issues for the A's and Rays were figured out? With the recent news A's are moving to LV, and Rays seemingly got a new lease on life in TB back in JAN, now the push happens for expansion.

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023...l-revival.html

Also, I find it funny this talk of the mall's "new life" is suddenly being thwarted by a potential MLB stadium. Occasional roller discos, magic stores that pay $1/SF (per article) for rent....hardly should be shocking the owner's see this "renewal" as a stopgap. Are people REALLY surprised/upset? There was a $121M default on a loan. I doubt $1/SF covers building maintenance/utilities, let alone financing, and let alone the opportunity cost for a redevelopment.

Yup you nailed it. I think it’s a foregone conclusion this is going to happen. The new owners of the mall don’t care about it and just want to cut their losses. This is a perfect opportunity for them to sell it and wash their hands off this mess.

[maccoinnich]

Canzano: Portland poised for swing at MLB
Exclusive look at proposed ballpark district.



It turns out the Portland Diamond Project has been doing a lot more than making T-shirts.

It has been making plans.

Documents obtained this week by JohnCanzano.com pulled back the curtain on the plan to bring Major League Baseball to Portland. The entity behind the MLB-to-PDX effort is officially targeting two proposed stadium sites in Portland — Lloyd Center Mall and RedTail Golf Course.

Email exchanges between Portland city officials and Portland Diamond Project executives provide the framework. The sides are working toward a formal “letter of intent” that could give the MLB effort control of one or both properties. The Lloyd Center has long been rumored as a potential stadium site, but this is the first time the city-owned public golf course has been mentioned.

I don’t know about you, but I’m intrigued and cautiously delighted. The Portland Diamond Project has been eerily quiet. I’ve fielded repeated questions in recent months about whether the MLB effort was stalled.

I still have questions about who will champion the project. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler? Oregon Governor Tina Kotek? I suppose the better question is which of those two politicians wants the credit should it happen?

Craig Cheek, the founder of the Portland Diamond Project, and his team have been in frequent communication with the city in recent months. JohnCanzano.com also obtained architectural renderings of the Lloyd Center ballpark, amphitheater and entertainment district shown to city leaders.

Cheek offered a written statement late Wednesday evening. He acknowledged the news would “catch the interest” of residents, fans and the business community. Cheek added: “We look forward to sharing more information when we’re further along in the process.”

...continues at Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

[Jakz]

This looks amazing. Build it!

[maccoinnich]

Portland mayor backs pitch to turn Lloyd Center into MLB ballpark; city’s RedTail golf course also in play



Mayor Ted Wheeler is throwing his weight behind the Portland Diamond Project’s latest proposal to turn the struggling Lloyd Center mall into a baseball stadium.

As the group behind a yearslong effort to bring Major League Baseball to Oregon’s largest city zeroes in on the Northeast shopping center as a potential stadium site, Wheeler and his staff are prepared to help bolster the deal, according to documents obtained Thursday by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request.

The city has agreed to explore numerous ways to get behind the proposal, recent emails exchanged between Bobby Lee, Wheeler’s chief of staff, and Craig Cheek, Portland Diamond Project founder and president, show.

Among them are the creation of a new urban renewal district in the area, providing nearby Holladay Park as a portion of the stadium development footprint and pouring money into transportation infrastructure upgrades.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[PhillyPDX]

Exactly what is needed. City government to show up and back it. Excellent.

Funny they show it with a south facing orientation though. Baseball never does that (save Hillsboro, which was crazy when I went this season).

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Exactly what is needed. City government to show up and back it. Excellent.

Funny they show it with a south facing orientation though. Baseball never does that (save Hillsboro, which was crazy when I went this season).

That's what I was thinking, I don't even think MLB allows that.

[PhillyPDX]

I hope that doesn’t show poorly for the legitimacy of the proposal….

FLIM Springfield!

[DMH]

Now here is a big move that would bring long-hoped-for change:

Portland mayor backs pitch to turn Lloyd Center into MLB ballpark; RedTail golf course also in play

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/...o-in-play.html

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by DMH

Now here is a big move that would bring long-hoped-for change:

Portland mayor backs pitch to turn Lloyd Center into MLB ballpark; RedTail golf course also in play

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/...o-in-play.html

That rendering hurts my soul. The south facing bit is killing the rest of me. Let's make this happen, but have somebody that's older than 12 do the renderings. Please.

Red Tail for MLB would be a colossal mistake. I'm all for killing water-intensive and wasteful golf courses, but that location would be a logistical nightmare.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

That rendering hurts my soul. The south facing bit is killing the rest of me. Let's make this happen, but have somebody that's older than 12 do the renderings. Please.

Red Tail for MLB would be a colossal mistake. I'm all for killing water-intensive and wasteful golf courses, but that location would be a logistical nightmare.

South facing isn’t even allowed by MLB rules. So someone dropped the ball…I’m not sure whether that’s a simple mistake or a bigger sign of issues. That rendering looks like it has some effort into its creation, and it doesn’t even meet an MLB rule that anyone who watches baseball knows.

I bet the suburban location is a veiled threat to encourage Portland to pony up infrastructure $$$. No one wants that, surely not MLB to pdx. But healthy competition probably helps sell Portland on helping out.

[maccoinnich]

Baseball at Lloyd Center? Here’s how 9 existing stadiums would fit in Portland



Portlanders on Thursday got a first glimpse into conceptual renderings for a Major League Baseball stadium proposed for the Lloyd Center mall.

The drawings featured a rectangular stadium with the diamond aligned north and south instead of east and west, which would better follow the mall’s footprint.

The proposal got us thinking: What would existing baseball stadiums look like with the same alignment pitched by the Portland Diamond Project. Use the interactive graphic below to find out.

...continues at the Oregonian.