Ongoing Portland Stadium Thread

bright · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

j66j66 said: ↑

what they're saying now is that the Lents option is still going to be voted on, but that they can't delay any more for MLS.

As for the baseball fans, almost all of them just want to be reassured that whatever park they build will be convertable for MLB, as if we'd ever get a team and they would actually convert it. Will they push back en masse if the Beavers are leaving? my gut says no, they aren't passionate enough about This Team and This Stadium, but rather holding out for the mythical majors to come to town.
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I have seen some comments referring to PGE Park as a possible temp stadium for a MLB team, as well. If the PGE Park renovations go through, then that won't be a possibility.

radmonkey · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

an MLB team in Portland. Keep dreaming. Someone will be interested, but then all the NIMBY's will have them on the first plane out of town.

The Marquis · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

radmonkey said: ↑

an MLB team in Portland. Keep dreaming. Someone will be interested, but then all the NIMBY's will have them on the first plane out of town.
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You understand Portland better than most Portlanders.

GVPATS77 · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

j66j66 said: ↑

what they're saying now is that the Lents option is still going to be voted on, but that they can't delay any more for MLS.

As for the baseball fans, almost all of them just want to be reassured that whatever park they build will be convertable for MLB, as if we'd ever get a team and they would actually convert it. Will they push back en masse if the Beavers are leaving? my gut says no, they aren't passionate enough about This Team and This Stadium, but rather holding out for the mythical majors to come to town.
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So I read that article. Sounds like the folks up there with votes in Portland are willing to lose the Beavers if it means assuring MLS.

Do I have that about right?

The Marquis · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

I'd say "kinda" They would prefer to keep the Beavs, because of the Spectators fund. However, both Vancouver and Hillsboro may be interested in building the Beavs a stadium.

bright · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

When the stadiums are de-coupled, we will get a third iteration of the financing plan. Here is an article that compared the Rose Quarter and Lents plans: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/06/portland_city_politics_may_und.html

The most recent plan draws $7.5 million from the Spectator Facilities Fund, and $1.2 million from SFF reserves. The previous plan, however, drew $31.4 million from the SFF and $2.4 million from the SFF reserves. The SFF money is contingent on future revenue, including things like concessions taxes at Blazers games. If the Beavers leave town altogether, the city will lose the revenue that they currently put into the SFF, not to mention what they would have contributed while playing in a new baseball stadium.

The PGE Park renovations come in at $37 million. So the potential lack of URA money from Lents and the potential lack of future SFF revenue from the Beavers will impact the new financing plan. We may see additional sports-related taxes to cover any such shortfall.

sitruc · Jun 18, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

GVPATS77 said: ↑

MLS and AAA are delinked (is that a word?)
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According to a few online dictionaries, it is.

The Marquis · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

bright said: ↑

When the stadiums are de-coupled, we will get a third iteration of the financing plan. Here is an article that compared the Rose Quarter and Lents plans: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/06/portland_city_politics_may_und.html

The most recent plan draws $7.5 million from the Spectator Facilities Fund, and $1.2 million from SFF reserves. The previous plan, however, drew $31.4 million from the SFF and $2.4 million from the SFF reserves. The SFF money is contingent on future revenue, including things like concessions taxes at Blazers games. If the Beavers leave town altogether, the city will lose the revenue that they currently put into the SFF, not to mention what they would have contributed while playing in a new baseball stadium.

The PGE Park renovations come in at $37 million. So the potential lack of URA money from Lents and the potential lack of future SFF revenue from the Beavers will impact the new financing plan. We may see additional sports-related taxes to cover any such shortfall.
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Not a chance. There will be no taxes. period. I know that we lose Adam and Saltzman immediately if that happens.

What will likely happen is that they'll put a LOT more SFF money into the deal. Like the first plan. I'd imagine there will be some up front rent (this reduces the interest paid, so it's actually a good deal) as well as the $5m from the state if that happens and Paulson comes up with the rest on his own.

PGE is going to have no trouble being paid for. AND since this ISN'T a baseball forum or thread and the deals are now decoupled, who cares about the baseball stadium.

GVPATS77 · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

The Marquis said: ↑

PGE is going to have no trouble being paid for. AND since this ISN'T a baseball forum or thread and the deals are now decoupled, who cares about the baseball stadium.
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Here is why baseball is relevent in my eyes....and I could be wrong because I'm not up in Portland.

But if PGE gets renovated that pushed the Beavers out. If the Beavers can't find a stadium solution, they leave town.

Would the politicians intentionally kill the PGE rennovations, and in turn kill the MLS bid, to ensure that the Beavers have a place to play?

Yoshou · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

One of the supporters for MLS on the council has said that he will vote against any proposal that causes the Beavers to leave Portland... So that will leave the vote 2 for and 3 against. Of course, if that councilman changes his mind and goes against what he said, or one of the 2 councilmembers that are currently opposed to the PGE reno's switches their vote to Approve, that would change the equation.

The Marquis · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In POrtland

No, they wouldn't. THAT IS WHY THEY DECOUPLED THEM!!!

This can't be said enough. The decoupling was done for one reason... so that the future of the Beavers does not have any bearing on the future of MLS Timbers.

Also to give more time to discussions involving the baseball stadium... which we should even be discussing.

The Marquis · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Yoshou said: ↑

One of the supporters for MLS on the council has said that he will vote against any proposal that causes the Beavers to leave Portland... So that will leave the vote 2 for and 3 against. Of course, if that councilman changes his mind and goes against what he said, or one of the 2 councilmembers that are currently opposed to the PGE reno's switches their vote to Approve, that would change the equation.
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Randy Leonard.... voted in favor yesterday of decoupling the deals

Read the links provided over the last 24 hours. Adams and Saltzman were always in favor of decoupling. Leonard was the holdout and now he's voted to decouple.

The next two weeks they discuss and vote on a predevelopment deal. Saltzman is almost certainly a yes because he wants MLS in Portland. He's said so in interviews. His reservations always revolved around the baseball stadium. Now that THAT bitch isn't on the table they can focus solely on the soccer stadium deal which he said he supports.

This is about 100x better than where we were the day after the MLS team was announced by the league. Just think of it this way..

THANK GOD BASEBALL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS DEAL!

GVPATS77 · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

The Marquis said: ↑

Randy Leonard.... voted in favor yesterday of decoupling the deals

Read the links provided over the last 24 hours. Adams and Saltzman were always in favor of decoupling. Leonard was the holdout and now he's voted to decouple.

The next two weeks they discuss and vote on a predevelopment deal. Saltzman is almost certainly a yes because he wants MLS in Portland. He's said so in interviews. His reservations always revolved around the baseball stadium. Now that THAT bitch isn't on the table they can focus solely on the soccer stadium deal which he said he supports.

This is about 100x better than where we were the day after the MLS team was announced by the league. Just think of it this way..

THANK GOD BASEBALL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS DEAL!
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I swear I'm not being dense. But you can say the two are decoupled. It doesn't make it true.

PGE gets rennovated, Beavers can't play there. If they have no place to play, they leave town.

Decoupling just means that PGE doesn't require a baseball stadium approval as a package deal. It doesn't mean that baseball and soccer aren't still joined at the hip. That's what I'm afraid of.

bright · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Merritt Paulson has taken Lents off the table for the baseball stadium. It looks like the suburbs are now the only option. The Marquis, if you have a link, please provide. Thanks.

GVPATS77, I am not sure if the political winds will flow that way. There will be some vocal opposition among the citizenry to the Beavers leaving, but the city council has a solid 2 votes in the "I don't care" category, and the previous holdout now, Randy Leonard, now says he "won't hold the soccer deal hostage any longer". The more important issue is how the departure of the Beavers will affect the new financing plan.

The Marquis · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Vancouver residents would shit themselves for some entertainment options like AAA baseball.

bright · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Link: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/paulson_pulls_the_plug_on_lent.html

Now, with the September 1 deadline to secure a funding plan to ready PGE Park for Major League Soccer fast approaching, it is critical that we reach an agreement to fund PGE Park improvements or risk losing the unique opportunity to bring MLS to Portland altogether. For this reason, and a lack of community support for a new Triple-A stadium in Lents, I am withdrawing our proposal for a Lents baseball stadium. I am grateful for the time and serious consideration the neighborhood leaders, city staff, elected officials and Lents residents have given this proposal the past few months, but it is now clear that the community-at-large has not embraced this idea.
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This is a good thing, by the way. Not negative news at all.

bright · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/06/19/breaking-randy-leonard-now-to-vote-against-soccer-deal/

Commissioner Randy Leonard says this afternoon he will now vote against his own ordinance to move forward on the Major League Soccer deal after Beavers owner Merritt Paulson’s announcement today that he will pull out of the Lents stadium proposal for minor-league baseball.
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Damn it. He said all along he would do this, but his statement about decoupling made it seem like he wouldn't follow through. I guess he is sticking to his guns.

soccermaul · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Randy Leonard Now To Vote Against Soccer Deal
Willamette Week

soccermaul · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Lents stadium plan off the table, says Beavers team owner Merritt
OregonLive.com

Yoshou · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

I would now say soccer in PDX is officially in trouble. Paulson's hot-headedness seems to have scared Leonard of the Aye side.... Granted, this is just after a rather raucous Lents meeting, so cooler heads may prevail...

Stan Collins · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Yoshou said: ↑

I would now say soccer in PDX is officially in trouble. Paulson's hot-headedness seems to have scared Leonard of the Aye side.... Granted, this is just after a rather raucous Lents meeting, so cooler heads may prevail...
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Paulson's hot-headedness? I think you mean Leonard's.

lfcli30 · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Wow, Randy Leonard seems like a pompous little prick. Why vote for the de-coupling, only to hold Paulson hostage and ruin the financing plan for PGE park? This doesn't look good for Portland at all.

I think it's time the Timbers fans take to the streets and start protesting.

bright · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com.../19/breaking-paulson-withdraws-lents-proposal

"My impression is that a neighborhood vote would not have been supportive," says Adams, who adds that the city will not work to find the Beavers a new home in Portland, but that if Paulson can, it will be "good for the city."

Though it's possible that the very open public process may have killed the deal, Adams says: "I still think it's the right thing to do. There's a time and a place to work at a deal round a table, and a time and a place to vet a deal publicly."

Adams says the city will now have to go back to the negotiating table for Major League Soccer money, re-negotiating the time line and re-negotiating a financing plan, because, "this is no longer a two stadium deal."

Adams says the mayor's office will now have to figure out where all the city commissioners stand on Major League Soccer without the Lents baseball project involved. Nevertheless, Adams says he's "confident" about the MLS deal continuing.
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bright · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/06...-neighbors-—-why-lents-may-be-cheering-today/

The reaction to Paulson and Leonard at the meeting in Lents last evening was extremely heated. It most likely impacted both Paulson's and Leonard's stances this morning. They probably chased Paulson away, and they probably made Leonard worried about his seat on the council. Leonard also grew up in Lents, so there was probably a lot of embarrassment from being heckled by his own neighborhood.

Yoshou · Jun 19, 2009

Re: Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Soccer Stadium Financing In Portland

Don't get me wrong, Leonard sounds like a giant prick, but this isn't the first time that Paulson has metaphorically picked up the ball and threatened to go play somewhere else during this process.

As for why Leonard voted in favor of the decoupling, it sounds like he voted in favor of the decoupling after he got assurances from Paulson that he'd keep the team in Portland. Paulson's letter seems to have had the effect of convincing Leonard that Paulson isn't serious about keeping the team in Portland.