Portland Diamond Project (MLB) | Proposed

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by pdxsg34

If I recall correctly, the ESCO site in NW, Terminal 2, Lloyd Center, Beaverton (RedTail), and I believe they considered Hillsboro and E Portland at times.

Traffic and accessibility concerns with the S Waterfront are going to be front and center, which is valid, however, this site is miles better than the Beaverton one they were previously considering. Lots of public transit options available in S Waterfront, plus if the OMSI plan comes to fruition, it'd be great to grab a bite there, then walk the tilikum over to the ballgame. If they can get this right and address the transportation issues, this could be a boon for the area.

Wasn’t there a phase at Rose City golf course too?

[PhillyPDX]

Sorry for double post, but just thinking, if this space works as a stadium, it could serve as a cool hub between south waterfront, the ohsu campus, and the future Omsi development across the river via the Tilikum bridge. South end of Portland downtown would be pretty impressive.

I suspect traffic here will be too much to overcome though.

[Derek]

Who cares about traffic at this particular location though? If people want to sit in their cars for an hour rather than hop on the plethora of public transit options, that’s on them.

[subterranean]

It's not just about people going to games, it's other people who need to use the roads, too. Emergency vehicles, bus routes (school and public), and people trying to get home from work. Not everyone has the luxury of commuting via transit.

[Derek]

That’s fair.

[babs]

Originally Posted by subterranean

It's not just about people going to games, it's other people who need to use the roads, too. Emergency vehicles, bus routes (school and public), and people trying to get home from work. Not everyone has the luxury of commuting via transit.

This location has just as much and perhaps better access than Providence Park. Most people do not drive to urban stadiums, they find a way to take transit. They could easily extend the Yellow line to here to increase the frequency.

[colossalorder]

Echoing general sentiments here.

I think this is a fantastic location for so many reasons, but boy, traffic flow there is a cluster. So many illogical tangles, weird turns, etc. That connection from 405 to South Waterfront is so bizarre. I hope there would be an opportunity to make improvements in flows and connections. It has so much potential given all the major roadways, but I know the hill is a challenge.

Did you know that Portland once considered starting an I5 tunnel right about at the Zidell Yards location? See page 11. That would have been amazing!
https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/ce...udy-project-summary-report-2005/download

[dizflip]

Originally Posted by colossalorder

Echoing general sentiments here.

I think this is a fantastic location for so many reasons, but boy, traffic flow there is a cluster. So many illogical tangles, weird turns, etc. That connection from 405 to South Waterfront is so bizarre. I hope there would be an opportunity to make improvements in flows and connections. It has so much potential given all the major roadways, but I know the hill is a challenge.

Did you know that Portland once considered starting an I5 tunnel right about at the Zidell Yards location? See page 11. That would have been amazing!
https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/ce...udy-project-summary-report-2005/download

Had they built that I-5 tunnel and capped sections of 405... damn. Portland had so much confidence back then. I miss it.

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by babs

This location has just as much and perhaps better access than Providence Park. Most people do not drive to urban stadiums, they find a way to take transit. They could easily extend the Yellow line to here to increase the frequency.

Did you read the comment before responding? I couldn't care less about the people going to games, I'm talking about how this will impact this area of town for everyone else. I actually like the location for a ballpark, but there's no denying some major infrastructure projects will have to go hand-in-hand with development of that site. Also, is it big enough? Seems kind of tight.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by subterranean

Seems like a decent option, although I agree that roadways will need to be reworked. Yes, there's good transit, but that area is a clusterfuck already in terms of traffic and poorly designed interchanges.

I am not even sure that would be much of an issue, especially since any additional parking could be built on the east side of the river.

Originally Posted by subterranean

Did you read the comment before responding? I couldn't care less about the people going to games, I'm talking about how this will impact this area of town for everyone else. I actually like the location for a ballpark, but there's no denying some major infrastructure projects will have to go hand-in-hand with development of that site. Also, is it big enough? Seems kind of tight.

I am not sure this will be much of an issue when it comes to traffic for others, especially when you think about where people can park to go to games. Park and rides would definitely see an influx of use during game days. As for around the stadium, building garages on both sides of the river could also disperse game day congestions. Overall, I don't see this being any worse than it is for the Moda Center Blazers game days.

As for spacing, just about any current MLB stadium would fit on the northside of the site, between the Tillicum Bridge and the Ross Island Bridge. The Ross Island Bridge would most likely be visible for sports fans at the game. The stadium would also have a major presence next to the western side of the Ross Island Bridge.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by babs

This location has just as much and perhaps better access than Providence Park. Most people do not drive to urban stadiums, they find a way to take transit. They could easily extend the Yellow line to here to increase the frequency.

Technically Yellow and Orange lines are the same line, though it would be nice to one day see them separated to offer faster train service.

[maccoinnich]

Baseball in Portland? Here’s how 11 existing stadiums would fit along Willamette River



Backers of bringing Major League Baseball to Portland this week unveiled the latest location for a potential ballpark, and it’s the same spot that captured the imagination of some city residents and sporting fans way back when conversations began in earnest six years ago.

The Portland Diamond Project now says it has a deal in place that could allow it to purchase 33 acres of waterfront property just south of downtown, along light rail and streetcar lines, with a picturesque backdrop of the Willamette River.

That’s one of the sites long under consideration, and it comes after the Diamond Project previously touted deals that never materialized: negotiating rights to purchase the Port of Portland’s Terminal 2 north of downtown; an $80 million offer on the Portland Public School’s headquarters that was subsequently withdrawn; a similar $30 million offer to buy RedTail Golf Center near Beaverton; and discussions with the owners of the Lloyd Center.

Given so many locations over such a long stretch of time, it’s hard to read too much into the long-term viability of the latest proposal.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Technically Yellow and Orange lines are the same line, though it would be nice to one day see them separated to offer faster train service.

Per Forward Together 2, TriMet's long term goal is to all lines running to at least 7.5 minute frequencies (8 trains per hour). I don't know what it would take to get to that point, but if the MLB/Zidell and OMSI redevelopments both move forward it would certainly justify more MAX service that currently exists in that part of town.

One (relatively easy?) way to do that would be to separate the Orange and Yellow lines, with the Orange turning back at Union Station and the yellow turning back at Clinton St/SE 12th Ave. That would result in 8 trains per hour over the Tilikum and 12 trains per hour along the transit mall.

[babs]

Originally Posted by subterranean

Did you read the comment before responding? I couldn't care less about the people going to games, I'm talking about how this will impact this area of town for everyone else. I actually like the location for a ballpark, but there's no denying some major infrastructure projects will have to go hand-in-hand with development of that site. Also, is it big enough? Seems kind of tight.

Thank you, I did read your comment. Not sure if your comment was intended to be an insult or not but whatever.

Game days at Providence Park impact the many residents that live in Goose Hollow and NW Portland. Putting the stadium in this location would be no different. The only road that goes and out of the area can't handle the traffic however, there is amazing transit capacity to this area that leverages the billions in infrastructure we've built. Isn't the point to get people out of their cars? Imagine a water taxi service as well.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Per Forward Together 2, TriMet's long term goal is to all lines running to at least 7.5 minute frequencies (8 trains per hour). I don't know what it would take to get to that point, but if the MLB/Zidell and OMSI redevelopments both move forward it would certainly justify more MAX service that currently exists in that part of town.

One (relatively easy?) way to do that would be to separate the Orange and Yellow lines, with the Orange turning back at Union Station and the yellow turning back at Clinton St/SE 12th Ave. That would result in 8 trains per hour over the Tilikum and 12 trains per hour along the transit mall.

I was just guessing this, but this is pretty much in line with what I was thinking. When developments start happening along the yellow line, it will definitely justify it. Though I would say all the developments that have happened on the Yellow line, that line is already justifying why it should be it's own line.

[PhillyPDX]

Not much news. But some level of optical city commitment at least.

https://katu.com/news/politics/portland-...to-support-an-major-league-baseball-team

[maccoinnich]

Portland City Council backs group’s plans to build Major League Baseball stadium



PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland City Council unanimously agreed on Wednesday to formally support the Portland Diamond Project’s plans to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city and to build a new stadium along the city’s South Waterfront.

Mayor Ted Wheeler brought the agenda item to the council, he said, with the intention of sending a signal to Major League Baseball and to the rest of the country that the City of Portland is “very serious” about landing an MLB team.

“Major League Baseball will be expanding by two teams in the very near future,” Wheeler said. “That’s been known for some time, and during that time, cities across the country have been preparing proposals and packages to convince [the] MLB that their cities should be selected. “Based on everything we have heard to this point, Portland should be in the lead.”

The adopted ordinance directs the City of Portland to partner with the Portland Diamond Project and make the best possible pitch for the MLB to select Portland for the league’s next expansion. In September, the Portland Diamond Project announced that it signed a letter of intent to acquire the Zidell Yards property in hopes of building an MLB stadium.

...continues at KOIN.

[maccoinnich]

Mayor-elect Wilson on bringing MLB team to Portland: 'Confident it's down to us and one other city'

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Mayor-elect Keith Wilson went on "Straight Talk" with Laural Porter this week, and in addition to answering questions about unsheltered homelessness, clean energy and the relationship between the city and the county, he also answered a question about MLB to Portland.

Before the interview began, Wilson told Porter that he'd recently had a meeting about bringing Major League Baseball to Portland. When asked if it's a real possibility that the Rose City could get an MLB team, Wilson provided a positive response.

"I'd say this is as close as we've come," he said.

Wilson mentioned that there were about 120 people at this meeting, including legislators, legislative assistants and business leaders, calling it a "real public-private partnership" trying to bring MLB to Portland.

"We feel confident it's down to us and one other city," Wilson said. "And we're making a solid play. They got a wonderful facility planned over at the Zidell Yards, which is in South Waterfront overlooking the water with a mountain in the view. I think it's a reality, and this is our time to really make that play."

...continues at KGW.

[urbanlife]

I really hope this happens because I would love to go to MLB games in Portland. Plus it is an easy walk for me to the Orange line and have it drop me off right at the stadium

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

I really hope this happens because I would love to go to MLB games in Portland. Plus it is an easy walk for me to the Orange line and have it drop me off right at the stadium

I’m still not quite sure how that lot works. The Oregonian stadium overlay images showed all example stadiums (save Fenway, but a stadium like that ain’t happening in modern era) overlapping with adjacent roads/bridges. That’s before you include entrance plazas, parking garages (there will be some, regardless of anti car folks don’t want them) which will significantly increase footprint needed. And it’s adjacent to only 1 realistic train option. People (tens of thousands every game) aren’t going to make transfers in big numbers, so parking is a must.