Portland Diamond Project (MLB) | Proposed

[ThatDarnSacramentan]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Globe Life Field is one of the few (only?) MLB stadiums I've been to, to see RBD last fall. If MLB 2 PDX results in more Mexican pop bands from the early 2000s playing in Portland, my husband will be very happy.

Out of the six parks I've been to, if we got the Rangers' park with the Braves' surrounding ballpark village, we'd have something real special.

Globe Life Park is such a funky park, but it works. The site constraints makes it feel like all the seating is pushed closer to the field.

[DevilsRider]

Recognizing the necessity of parking to accompany an MLB stadium, I wonder if the NUNM site could be a good location for that, given its short distance from the stadium and the relative access from I-5, downtown, and the Ross Island Bridge compared to a site down off of Moody. Imagine it would need to be coupled with the rebuilding of the Ross Island Bridgehead and connections related to that, probably modified from previous plans to better handle that event demand, and maybe even a new exit from the I-405 to I-5 SB ramp to provide additional access that way. And creating a new pedestrian connection (under?) Ross Island Bridge directly to the Gibbs bridge over I-5 might make for a very comfortable walk between those sites. Would also necessitate additional elevator/ramp connections on the east side of the Gibbs bridge to handle those crowds.

[maccoinnich]

Not a sports person, but my understanding is that it would likely be between Portland and Salt Lake City?

Editor's Notebook: Why Nashville's leading Portland in MLB intangibles



In late November, I headed due southeast, drawn by the alluring sounds and sights of Nashville.

The 2024 visit, for a family gathering, took me inside the city for basically the first time. I’d been in town for about two hours when I remembered that Nashville is, with Portland, Charlotte and Montreal, mentioned as candidates for Major League Baseball. I quickly realized that, should a spot come down to a choice between Portland and Nashville, there’s almost no way that MLB won’t choose the Music City.

My evidence is anecdotal, but it comes down to a few things. Many spots I frequented, primarily Music Row and downtown, are activated, with an array of diverse, money-spending patrons making the scene. As in Portland, these spots with heavy foot traffic seem safe, with bouncers and other security workers ensuring that passers-by don’t get harassed.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal ($).

[sopdx]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Not a sports person, but my understanding is that it would likely be between Portland and Salt Lake City?



...continues at the Portland Business Journal ($).

I'm always perplexed when people take a weekend trip someplace and have so many conclusions about where they have just visited.

Nashville's housing prices have soared, their growth rate has slowed and their CBD vacancy rates are rising each month which is raising concern. Not to the level of Portland's mind you but still suggesting the bloom is fading.

Regarding MLB, I believe Nashville is being considered for a different division.

[AdamNorthwest]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Not a sports person, but my understanding is that it would likely be between Portland and Salt Lake City?



...continues at the Portland Business Journal ($).

Sorry but this is a pretty weak op-ed from the PBJ (which I really like by the way). It doesn't take into account that MLB wants to expand with one team in the east, and one team in the west. Nashville is competing with Charlotte and Montreal, not Portland or Salt Lake City. Baseball, unlike basketball, has a division dedicated solely to the "Central" part of the country (Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, etc.), making it further unlikely that Nashville will be competing with Portland or Salt Lake City. Also, their version of the Portland Diamond Project (MLB Music City) is only one year old, while the PDP has been around for 5+ years and has an LOI signed for a stadium site.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by sopdx

I'm always perplexed when people take a weekend trip someplace and have so many conclusions about where they have just visited.

Nashville's housing prices have soared, their growth rate has slowed and their CBD vacancy rates are rising each month which is raising concern. Not to the level of Portland's mind you but still suggesting the bloom is fading.

Regarding MLB, I believe Nashville is being considered for a different division.

Ironic, because I have met MANY people in Portland that literally moved here for just that reason (even some with kids and no jobs lined up). It's crazy to think people would do that. Take a vacation, uproot family. So given that gravity of that type of decision, drawing a simple conclusion on a city for a business journal article on a city seems pretty trivial.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Ironic, because I have met MANY people in Portland that literally moved here for just that reason (even some with kids and no jobs lined up). It's crazy to think people would do that. Take a vacation, uproot family. So given that gravity of that type of decision, drawing a simple conclusion on a city for a business journal article on a city seems pretty trivial.

That's how I ended up here, I came here for a vacation in 2002 with it being a couple days in Portland and the rest of the week in Seattle. I ended up extending my time in Portland for most of that vacation and only spent a day up in Seattle. I fell in love with Portland that very first day and moved here a year later.

I feel like it is a toss up between Charlotte and Nashville because they both have their pros and cons. I also don't know how serious Charlotte is at pursuing a MLB team, so that could also be a factor.

With Portland and Salt Lake, I think Salt Lake is a great market for AAA, their new stadium location in a new growing little downtown in Daybreak looks great, but the overall market there is still really small and fairly isolated. Portland has a much larger market and a built in rivalry with Seattle that would help both teams as well as reduce Seattle's travel distances by a lot.

[mhays]

Was there anything approaching an arguement in the PBJ? I read it and don't see one.

Nashville has a booming skyline of condos and hotels, but has some of the worst transit for any city on the planet. It's also 20% smaller by metro and even worse by CSA.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by mhays

Was there anything approaching an arguement in the PBJ? I read it and don't see one.

Nashville has a booming skyline of condos and hotels, but has some of the worst transit for any city on the planet. It's also 20% smaller by metro and even worse by CSA.

I don't think transit really comes into play for sports decisions. Maybe there is some virtue signaling from MLB, but ultimately no. Not to compare in a city vs city talk, but Nashville was 38% smaller just 15 years ago, now it's only 20%: It's booming, still. And it gets the Vegas touristy thing, which I imagine is a huge bonus for a new sports team (I have lots of friends from across the country that go to Vegas to combine seeing their team play and do the Vegas thing = seats sold). The airport now carries almost 40% MORE passengers than PDX (a good proxy for biz/tourism), whereas just 10 years ago PDX carried 46% more. A 86% relative swing. That's pretty crazy.

If you go to Nashville and compare to downtown Portland, and you don't see a significant difference in urban vitality and growth, I'm not sure what else can be said.

[mhays]

Transit might not be in the top five considerations for MLB expansion, but I don't think towers or vibrant downtowns are either.

Actually some argue that the more boring the city, the better the sports attendance.

You make a good point about tourism being part of attendance. But the airport traffic point isn't correct...traffic follows hubs (like Southwest in Nashville), not tourism per se. Some cities have literally seen traffic cut in half (or double) for this reason.

[Derek]

I was just in Nashville and outside of the 4 block area that is “Broadway” the entire city is dead and lifeless. Clean, new, and shiny? Sure. Outside of that there’s absolutely nothing going on, and getting anywhere without a car is damn near impossible.

[maccoinnich]

Portland Chamber to ponder future of Major League Baseball



Fans of Major League Baseball have long dreamed about Portland getting its own team. But is that even possible?

The Portland Metro Chamber of Commerce is hosting a panel discussion on that topic from 8:30 to 10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 16, in the Skyline Room of the Portland Hilton, 921 S.W. Sixth Ave.

People can register to attend here.

...continues at the Portland Tribune.

[AdamNorthwest]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

...continues at the Portland Tribune.

I'm guessing this event will be nearly identical to last month's with maybe a couple more renderings. If the press release is still planned for late January, then we should know a lot more really soon.

[maccoinnich]

Group pitches Rose City’s attractiveness to MLB



Portland baseball boosters said Thursday that they’re closer than ever to securing a Major League Baseball team.

“We are at a point we have not been at before,” said Mike Barrett, managing director of the Portland Diamond Project (PDP). “We’re feeling better than ever and more confident than ever about where we are.”

The baseball group has a ballpark site: In September, PDP representatives said they had signed a letter of intent and term sheet with the Zidell family to purchase Zidell Yards, a 33-acre former industrial site in the South Waterfront District.

Now, the baseball group is waiting for MLB to expand or move a team to Portland.

“We only control this part,” Barrett said of the local MLB effort. “We don’t control that part.”

Barrett’s comments came during a breakfast forum hosted by the Portland Metro Chamber at the downtown Hilton hotel.

...continues at the DJC ($).

[MarkDaMan]

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2025/0...-vision-for-mlb-stadium-in-portland.html

First look: Renderings show vision for MLB stadium in Portland
Updated: Mar. 03, 2025, 3:01 p.m.|Published: Mar. 03, 2025, 2:25 p.m.

By Bill Oram | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Craig Cheek told a legislative committee Monday morning that Portland could break ground on a Major League Baseball stadium on the south Waterfront as early as 2027 if Portland is awarded a team.

Cheek, the CEO of the Portland Diamond Project, presented to the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade alongside Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Andrew Hoan, the president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance and the Portland Metro Chamber.

The Portland Diamond Project, which has worked to bring an MLB team to Portland since 2017 in fits and starts, landed on Zidell Yards in September as the location for a potential stadium and Cheek told the committee that the purchase sale agreement was signed in early February.

...(continues)

[downtownpdx]

Gorgeous.

[pylon]

pretty nice, though wouldn’t mind seeing Bjarke Ingels or Frank Gehry take a swing at a ballpark design

[maccoinnich]

More ballpark renderings here.

[maccoinnich]

And for those who want to listen, here's the link to yesterday's House Committee On Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade meeting, where Craig Cheek of PDP presented alongside Mayor Keith Wilson and Andrew Hoan of the Metro Chamber. Starts about 12 minutes in.

[subterranean]

This project may single handedly Keep Portland Weird.