Moda Center/Rose Quarter News

[MarkDaMan]

It's got a big shell that has no known structural issues. I'd love to see the Memorial Coliseum upgraded to hold Blazers and Fire games for a season or two so they can demolish the parts of the interior of the Moda Center that aren't working and rebuild. I hate that in America we're so quick to abandon sounds sports facilities and either tear them down or allow them to sit around and rot. A season of the Blazers playing at the MC would be so iconic!

[maccoinnich]

VMC is being upgraded right now! Not to the standards of a modern NBA arena (which I don't think would be possible, without essentially rebuilding it), but it should help increase the number of events that are held there annually. Its capacity fills a nice niche in between the future Live Nation/AEG-Monqui venues and the Moda Center.

[maccoinnich]

I'm sure you've all seen this, but just in case...

Portland Trail Blazers to be sold to Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon



The Portland Trail Blazers will have a new owner — and he intends to keep the team in the city that has been its home since its founding in 1970.

Sources confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive that Paul Allen’s estate has agreed to sell the team to Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. Dundon heads a group to buy the team that includes the co-president of Blue Owl Capital, Marc Zahr, as well as Portland-based CEO Sheel Tyle.

A negotiated sales price was not disclosed, although ESPN reported it to be just over $4 billion.

In a text message to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Dundon declined to address specifics of the sale, but said he would “be happy to talk” once things are finalized. A spokesperson for the Allen estate said it would not comment on any sale until a deal was formally in place.

....continues at the Oregonian.

[MarkDaMan]

Great news about the team and it appears they are looking for additional Portland-based investors! Things are about to get real interesting in terms of discussions about the Moda Center.

https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2025/...sportswears-tim-boyle-is-interested.html

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon heads a group that has reached a deal to buy Portland’s beloved NBA franchise.

But it appears the group is still growing. Dundon’s business partners have been in contact with prominent Oregonians about investing in the days leading up to Wednesday’s announcement — including Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, who’s considering it.

“If it helped to keep the team here, I’d be interested,” Boyle said.

[maccoinnich]

Trail Blazers have dream plans for revamped Moda Center. Will a new owner use them?



Somewhere in the executive offices at One Center Court, a collection of colorful renderings sits tucked away, hiding the possibilities of what could be in a dream world where Moda Center and the Rose Quarter are reimagined.

They feature acres of waterfront property and greenways along the banks of the Willamette River. They include a hidden Interstate Avenue, buried beneath pedestrian walkways. They contain a covered MAX light rail station, located steps away from a gigantic atrium that welcomes Blazermaniacs to Portland Trail Blazers games.

And blanketing it all is a barrage of mixed-use development, complete with towering new buildings.

“We kind of had this idea of, like, ‘Hey, if we had no budget and we dreamed big, what could this space look like, how could we take advantage of the fact that there’s the waterfront right there?’” a team source with direct knowledge of the renovation plans told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[MarkDaMan]

I'd love to see the renderings!

[maccoinnich]

Trail Blazers gear up for legislative ask that would ‘guarantee’ team’s future in Portland



Late last summer, Tom Dundon revealed the market value of the Portland Trail Blazers: $4.25 billion.

We’re about to find out what the team is worth to the state of Oregon.

When legislators convene in Salem next month for the biannual short session, they will be met with a proposal from Blazers leaders that should look familiar.

Familiar because lawmakers passed nearly identical legislation last year in support of Portland’s pursuit of Major League Baseball.

The Trail Blazers, multiple sources close to the proposal said, are prepared to ask that state income tax on all players and team employees and those with visiting teams — an estimated $20 million per year — be redirected from the state’s general fund toward a $600 million Moda Center renovation that is seen as critical to keeping the franchise in Portland.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[PhillyPDX]

For consistency this needs to be done. But I fail to see how this is logically any different from other states giving handouts to billionaire owners. Threaten to leave, get publicly funded stadium/renovations (or tax credits, same thing), owner profits.

Of course blazers owners would ask for the same thing. They didn’t get that rich with no sense of how to game the system in their favor. Public is forced to ask, what happens if they leave (or don’t come, for mlb)? What elected official wants that?

[PhillyPDX]

https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2026/...a-efforts-meet-resistance-bill-oram.html

[babs]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

For consistency this needs to be done. But I fail to see how this is logically any different from other states giving handouts to billionaire owners. Threaten to leave, get publicly funded stadium/renovations (or tax credits, same thing), owner profits.

Of course blazers owners would ask for the same thing. They didn’t get that rich with no sense of how to game the system in their favor. Public is forced to ask, what happens if they leave (or don’t come, for mlb)? What elected official wants that?

The problem is that the new Blazers own is rich but not that rich. He needs to sell a large portion of his NHL team to be able to afford the Blazers. So it's clear why he doesn't want to spend any money on the arena. And Jody Allen knew what she was doing by handing the building over to the city. I knew that was a red flag at the time.

The problem ultimately is that if the Blazers leave and with downtown struggling, the recovery of Portland will be set back by years. An empty, outdated arena with no major league sports team sure sends a message to investors that something bad is going on in Portland. We need the outside investment to build housing, create new jobs, and revitalize the economy. It would be hard for it to happen with just locals stepping up.

[mhays]

Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego, greater San Francisco, etc., seem to be doing ok after teams moved away.

If the arena is free, it's a positive. If it requires a billion in public money, or even a few hundred million, it's possible that the money might have done more good elsewhere.

Locally-generated team revenues are basically the entertainment spending of local residents. Those people will still spend their money, just not on the local team.

I want my Sonics back of course. But it's not for the local economy.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by mhays

Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego, greater San Francisco, etc., seem to be doing ok after teams moved away.

If the arena is free, it's a positive. If it requires a billion in public money, or even a few hundred million, it's possible that the money might have done more good elsewhere.

Locally-generated team revenues are basically the entertainment spending of local residents. Those people will still spend their money, just not on the local team.

I want my Sonics back of course. But it's not for the local economy.

That’s the game these owners play, especially tricky in a town with only 1 true major sports team. But to be sure people (companies) do consider major sports teams when considering moves, so what’s that worth? And MLS is nowhere near the importance of NBA, sorry Timbers. Direct city comps are hard since almost all large cities have big 4 sports. I guess Austin. Richmond VA has been a boom town for a while now. They both get the economic luxury of being state capitols though. And losing one feels far worse than never having one.

[babs]

Originally Posted by mhays

Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego, greater San Francisco, etc., seem to be doing ok after teams moved away.

If the arena is free, it's a positive. If it requires a billion in public money, or even a few hundred million, it's possible that the money might have done more good elsewhere.

Locally-generated team revenues are basically the entertainment spending of local residents. Those people will still spend their money, just not on the local team.

I want my Sonics back of course. But it's not for the local economy.

Seattle also had the Seahawks, and Mariners. The Kraken cost nearly a billion to redo the old Key Arena so it's a bit different.

Vancouver only had their basketball team for three or so years.

San Francisco had the Warriors move over from Oakland, which is now struggling. The also have the Giants.

Portland will receive a gut punch and national headlines that the city is failing if the Blazers leave. Not the end of the world, but also will be a massive setback. I'd rather see us save the Blazers than use a similar tax scheme to lure a new baseball team and starting over. Save what we have.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by babs

The problem is that the new Blazers own is rich but not that rich. He needs to sell a large portion of his NHL team to be able to afford the Blazers. So it's clear why he doesn't want to spend any money on the arena. And Jody Allen knew what she was doing by handing the building over to the city. I knew that was a red flag at the time.

The problem ultimately is that if the Blazers leave and with downtown struggling, the recovery of Portland will be set back by years. An empty, outdated arena with no major league sports team sure sends a message to investors that something bad is going on in Portland. We need the outside investment to build housing, create new jobs, and revitalize the economy. It would be hard for it to happen with just locals stepping up.

Jody Allen really screwed the city when she wouldn't sell to Phil Knight, who had the local connection to the state and billions in available funding. He as well was partnering with a younger partial owner who very possibly could have taken over the franchise when Knight was ready to "retire".

As it stands now, if the arena doesn't get improved, there are hungry metros out there that will be throwing money hand over fist to lure the team away, and they will be successful. We will lose all of that very high income tax payments from well compensated players, coaches and Blazer staff with nothing in return other than another Memorial Coliseum type of wasted space.

So what do we do. Lose the team and the revenue stream? Redirect those taxes to pay for the updated arena and keep the civic pride and a lucrative entertainment option? Negotiate with the new owner about some sort of cost share?

Shit, we've raised taxes and spent billions on homeless and drug abuse services over the past several years, only to see that money seem to attract more and more individuals into the metro area with little evidence anything we're doing is helping our most distressed neighbors and the homeless/drug problems. Don't get me started about the billions of taxes it will take to pay for a gigantic bridge and freeway widening project from the Rose Quarter to Ridgefield. Can you imagine a little Timmy on a rainy Friday night asking his parents if they can spend hours staring at a freeway bridge than watching players at the Rose Quarter because we wouldn't repurpose income taxes that won't even exist anymore.

Can't we have something nice in Portland? And I'm not arguing we pad billionaire's pockets. Unfortunantly the buyer Jody Allen found really isn't in a place financially where he can bankroll two professional sports teams. We can't change who Jody is selling the team to, so logically redirecting the teams income taxes into renovating the arena, and tapping into visitor taxes on hotels and rental cars to provide a city/county/state match, doesn't seem extreme to me. If the owner isn't putting in any of his personal funds, the city should also keep all the revenue generated from parking, concessions, naming rights and market rate rent from the Blazers games as well as any concerts and other activities that take place at the arena.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

Jody Allen really screwed the city when she wouldn't sell to Phil Knight, who had the local connection to the state and billions in available funding. He as well was partnering with a younger partial owner who very possibly could have taken over the franchise when Knight was ready to "retire".

As it stands now, if the arena doesn't get improved, there are hungry metros out there that will be throwing money hand over fist to lure the team away, and they will be successful. We will lose all of that very high income tax payments from well compensated players, coaches and Blazer staff with nothing in return other than another Memorial Coliseum type of wasted space.

So what do we do. Lose the team and the revenue stream? Redirect those taxes to pay for the updated arena and keep the civic pride and a lucrative entertainment option? Negotiate with the new owner about some sort of cost share?

Shit, we've raised taxes and spent billions on homeless and drug abuse services over the past several years, only to see that money seem to attract more and more individuals into the metro area with little evidence anything we're doing is helping our most distressed neighbors and the homeless/drug problems. Don't get me started about the billions of taxes it will take to pay for a gigantic bridge and freeway widening project from the Rose Quarter to Ridgefield. Can you imagine a little Timmy on a rainy Friday night asking his parents if they can spend hours staring at a freeway bridge than watching players at the Rose Quarter because we wouldn't repurpose income taxes that won't even exist anymore.

Can't we have something nice in Portland? And I'm not arguing we pad billionaire's pockets. Unfortunantly the buyer Jody Allen found really isn't in a place financially where he can bankroll two professional sports teams. We can't change who Jody is selling the team to, so logically redirecting the teams income taxes into renovating the arena, and tapping into visitor taxes on hotels and rental cars to provide a city/county/state match, doesn't seem extreme to me. If the owner isn't putting in any of his personal funds, the city should also keep all the revenue generated from parking, concessions, naming rights and market rate rent from the Blazers games as well as any concerts and other activities that take place at the arena.

Don’t discount civic pride too. Being an east coaster, nothing brings a community together more than a successful major sports team. The large amount of blazers license plates I see show how many people care. My buddies back east that played college ball, talk how they know of blazers being a famously good fanbase. These things matter.

Anyway, I assume leaders will do everything they can to keep the team. We will complain about the cost, maybe rightfully so, but in the end they’ll keep the team here.

[mhays]

Greater San Francisco also lost the Raiders and As. I don't count cross-town moves like Golden State or the 49ers.

It makes sense that having fewer teams ramps up the PR value of the remaining ones.

There might be some PR plus side to saying no to a big subsidy though. Team subsidies, like big road packages, tend to be one of the few topics where a lot of progressives and anti-tax people meet.

[aquaticko]

I dunno. Experience--everywhere--says that these sorts of sports franchise handouts never pay off financially, and setting the precedent that Portland is another pushover for them is an unalloyed bad. Maybe we can negotiate on the tax exemptions? After all, they may be locally and regionally significant--as I'm not a basketball person, I don't know--but nationally as far as I know they're still kinda small potatoes. What other city--that doesn't have an even less prominence n than Portland--is champing at the bit to buy them?

About the only decent argument is that a sports team is so crucial to downtown activity, but I feel like the projected $4.25B loss isn't exactly pennies that the city is guaranteed to recoup very quickly. (I felt the same thing taking the bus to work yesterday and finding out it was free for Transit Equity day; the idea is symbolically nice, but can TriMet really afford it right now?)

[mhays]

Several cities would kill to buy the Blazers. These cities all have leaders and potential owners lining up for a shot at an expansion team, but might like a shortcut.

Any honest analysis of subsidy vs. direct economic benefit will come out sharply negative.* However the PR value and civic pride might overcome that. I'm not saying it is, but it's worth debating.

*The dishonest analyses use poor assumptions. They seem to assume that all economic activity related to the team wouldn't have happened without it. In truth, the same people would still spend the same money, mostly locally.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

Jody Allen really screwed the city when she wouldn't sell to Phil Knight, who had the local connection to the state and billions in available funding. He as well was partnering with a younger partial owner who very possibly could have taken over the franchise when Knight was ready to "retire".

As it stands now, if the arena doesn't get improved, there are hungry metros out there that will be throwing money hand over fist to lure the team away, and they will be successful. We will lose all of that very high income tax payments from well compensated players, coaches and Blazer staff with nothing in return other than another Memorial Coliseum type of wasted space.

So what do we do. Lose the team and the revenue stream? Redirect those taxes to pay for the updated arena and keep the civic pride and a lucrative entertainment option? Negotiate with the new owner about some sort of cost share?

Shit, we've raised taxes and spent billions on homeless and drug abuse services over the past several years, only to see that money seem to attract more and more individuals into the metro area with little evidence anything we're doing is helping our most distressed neighbors and the homeless/drug problems. Don't get me started about the billions of taxes it will take to pay for a gigantic bridge and freeway widening project from the Rose Quarter to Ridgefield. Can you imagine a little Timmy on a rainy Friday night asking his parents if they can spend hours staring at a freeway bridge than watching players at the Rose Quarter because we wouldn't repurpose income taxes that won't even exist anymore.

Can't we have something nice in Portland? And I'm not arguing we pad billionaire's pockets. Unfortunantly the buyer Jody Allen found really isn't in a place financially where he can bankroll two professional sports teams. We can't change who Jody is selling the team to, so logically redirecting the teams income taxes into renovating the arena, and tapping into visitor taxes on hotels and rental cars to provide a city/county/state match, doesn't seem extreme to me. If the owner isn't putting in any of his personal funds, the city should also keep all the revenue generated from parking, concessions, naming rights and market rate rent from the Blazers games as well as any concerts and other activities that take place at the arena.

Phil Knight never gave a realistic offer for the Blazers, he was just hoping to get it on a discount. If he really wanted it, he would have offered $4billion or more if it included the arena at the time if he really wanted to own the team. Heck, if Knight really wanted a team, he could invest in a MLB team and be the primary owner of an expansion team in Portland.

With that said, I have no problem reinvesting money the arena makes into renovating and updating the arena

[mhays]

Giving billions to local medical research and helping build the city's life science sector, for example, is possibly more worthy.