Craig Cheek, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Portland Diamond Project (Oregon, US) told a legislative committee recently that Portland could break ground on a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the South Waterfront as early as 2027 if Portland is awarded a team.
‘The Oregonian’ stated that Cheek presented to the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade alongside the 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 is a movement and effort to bring Major League Baseball (MLB) to Portland, Oregon (US) with a proposed new stadium at the Zidell Yards on the South Waterfront.
New York (US)-based Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
‘The Oregonian’ further stated that 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.
Commented Cheek, “We believe this is an iconic site. If you think about the current 30 stadiums in the United States there may not be a better backdrop.”
Cheek showed the committee renderings that had not previously been public. He said the 32,000-seat stadium would feature a translucent, retractable roof that would allow the stadium to be a “civic asset 365 days a year”.
Renderings show a glass and timber structure nestled between the Ross Island Bridge and the Tillikum Crossing.
The stadium was designed by Jeff Yrazabal at the architecture firm Populous. Yrazabal was also the Principal Architect for the 35,548-capacity Reser Stadium (Corvallis) renovation at the Oregon State and the 12,650-capacity Hayward Field in Eugene (Oregon). Populous also designed the under-construction 6,000-capacity Hops Stadium in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Populous is a global architectural and design practice with regional headquarters in Kansas City (US), London (UK) and Brisbane (Australia) specializing in sports facilities, arenas and convention centers as well as in the planning and design of major special events.
Mayor Wilson who has emerged as a vocal proponent of the project said, “We need a project like this and we need a project like this now.”
He said the City is “actively partnering with (the Diamond Project) to build a complete and compelling package for the MLB.”
Portland is competing against other markets, including Salt Lake City (Utah), for expansion.
The group appeared in front of the committee to make an appeal to “modernize” Senate Bill 5, the 2003 bill lawmakers passed that would carve out $150 million for a stadium in income taxes paid by a team’s players and executives.
While the committee hearing did offer a first glimpse of the stadium vision one thing that was not revealed was who is backing the project. The question of who would own the team remains a mystery.
Cheek told the committee his group was planning a news conference soon.
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