Blazers Special Status Causing Conflict in Coliseum Re-Design
The competition to re-design a Portland landmark has turned into a conflict between developers, the city, and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Memorial Coliseum belongs to the city, but it’s largely managed by the Trail Blazers. The Blazers are also one of three finalists to re-design the building. The Blazers’ special status has become a bone of contention. An advisory committee created by Mayor Sam Adams has been poised for weeks to approve finalists for the Memorial Coliseum makeover. It’s been waiting for Mayor Adams to get the Blazers to loosen control over the Coliseum’s main arena. Adams told the panel last night that the Blazers would only agree to talk. Later. “Yes, they’ll sit down at the negotiating table, and no, they don’t guarantee that they’ll give up anything, which, of course, is the opening salvo of any good negotiation," he said.The Trail Blazers’ two competitors are in limbo. They don’t know whether they can depend on revenue from the Coliseum’s arena in the future, as part of the business plans the city will soon request. Matt Miller first conceived of the Veterans’ Memorial Arts and Athletic Center, as an architecture student a decade ago. The final idea features athletic facilities, restaurants – and lots of space for the arts. “That includes the 500-seat auditorium, three black-box theaters, band and choir facilities and practice rooms, and recording studios," he said. Miller said his idea could work with Blazers in control. But he envisions some kind of partnership with the Blazers, instead. The Blazers’ other competitor is developer, Doug Obletz. Obletz’ plan for a Memorial Athletic and Recreation Center has been public at least since 2004. He said his plan would triple the number of visitors. “Our plan will do that by basically adding space – that’s the community recreation space that we’re proposing. You get a brand-new arena, but you also have the day-in, day-out of the community recreation component," he said. Obletz says he has the development experience to pull off a 100 million dollar project like the Coliseum. But he says not if the Trail Blazers are still in control. Last October, Blazers’ senior vice president, J. Isaac led the advisory committee on a tour around Memorial Coliseum. Isaac admits that the Blazers’ Coliseum idea is modest, compared to the other finalists. And the Blazers consider it only a piece of the bigger prize – the underused parking lots and plazas of the Rose Quarter. “I wanted you to see the views from this side of the property – just spectacular," said Isaac. When Isaac got more specific, he suggested changes to city-owned parking garages. That got the attention of Amy Ruiz, with the Mayor’s office. Amy Ruiz: “To that one, or the ones at the garden?”J. Isaac: “No, that one. These are city-owned garages, as I said, and obviously anything we do here is going to have to be with the approval and support of the city.” But the Blazers aren’t ready to extend their support to any changes to the Coliseum agreement. And that prompted developer Doug Obletz to send a letter yesterday to the city advisory panel asking to change the bidding process. At the advisory committee meeting last night, panelist Will Macht agreed. “If I were the developer here, I’d feel very great concern about doing it, with the perspective of the Blazers’ saying that whatever I’m going to propose, is either something that they run, or I’m going to have to pay them a very heavy pound of flesh in order to do it," he said.City officials concede, though, that the Blazers are looking to protect the hundreds of millions of dollars they’ve invested in the Rose Quarter.In the end, three-quarters of panelists voted to move ahead as planned. Mayor Adams said going forward, the city has some leverage over the Blazers: the Rose Quarter. “The Blazers’ right to be the first position to re-develop the entire quarter – which is mostly owned by the city of Portland – that right expires in November of this year. I rarely get to go to the negotiating table with this kind of leverage," he said. J. Isaac said the Blazers eventually want a partnership with the city. “We’re coming forward with our best plan, and if the city likes it, and wants to move forward with it, that’s great. If the city doesn’t want to do what we want to do, then we’ll move on from there," he said. Portland city council will take up the competition for the Coliseum in mid-April.
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