Baseball stadium in the RQ

[maxiep]

It's not worth it. Seattle had fewer rain-delays and rain canceled home games since Safeco opened, than NY and Boston.

It's an unnecessary expense.

People seem to forget that our summers (re: baseball season) is incredibly dry. Do we really need a roof for the few times from April through September it rains a significant amount?

Yep, that retractable roof was put in to allay the fears of ignorant owners who rarely venture across the Mississippi.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Don't worry. Our President is going to bankrupt our country first.

Oh and Bush Jr didn't do this first? Whatever Maxiep !

 

[maxiep]

Oh and Bush Jr didn't do this first? Whatever Maxiep !

He spent far too much on domestic programs, but compared to President Obama, he was a cheapskate.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Lets get back to the topic at hand since others tend to get off the subject at hand.
Since the AAA beavers have been here, there hasn't been a steady increase with attendance (10,000 per game) to support MLB. So, I can see that building a smaller AAA stadium makes sense for the city of Portland. Timber games regardless what day they are on have been drawing 4000 fans + which is 2-3x the amount for a AAA Beavers per game. Do the games start at 2 pm? No, most timber games are at 7 pm. If Portland was granted a MLB team theres always room in Vancouver, WA.

 

[ehizzy3]

It's not worth it. Seattle had fewer rain-delays and rain canceled home games since Safeco opened, than NY and Boston.

It's an unnecessary expense.

People seem to forget that our summers (re: baseball season) is incredibly dry. Do we really need a roof for the few times from April through September it rains a significant amount?

well of course they did because the roof allows you to play every game.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

I'd much much much rather have the "Entertainment District" built then a Minor League ballbark in the Rose Quarter.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The Portland Public Schools site was a good one, but my first choice for the MLB site was the Post Office in the Pearl. But who am I kidding? I love baseball so much, Major League Baseball could have put a ballpark in my back yard.

If you build it, they will come . . .

 

[ebott]

I'd much much much rather have the "Entertainment District" built then a Minor League ballbark in the Rose Quarter.

I concur. I don't go to Beavers games now. Moving them to the Rose Quarter won't make me want to go any more.

An Entertainment District is something I could get behind. An ESPN zone and a large outdoor concert venue would be cool.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'm way out of my league b/c I'm not a Portland resident, but aside from the 44 Blazer games and a few concerts here and there, what goes on at the Rose Quarter the other 300 days of the year?

Entertainment center makes some sense, but 10 blocks from Lloyd Center? What kind of shopping would you put there? And who goes to ESPN Zone on a random Tuesday night in July, whether it's right next to Rose Garden or not?

 

[SodaPopinski]

I don't think the entertainment district and the baseball stadium are mutually exclusive. I think they go hand-in-hand, and that's the idea behind this whole thing.

Worst case scenario is the Blazers corporate offices and the Rebound Clinic have to move, along with the Cucina Cucina space, to accommodate whatever they're planning for the entertainment district.

If you take out the MC, you can dictate the space pretty well in terms of fitting everything in. Part of the reason why the baseball stadium makes sense is that it becomes an attraction to the area that feeds into the entertainment district. I'm not sure enough people will make the jaunt over to the Rose Quarter on a non-event day to check out the retail/restaurant scene. So the idea is to create a viable venue that makes more event-days.

-Pop

 

[maxiep]

If you build it, they will come . . .

Something tells me MLB wouldn't appreciate a 193 foot right field line...

 

[maxiep]

The other thing that would make some sense would be to put exterior retail on the Rose Garden facing outward. It would liven up the dead area around the arena.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

If you take out the MC, you can dictate the space pretty well in terms of fitting everything in. -Pop

I dont think there is enough room to accommodate the full entertainment district and a baseball stadium by simply tearing down the MC. Vulcans vision is for the "entertainment district" is something similiar to what the Cordish Company built in Kansas City but on a smaller scale.(http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/index.cfm?page=gallery) Shops, large covered outdoor concert/bar area, a small concert venue (similiar to Roseland/Crystal Ballroom), restaurants, small hotel, and something unique to Portland and very cool would be the Nike museum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_&_Light_District

Cordish built the Nokia area around the Staples Center (I think) and is doing something similiar in Phili and Baltimore.
http://www.wachoviacenter.com/pressbox/639.asp
http://baltimore.org/dining-and-nightlife/11595/

 

[Nate Dogg]

AAA Beavers attendance I found here.
http://www.triple-abaseball.com/Attendance.jsp;jsessionid=EF36FE218E0AEA583A1FCBE0CDCB6527
They have 71-72 home games every year. So 2008 they had 392,512 fans. So heres their average stats with 72 games calculated.

2008 5,451
2007 5,402
2006 5,570
2005 5,510

So because of the RG project with its shops and restaurants. This attendance might go up. But where the ballpark has been now there hasn't been any changes.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

The new baseball stadium. The new concert hall. The Convention Center hotel, which looks like it could actually happen, the Lloyd District is the next area of Portland to boom. Also, this nifty tower will also add some pizaz to the area:

Group expected to approve HQ hotel plan
Portland Business Journal

A controversial proposal to construct a 600-room hotel at the Oregon Convention Center moved one step forward this week.

The latest step in the 20-year effort to construct a luxury hotel at the convention center involves a recommendation to Portland Mayor Sam Adams. The mayor convened a committee called to evaluate the feasibility of plans to develop a Westin Hotel-flagged conference hotel adjacent the convention center.

 

[ucatchtrout]

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

-Pop

Yeah. They can pay for it. Oh, wait, thats the mayors plan....

 

[PapaG]

The Portland Beavers don't make the Rose Quarter anymore of a destination than the Winter Hawks do right now.

Put more money into areas that people actually want to go to. How about a Pearl-like renovation of the Hawthorne district? How about a facelift for St. Johns? As pointed out previously, the Rose Quarter is isolated, meaning you have to have a reason to go there. Shops and such make little sense since the Lloyd Center is a few MAX stops away, restaurants are dependent on either location or a cult-like following, and minor league baseball is small-time.

Hell, if we're just looking to spend money for no reason, I'd rather they put the MLS stadium at the Rose Quarter; at least some people will go to those games.

 

[SodaPopinski]

I dont think there is enough room to accommodate the full entertainment district and a baseball stadium by simply tearing down the MC. Vulcans vision is for the "entertainment district" is something similiar to what the Cordish Company built in Kansas City but on a smaller scale.(http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/index.cfm?page=gallery) Shops, large covered outdoor concert/bar area, a small concert venue (similiar to Roseland/Crystal Ballroom), restaurants, small hotel, and something unique to Portland and very cool would be the Nike museum.

I hear what you're saying, but the Blazers and Cordish disagree with you. They are on board with the baseball stadium in the RQ idea.

The MC would have to come down, and they may need to replace one of the above-ground parking garages across from the RQ with a below-ground option, but it can work. There's a ton of room on that land, and like I said, if that glass monstrosity comes down, you've got much more room to work with.

By the way, the Blazers also own the land just north of the grain silos all the way to the river, and they've talked about including that land in this development as well.

-Pop

 

[Natebishop3]

Waste of money if the stadium isn't built to accommodate MLB baseball.

 

[SodaPopinski]

Waste of money if the stadium isn't built to accommodate MLB baseball.

If they tried to build it to accommodate MLB, it would cost about 5x as much money (conservative estimate) on a hope and a prayer that MLB will move to Portland in the near future.

Now THAT'S a waste of money.

By the way, the worst kept secret in sports is that MLB is not coming to Portland in your or my lifetime. Book it.

-Pop

 

[julius]

well of course they did because the roof allows you to play every game.

You know how many games were played because of the roof? I would be it's something like maybe 10 times in close to 10 years.

 

[PapaG]

You know how many games were played because of the roof? I would be it's something like maybe 10 times in close to 10 years.

Plus I do remember a rain delay there because it takes so long for the roof to close, and the field got soaked because they didn't have proper covering for the field.

 

[Natebishop3]

If they tried to build it to accommodate MLB, it would cost about 5x as much money (conservative estimate) on a hope and a prayer that MLB will move to Portland in the near future.

Now THAT'S a waste of money.

By the way, the worst kept secret in sports is that MLB is not coming to Portland in your or my lifetime. Book it.

-Pop

Well, then I fail to understand the need for a new stadium. I personally don't give a rats ass about the Beavers, and I know I'm not the only one. Is this REALLY the time to build a new AAA stadium? Why?

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Portland can build whatever stadium they want for Triple A ball. When the major league team comes, the stadium will be built in Hillsboro. Intel Stadium . . . a park designed only for baseball (and with the latest technology including free wi fi at games).

The Hillsboro A's

Book it.

 

[Natebishop3]

Portland can build whatever stadium they want for Triple A ball. When the major league team comes, the stadium will be built in Hillsboro. Intel Stadium . . . a park designed only for baseball (and with the latest technology including free wi fi at games).

The Hillsboro A's

Book it.

I wish. I just can't get excited about MLS or AAA baseball.

 

[SodaPopinski]

Mayor's office releases a couple renderings of the new RQ with the baseball stadium and the LIVE! district. Check options A and B in the link here.

I personally like option A, although they'll have to do some rethinking those first and third base lines. 380' to right and only 310' to left?

But I like the walking bridge from the Yellow Line Light Rail station, and a few of the other ideas in option A. Option B sucks, IMO.

-Pop

 

[ehizzy3]

Portland can build whatever stadium they want for Triple A ball. When the major league team comes, the stadium will be built in Hillsboro. Intel Stadium . . . a park designed only for baseball (and with the latest technology including free wi fi at games).

The Hillsboro A's

Book it.

born and raised in hillboro, i would not mind that. but i definatly dont see it happening.

 

[BrianFromWA]

310 to left could work if you put a mini-Monster up there. Could use it to sell ad space and stuff. Maybe some kind of suite seating in there, so you could have baseball-proof windows that doubles bounce off of and stuff.

 

[barfo]

Mayor's office releases a couple renderings of the new RQ with the baseball stadium and the LIVE! district. Check options A and B in the link here.

I personally like option A, although they'll have to do some rethinking those first and third base lines. 380' to right and only 310' to left?

But I like the walking bridge from the Yellow Line Light Rail station, and a few of the other ideas in option A. Option B sucks, IMO.

-Pop

Is it 380' or 330'? Bad penmanship, but I suspect 330.

barfo

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

I hear what you're saying, but the Blazers and Cordish disagree with you. They are on board with the baseball stadium in the RQ idea.

The MC would have to come down, and they may need to replace one of the above-ground parking garages across from the RQ with a below-ground option, but it can work. There's a ton of room on that land, and like I said, if that glass monstrosity comes down, you've got much more room to work with.

By the way, the Blazers also own the land just north of the grain silos all the way to the river, and they've talked about including that land in this development as well.

-Pop

Blazers are only fine with the baseball stadium in the RQ area IF it also allows them the space they need to build the full entertainment district.

The Portland Public School buildings across Broadway would be the best place for the baseball stadium, IMO.