Featured image credit: Portland Diamond Project
Portland City Council has unanimously approved a resolution to support Portland Diamond Project (PDP)’s plans to build a stadium that could house a new Major League Baseball franchise in the city.
PDP recently signed a letter of intent with ZRZ Real Estate, a Zidell family business, to acquire the Zidell Yards property that sits on Portland’s South Waterfront.
PDP launched in May 2018 with the aim of launching an MLB team in Portland and the company has set its sights on a 33-acre plot of land that was formerly used as a shipyard.
The project has now received backing from the city council, with Mayor Ted Wheeler yesterday (Wednesday) introducing a resolution that acknowledges the social, economic and cultural benefits of attracting an MLB team to Portland.
Portland is already home to the NBA’s Trail Blazers, Major League Soccer’s Timbers and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Thorns. Last month, Portland was awarded a Women’s National Basketball Association franchise that will begin playing in the 2026 season.
In a statement announcing the resolution, Portland City Council said the Zidell Yards land is one of the last remaining large urban redevelopment opportunities for the city centre.
Mayor Wheeler said: “I am proud to support Portland Diamond Project and leverage the city’s talent and resources in service of making this vision a reality. The positive impact to our region would be tremendous. Now is the time to dream big for Portland, our region and the state of Oregon.”
Craig Cheek, founder and president of PDP, added: “We are thrilled the city council passed this resolution, which shows the city’s support for a Major League Baseball team in Portland. This is an important sign of progress. We want to thank the city for backing our vision of building a beautiful new baseball stadium on Portland’s South Waterfront that will be an economic driver for the region.
“We’re committed to ensuring our plans align with the city’s goals to promote sustainability, equity and economic opportunity – and add to the fabric of the greater Portland region in a way that benefits everyone. We look forward to working with the new city government to make Portland better with baseball.”
PDP revealed the names of its charter investors back in January 2019, with the venture reportedly gaining more than $1.3bn (£1bn/€1.2bn) from out-of-state equity-stake investors. PDP had targeted other sites for the stadium project before settling on Zidell Yards.
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