Architects to study Civic, east-side sites for MLB
Andy Giegerich Business Journal Staff Writer
Proponents of Major League Baseball in Portland have hired a site selection firm to determine, among other things, where a stadium would best fit.

One site that's gaining a lot of play among Portland's sports business types: the Northeast property on which the Portland Public Schools system's Blanchard administration building sits.

Initially, Kansas City, Mo.-based HOK Sport will study the Blanchard and existing Civic Stadium sites. HOK is being retained by the Portland Baseball Group, which also recently hired Boston-based Game Plan Inc. to help bring a team to Portland.

HOK, which primarily designs new parks, designed Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Cleveland's Jacobs Field and Denver's Coors Field. It also designed new stadiums opening this year in Detroit, Houston and San Francisco.

"I'm thrilled to have HOK involved," said Game Plan Inc.'s Randy Vataha, the former Stanford University and New England Patriots receiver. "They're considered the premier architect for baseball stadiums."

The announcement came as PBG planned to unveil a locally designed set of sketches for a Blanchard-site stadium.

PBG's Lynn Lashbrook said HOK will study other sites as interested Portland parties suggest them. The company, he said, will focus on a baseball-only stadium.

"I'm excited to have that second site now, because if you look at all cities that have been in the process of determining where to put a stadium, they've all had choices," said Lashbrook. "We spent years offering Civic as our only alternative."

Randy Miller, president of the Portland Oregon Sports Authority and a supporter of PBG, said he's even informally broached the stadium issue with school district officials.

"My opinion is that they'd be cooperative if they were asked to re-site," said Miller. "I've informed (superintendent) Ben Canada and (school board member) Doug Capps that this is the way we're thinking."

The Blanchard building sits across from the Coliseum north of Broadway.

"There's about 10 and a half acres around it that the city already owns and you have other areas there that are developable with the new (interstate) Max," Miller pointed out. "Plus, you have the various conjunctions of a couple of freeways, and it's within the city. I think it could become a whole sports complex there."

HOK Sport will also look at whether the Civic Stadium site would be viable for a major league team. "They'll not only look at that location but look at the viability of using any parts of the existing facility versus tearing it down," said Portland architect and PBG member John Vosmek.

The city and Portland Family Entertainment have embarked on a $37 million Civic renovation project in anticipation of the new Portland Triple-A team beginning play in 2001.

Vosmek said he may even suggest that HOK look at possible stadium sites in Vancouver.

"One of the things they have is a downtown that could use the infusion that Camden Yards brought to Baltimore," said Vosmek. "The population base might not be as accessible, but having (the Portland team there) might be a catalyst for bringing light rail across the river.

"I just think it would be an interesting counterpoint to the urban Portland locations."

On the other hand, Al Moffatt, another PBG supporter, believes the east side provides far and away the best option.

"I'd think just from the baseball group's presence, the east side is becoming an increasingly viable idea," he said. "I think a stadium would have to be located within the core city limits or within the immediate suburban area. That's what Major League Baseball is looking for, something that's `city-intimate.'"

Portland architect Steve Fosler, who designed a stadium to fit the Blanchard site, said his plan includes several mixed-use development buildings and "non-baseball" surrounding areas. The areas include a winter garden, an activity atrium, and an upper-level pedestrian promenade overlooking the Williamette River open to the public.

Home runs over the center field wall would land in a park filled with Douglas firs, while spectators sitting in the upper deck would be able to see Mount Hood looming over the left field wall.

"I like the site: it would be very well served by transit, both planned and in the future, including the streetcar and Max," said Fosler. "The concept recognizes the need to preserve the industrial neighborhood immediately to the north of the site, and to provide community benefits to the neighborhoods to the north and east."

From the Portland Business Journal 04/03/2000