This week the Portland (Ore) City Council unanimously voted to approve the construction of an MLB stadium in the city. This decision now empowers city employees to assist the Portland Diamond Project, the group leading the charge for the MLB stadium, in the process of acquiring the land for the stadium.
“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." said Craig Cheek, founder and president of Portland Diamond Project.
The Portland Diamond Project has their sights set on a property near South Waterfront. It is roughly 30 acres of land that currently sits undeveloped near Oregon Health and Science University properties. The group has entered into a “due diligence” period, giving them 42 months to purchase the land.
The journey to bring an MLB team to Portland has been a long one. More than six years ago, in 2018, the Portland Diamond Project assessed several different plots of land for a potential stadium, but none of the sites came to fruition. The city is also assessing properties and plans to make recommendations to the Portland Diamond Project on other properties that could be used by a future baseball franchise. First, the city and the organization will need their proposal for an MLB expansion team to be selected.
The MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, has previously confirmed that he plans to expand the league to 32 teams before 2029. Joining Portland in the competition for a franchise is Nashville, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., and Mexico City.
Portland’s commissioner Rene Gonzalez told KGW8, “Bringing Major League Baseball to our central city represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to solidify Portland's commitment not only to economic recovery but also to re-strengthening our social fabric. It’s time for us to swing for the fences.”
