It was a great night for the Jumptown project team at the offices of the Portland Development Commission in Northwest Portland on Tuesday night.
The Trail Blazers/Winterhawks plan for a revitalized Memorial Coliseum – a plan advocating a more intimate venue with new amenities designed to support existing tenants, attract new business and draw daily activity to the Rose Quarter – will be recommended to Portland City Council for the Request For Proposal phase by the Mayor’s 32-member Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC). Last night’s vote represents a milestone in our quest for a vibrant Rose Quarter.
In a vote at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, 21 of 22 SAC members present elected to advance the Trail Blazers/Winterhawks plan, the highest total received by any project. The Memorial Athletic & Recreation Center and the Veteran’s Memorial Arts and Athletic Center also advanced.
Should City Council agree with the recommendations of the SAC, all three groups will have an opportunity to formally present their proposals to the SAC, the PDC and City Council.
“It’s clear that people have given the future of Memorial Coliseum a lot of thought,” JumpTown project leader J. Isaac said. “We’re learning a lot from other teams throughout this process, and will continue to incorporate community input into our plan.”
Tuesday’s meeting included 10-minute presentations from five groups and Q&A participation from two additional groups, followed by a committee vote and public comment. Community Crossroads and Portland Action Sports were designated as alternates, in the event one of the three advanced proposals were to withdraw from the RFP process.
The Vision Into Action organization—representing more than 17,000 Portlanders who’ve weighed in on the future of our city—led the Community Crossroads proposal. More than 50 people were on hand to support their proposal for an inter-cultural community gathering place.
After the vote, tabulated by hand on a tote board by member of the PDC, many Portlanders had the opportunity to deliver public comment. Several impassioned citizens spoke on behalf of Community Crossroads and veterans. Another lauded the Trail Blazers project as one of two that presented a renovated Memorial Coliseum in the context of a revised district that would connect the many adjacent neighborhoods to better serve the eastside.
During the presentations, Isaac and Winterhawks President Doug Piper affirmed their pledge to have community outreach continue to guide and shape the JumpTown team’s approach.
“Each team presenting last night should be proud of its efforts,” Isaac said. “It’s clear that every project team is committed to revitalizing an important neighborhood. We believe we have the right team and the right vision to help shape the future of an important part of Portland’s eastside, and we are looking forward to the next step in the process of bringing that vision to fruition.”
Portland is at the forefront of sustainability. Making this area into a revived live work play area with the focus on a sports center is a grant move that Portlanders can be proud of for years to come. Can we do this in a long lasting enduring way? what are the challenges? What can we learn from great cities of the world? The NW Sustainable Traditions Group has local, national, and international connections in areas of new urban planning and architecture. The Group has members involved with the International Network of Building: Architecture and Urbanism INTBAU, Congress of New Urbanism CNU, and the Institute for Classical Architecture ICA, and of course many local state and city connection. Quite a mouth full but are hearts are here in Portland. We think we could be of help in repairing the urban fabric ala a dense Paris type development with the Memmorial Coleseum as a focal point and views to the river. Regards, Mary Czarnecki, member of the NW Sustainable Traditions Group, 503-957-6843