Event date: June 18th, 2009 4:00 PM
Event location: Mount Scott Community Center Auditorium, 5530 SE 72nd Ave
The Mayor's Office has requested a special meeting to review a proposal to locate a baseball facility for the AAA Portland Beavers in the northeast corner of Lents Park. This meeting is a continuation of a conversation that started at the March 2009 meeting and restarted at the May 2009 meeting. The difference this time is that a tentative, non-binding agreement has been reached between Peregrine, LLC (Merritt Paulson) and the City as represented by the Mayor's Office. PDC has been asked to fund the ballpark using tax increment financing (TIF) resources as part of a larger public financing plan. The ballpark would be owned by the city and operated by Peregrine, LLC for the purposes of holding baseball games, concerts, and other community events.
An open house will be held before the meeting, from 4 to 6PM.
Based on feedback from the URAC, and public participation best practices, PDC staff have scheduled an open house prior to the special URAC meeting in order to share information with the public and increase the level of understanding of the proposal as it relates to PDC and the request for tax increment financing (TIF). PDC will also coordinate with other bureaus and agencies to staff the open house and address community issues and concerns. However, the URAC's charge is to advise on the viability and feasibility of the TIF investment for the purpose of funding a ballpark. Issues related to neighborhood livability, such as noise, parking, and lighting, will be addressed by other groups and city agencies through the land use review process.
Issues related to neighborhood livability, such as noise, parking, and lighting, will be addressed when the URAC advises not to fund a stadium in the park.