News Portland City Council tomorrow morning will consider whether to change the zoning code to allow limited office space at PGE Park. The proposed change is part of an effort to bring a sports medicine clinic, sponsored by Providence Health & Services, to the stadium to support Merritt Paulson's new Major League Soccer team when it begins play in 2011. Here's the ordinance [PDF]. Updated on ...   More

News Last month, I posted a piece about whether Major League Soccer would ever consider switching its current March-though-October regular season schedule to an August-through-May schedule. Last night, MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Portland Timbers/Beavers owner Merritt Paulson were interviewed separately on 95.5 The Game's "Strong At Night" and the subject of scheduling came up during this interview ...   More

News A proposal to change Portland's zoning code to accommodate new plans for PGE Park in advance of Major League Soccer's 2011 kickoff has been delayed again. The latest delay marks the third occasion Mayor Sam Adams has postponed considering the change, which is still listed on the Wednesday agenda. City Council is now scheduled to hear the ordinance on Jan. 6. Bottom line? There's still no final, ...   More

News Two months ago, Timbers/Beavers owner Merritt Paulson confused Portland officials when he told Beaverton pols this, according to The Oregonian: "[I]f I don't get a baseball deal done, I'm not going to finalize the deal with Portland. So MLS will not come to Portland unless I do a deal for a new baseball park." Paulson — who has since withdrawn his baseball stadium proposal in Beaverton— ...   More

News The City Council agenda for Jan. 6 now lists Mayor Sam Adams' resolution to allow Merritt Paulson's company to begin tearing out turf at PGE Park. The surprise resolution would allow Paulson to begin renovating the city-owned PGE Park for Major League Soccer — without a final financial agreement in place with the city. Or, as the resolution says: "to execute a Revocable Permit of Entry ...   More

News The new resolution Mayor Sam Adams will bring to City Council on Wednesday will allow Merritt Paulson, owner of the Portland Timbers and Beavers, to begin limited construction at PGE Park immediately -- before the city inks a final financial agreement with Paulson and his Peregrine LLC. The mayor's office calls this work "non-construction" because it's "stuff that can be done that can be undone." Last ...   More

News Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Randy Leonard voted this morning to give Merritt Paulson's company the green light to perform limited construction work at PGE Park -- even without a final financial agreement in place. Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish voted no, with Fish noting that there are 81 issues still in dispute between the city and Paulson. The 3-2 split ...   More

News Just before City Council voted 3-2 today to let Merritt Paulson begin some construction work at PGE Park, city commissioners considered a separate ordinance related to the publicly owned stadium: the thrice-delayed zoning code change to allow limited office space at PGE Park. (They'll vote next week on that proposal.) Both agreements gave Commissioners Nick Fish and Amanda Fritz, who voted against ...   More

News In what are supposed to be the final days of Portland's financial negotiations with Merritt Paulson on the redesign of PGE Park for Major League Soccer, Tanner Creek Sewer has been one of the sticking points. Dean Marriott, the director of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services, spoke with WW about the almost century-old sewer line carrying human waste and stormwater underneath the outfield ...   More

News The final financial agreement between the City of Portland and Merritt Paulson's company will not be on the agenda at City Hall next week after all. One of the sticking points of the proposed redesign of PGE Park remains the sewer line. Also, Mayor Sam Adams has scheduled an absence for Jan. 19-26. Mayoral spokesman Roy Kaufmann has twice responded via email to a question about where the mayor ...   More