Skip to main contentThe Portland City Council denied appeals to save Lloyd Center and its ice rink in a unanimous vote July 8. This paves the way for the mall’s owners to move forward with demolition and redevelopment of 29 acres in Northeast Portland. Lloyd Center is scheduled to close to the public Aug. 8.
“My vote to approve the Central City Master Plan is not to dismantle that rich history, nor is it a validation of losing something that we all love,” said Councilor Loretta Smith before her vote to deny the appeals. “It is instead a difficult but necessary step towards securing a viable future to Northeast Portland.”
A Lloyd supporter briefly disrupted Smith’s statement, yelling, “Shame on all of you! Shame! I will not be complicit!”
The City Council heard two days of impassioned testimony in June about whether to preserve or redevelop Lloyd Center.
The Portland Design Commission unanimously approved the Lloyd Center master plan in March. Two groups—the Save Lloyd Campaign and the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition—appealed that land use decision in April on two counts: first, that the Design Commission failed to fully consider preserving the ice rink and, second, that it failed to respond to public testimony when it approved the master plan.
The 10 councilors present all voted to deny the appeals. Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo were absent. The City Council will take a final vote July 29.
“A pretty glorious chapter at Lloyd Center is coming to an end,” said Matt Henderson of the Save Lloyd Campaign.
