I sure wouldn't want that in my neighborhood.

Many residents in Lents thought the baseball park issue was dead last winter. Lents residential stake holders are starting to wake up.

Almost all the neighbors I talk to are strongly opposed to this ball park using a public park land and $42 million of Urban Renewal funding (our Property taxes) going to subsidize a millionaire.

Expected some energized discussion from here on out.

Why have the %*@*%! laws to begin with if we're just going to bend them???

These guys are F-ing crooks. That's it and that's all.

There is going to be some interesting law suits out of this one. Groups are already getting organized and prepared on this. Just like the David Douglas/River District URA challenge by the group Friends of Urban Renewal, this will get tied up in the Land Use Board of Appeals and put the proposed project into an extended holding pattern.

In my 15 years in City politics and policy, I have never seen anything quite so brazenly immoral come out of Council and the Mayor's office. Adams and Leonard are committing political suicide, I can guarantee it and pretty much making it impossible to get any support and coalition building for future proposed projects.

This project is not only economically irresponsible, it is tearing the community apart. Way to go Adams and Leonard. You both Suck.

Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard said publicly he will oppose a minor league
stadium in Lents Park if neighors object.
They object and with good reasons.

Raising Kane,

Leonard says he'll vote no "if neighbors object". However, what the hell does that mean to him? The Urban Renewal Advisory Committee? How many neighbors? Where do they need to be located to be "neighbors"?

Sorry, but I just don't trust him. He's proven himself to be a myopic bully who votes to get his way, damn everyone else.

As for the line "Lents has a large amount of affordable housing,' yes, its does now. But try in five years once the light rail goes through and property values start to skyrocket. The 'affordable' housing that Lent's has is privately owned and remains 'affordable' because of current market conditions. Change the market conditions and good bye affordable housing. Removing the housing set aside just sets up Lents for a wave a gentrified displacement.

Why not leave the Beaver stadium in the current location at PGE Park, and build the new soccer stadium in Lents? Wouldn't that save like, millions? Oh yeah, Lord Paulson doesn't want to have his new stadium in the flats...but he will throw his baseball team there, at the expense of us all!

@ Bones...

The answer to your first question: money. And to your second question: no.

A new 7,000-8,000 seat AAA baseball stadium will cost roughly $40 million. A new 20,000-25,000 seat soccer stadium will cost roughly $100 million. And leave the Beavers playing in a stadium three times too big for their use.

Even if you add in the costs for the proposed renovations to PGE Park on top of the new Lents baseball stadium, your suggestion would still be roughly twice as expensive as the current proposal.