Portland Leaders Push $600 Million Moda Center Renovation to Keep Trail Blazers
Updated
Updated · KATU · Jun 25
Portland Leaders Push $600 Million Moda Center Renovation to Keep Trail Blazers
3 articles · Updated · KATU · Jun 25
Summary
$600 million in proposed Moda Center upgrades took center stage as Mayor Keith Wilson, state lawmakers and business leaders urged faster action to help keep the Trail Blazers in Portland.
$120 million would likely come from the city, but officials still have not settled on a funding source, and Wilson said the current pace is too slow for the franchise decision.
Wilson argued a modernized arena could land events such as the NBA All-Star Game, which he said could generate about $500 million in one week and 7,000 hotel room nights.
Outside the meeting, community groups protested public subsidies for the project, while City Council member Angelita Morillo and others questioned using taxpayer money or climate funds for the arena.
That funding debate has sharpened because Portland may need a new source if the Portland Clean Energy Fund rejects the renovation as an improper use of climate dollars.