Updated

Updated · Willamette Week · Jun 23

Portland Mayor Urges Council to Back $120 Million Moda Center Funding as Blazers Future Looms

Updated

Updated · Willamette Week · Jun 23

Portland Mayor Urges Council to Back $120 Million Moda Center Funding as Blazers Future Looms

Q: How much did the Trail Blazers' owner ultimately contribute after demanding massive public subsidies?

Nothing directly toward the main Moda Center renovation. Based on the proposal described, Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon was not slated to put private money into the roughly $573 million to $600 million arena overhaul, even as public officials were being asked to cover nearly all of it. The package discussed relied on about $365 million from the state, $88 million from Multnomah County, and $120 million from the City of Portland. The reporting says no public money would go to the team or ownership itself, but it also indicates the owners were not committing cash to the core renovation budget. Any private spending would be limited to tenant-specific features, such as team-controlled upgrades, not the arena-wide modernization. That is why critics on the City Council pressed for a larger private share. One councilor suggested ownership should cover 25% of the cost, or about $150 million, but that was a negotiating demand, not an agreed contribution. So, after seeking major public subsidies, the owner’s contribution to the main renovation was effectively $0 under the deal as outlined.

1 articles · Updated · Willamette Week · Jun 23

$120 million is the share Mayor Keith Wilson asked Portland City Council to fund in a public letter, arguing the city's contribution is critical to completing the Moda Center's estimated $600 million renovation.
Wilson said the project helps protect thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in annual economic activity, while warning the Trail Blazers could leave Portland after new owner Tom Dundon bought the team earlier this year.
A key dispute is how to pay for it: Wilson had floated using the Portland Clean Energy Fund, but in his letter said the city should find another source if the fund's committee does not support using unspent climate-tax money.
The appeal lands before Dundon appears at a June 24 business summit at Moda Center and as council holds a work session, with several skeptical councilors planning a rally demanding a 'fair deal' and rejecting Wilson's criticism.

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Willamette Week3d ago

Mayor Wilson Implores Portland City Council to Fund $120M Moda Center Renovation

Is Portland's $120M arena subsidy a necessary investment or a raw deal compared to other US cities?

Beyond saving the team, what benefits has the Moda Center deal delivered to Portland residents?

How much did the Trail Blazers' owner ultimately contribute after demanding massive public subsidies?

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1 total

Willamette Week3d ago

Mayor Wilson Implores Portland City Council to Fund $120M Moda Center Renovation

Portland Mayor Urges Council to Back $120 Million Moda Center Funding as Blazers Future Looms

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