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For close to 50 years, Multnomah County officials have tried to figure out what to do about the ailing county courthouse in downtown Portland. A new study released recently by the county suggests that it look at the Central Eastside Industrial District.

The study, completed by Inici Group, an independent consulting firm, ranks five top locations where a new courthouse could be built. Of those five, an area between Southeast Seventh Avenue and Interstate 5, and bounded by Southeast Morrison and Mill streets, ranks highest. The land cost would be lower and the opportunity for future expansion would be greater at this site than at the other four (mostly near the existing courthouse), according to the study.

鈥淢any boards of county commissioners have fallen on their faces around rehabbing the downtown courthouse,鈥� Commissioner Judy Shiprack said. 鈥淭he two big trip wires 鈥� location and cost 鈥� are still in front of us, and the eastside really is a cost-effective alternative.鈥�

The rankings came from a points-based matrix system that judged each area on a number of weighted factors 鈥� including land cost, public transportation access and sustainability. The factors were weighted based on their importance to the county. The central eastside area scored highly on two of the most important factors, land cost and construction cost.

The central eastside site would come with not only the cheapest land, but also the opportunity to purchase more than one parcel, the study noted. That would let the county build a low- to mid-rise courthouse building rather than a high-rise, which would be more costly because of the need for more complex systems. The additional land also could be used for more administrative space or a park.

鈥淭he opportunity is available that one could purchase multiple low-rise buildings at a cost-effective price,鈥� said Karl Schulz, owner of Inici Group. 鈥淭he majority of those options would be to demolish those existing structures to develop new facilities.鈥�

Other benefits of the central eastside option would be: limited historic building designations, marginal negative environmental impacts and location in an area experiencing significant economic growth.

Like other courthouse studies commissioned by the county in the past, this one does not map out any official plans. However, this is the first time a study has looked at the eastside for possible development, according to Hank Stern, communications officer for the county.

鈥淭hese are obviously tough economic times, and there are a lot of demands for money,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd when you face that, you鈥檝e got to sort of expand the box and look at things that perhaps have not been looked at before.鈥�

However, the study acknowledged approval could be difficult to secure for the central eastside area because it isn鈥檛 near the governmental buildings and law offices that courthouse workers use every day.

Additionally, the study cited existing transportation infrastructure as one of the advantages for keeping the courthouse in downtown. Other benefits were mentioned in regard to a renovation of the existing courthouse building.

But Shiprack said that critics of a potential relocation to the east side may have a misconception about that part of Portland. Downtown workers could access the proposed location via a short commute, she said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the culture of Portland: There鈥檚 the west side of the river and there鈥檚 the east side of the river,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 as much of a substantive problem as much as it鈥檚 a perception issue. Our east side is provocative for some.鈥�

Shiprack added that she has reservations about the current courthouse being renovated while it鈥檚 in use.

The study will be presented to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners tonight and then be subject to public comment at three other meetings.