Lake Oswego City Councilor Bill Tierney announced on Tuesday that he is withdrawing support for a proposed extension of Portland’s streetcar line into the city, essentially halting plans for the full project.

Tierney was the swing vote in a vote last April that moved plans forward, so his reversal puts the city council on the same side as opponents to the streetcar project, which most recently was estimated at around $208 million.

“The dust hasn’t even settled from last night’s discussion in Lake Oswego, so I’m not sure that anyone knows what all of the implications are,” said Doug Obletz of , which manages construction and operation for and has been studying a future extension to Lake Oswego.

Councilor Sally Moncrieff, who supported the project in the past, also expressed doubts about moving forward with the streetcar extension now. The majority of Lake Oswego residents oppose the project, as well, according to a survey conducted by , last November.

While the full extension might be off the table, Portland City Councilors have also expressed interest in a shorter, $70 million option headed toward Lake Oswego but ending at Southwest Nevada Street, just past the south end of Willamette Park. That option has already won neighborhood support, according to Obletz.

“I think Portland City Council made it clear that they wanted that option studied, and it’s fair to say that there is pretty much unanimous support for the streetcar in the John’s Landing neighborhood,” Obletz said.

The final report regarding the “minimum operable segment” is expected to come out next week.

“These big transportation projects are challenging in the best of times, and these are not the best of times,” Obletz said. “We’ve got this report coming out, which is a good chance to clean up misperceptions of the project, and outlines a less expensive, faster option. It will provide data for people to consider a shorter project if that’s what they want to do.”

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After nearly a year of silence, some headway is finally being made on the proposal to bring Asian specialty grocer Uwajimaya into Old Town/Chinatown.

Representatives of Uwajimaya, headquartered in Seattle, signed a letter of intent last week with Portland-based Sockeye Development to open a store in Old Town. The store, which would occupy an entire block bordered by Northwest Fourth and Fifth avenues and Couch and Davis streets, would be the second Uwajimaya in Oregon; the other is in Beaverton.

Doug Obletz, lead developer at Sockeye Development, said the letter of intent gives the Portland Development Commission six months to secure at least $10 million for the project, which has been estimated to cost slightly less than $80 million. The PDC has approximately $8 million in Downtown Waterfront Urban Renewal Area money set aside already, Obletz said.

Uwajimaya did not return calls, but Peter Englander, the PDC’s manager for the Downtown Waterfront URA, acknowledged the project isn’t finalized yet.

“The letter of intent between Uwajimaya and Sockeye Development is a significant step in clarifying the intentions of the major regional Asian grocer to open a Portland store in Old Town/Chinatown,” Englander said. “All parties, however, still have far to go to make this project a reality.”

The project stalled in 2008, when the PDC looked for additional public money, and the recession lengthened the process, said David Gold, co-owner of Block 33, the property proposed for the development. Construction originally was supposed to begin in late 2009; now it is slated to start between 2012 and 2014.

“Everyone involved has been waiting to see what was going to happen with the recession before we went any further with the development,” Gold said. “We needed to be able to prove to everyone involved we had a viable project, and this letter of intent helps do that.”

In addition to the street-level grocery store, which will occupy between 24,000 and 28,000 square feet, plans call for an additional street-level retail space, a courtyard and retail space on a mezzanine level, second-floor office space, three stories of underground parking, and 140 mixed-income apartment units.

But Gold said the number of apartments could change because of the current outlook. The Portland market is highly saturated because of the housing market’s condition, he said.

“Now that the letter of intent has been signed, we need to look at the project again and figure out what is going to be viable a few years down the road,” Gold said.

The project has been in the works since 2003, when the PDC performed a conceptual development study for the Goldsmith Blocks in Old Town. Uwajimaya was rumored to be a potential tenant for the proposed development since the study was completed.

“What this letter of intent really does is help reaffirm everyone’s commitment to the project and help subside the feelings of anyone who has doubted Uwajimaya’s commitment,” Englander said.

Old Town is growing while other areas of Portland aren’t. The PDC earlier this year decided to keep its headquarters in Old Town, and a new campus for the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine is planned to be built in the district.

“The neighbors will tell you that this is the leap in transformation that this neighborhood is primed to have,” Englander said. “The office market is tight here, so the next generation to keep this neighborhood moving forward will be a development like this.”

But Gold, Englander and Obletz agree there is still a long way to go before the development is concrete.

“The letter of intent is just what it says: intent to keep discussing the possibility of this project,” Gold said. “This solidifies one portion of the project, (which is) that everyone wants to see it happen. But there are still a lot of things left to figure out.”

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After losing out on a federal funding opportunity, TriMet, regional government Metro and other project partners are looking for $1.3 million to complete a final environmental statement for the Lake Oswego to Portland Streetcar Project.

TriMet had applied for more than $2 million in funds for the transit project, which explores building a six-mile streetcar line between downtown Portland and Lake Oswego. Project manager Doug Obletz of Shiels Obletz Johnsen says the ConnectOregon III money was a long shot. Now, the jurisdictions involved in the effort will see who has money to give to the project.

“We’re talking to everyone about potential funding sources over the next three or four years,” Obletz said. “We need $1.3 million to complete the final environmental impact statement and enter the preliminary engineering phase. Then, we’ll need another $12 million for final project design. That’s serious money.”

Metro, TriMet, Multnomah and Clackamas counties, and the cities of Portland and Lake Oswego will be meet July 13 to discuss funding options. According to Cliff Higgins, public affairs specialist with Metro, the project is needed over the next twenty years as more people move to the region and travel along Oregon 43 between downtown Portland and Lake Oswego.

“Highway 43 will become more problematic as the region grows,” Higgins said. “Widening the highway is unfeasible because of the topography of the rocks along the highway. By exploring the streetcar option, we’re trying to meet the challenge of moving people, goods and services through that corridor.”

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A verdict on the future of Memorial Coliseum has been delayed while three development teams respond to direction from Mayor Sam Adams to work together on a joint proposal for the building’s reuse.

The teams have been given an indefinite amount of time for the joint proposal, but project manager Kevin Brake of the Portland Development Commission said time is still of the essence for the project. The PDC wants to have a plan for the coliseum, as well as the greater Rose Quarter, well under way before the Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal Area expires in 2013.

“I intend to have a point where we won’t let the project stay stalled,” Brake said. “We want to allow the teams time without pressure to have these discussions. But realistically we need to set out an end date. We need to utilize public money available for the Rose Quarter (from the Oregon Convention Center URA) or it may not be available.”

Portland City Council on April 14 voted to move forward three proposals for redevelopment of the coliseum: the Memorial Athletic and Recreation Center, the Trail Blazers/Winterhawks concept, and the Veterans Memorial Arts and Athletic Center. Later, Adams asked the teams to consider submitting a joint proposal that combined the best features of all three concepts. After meeting individually with the mayor, the teams have now agreed to work on a joint proposal.

“There are signs that a compromise is possible,” said Matthew Miller of the Veterans Memorial Arts and Athletic Center proposal. “We’re continuing to try. Each of us will have to give a little bit in the end to try and make it work.”

One thing the teams agree on so far is that they can’t fit all three proposals into one building. But what will or won’t make it into the joint proposal is anyone’s guess, according to the teams. So far, they have met four times to discuss the joint proposal.

“It’s physically impossible to do everything the three parties had originally proposed,” said J. Isaac, senior vice president of business affairs for the Portland Trail Blazers. “Certain programming elements might be a good idea for the Rose Quarter but don’t necessarily have to fit in the coliseum itself.”

Brake said that the three proposals share several programming elements, including a spectator venue, amateur athletic facilities, and aquatic facilities, that could be incorporated into a joint proposal. The coliseum’s meeting rooms, exhibition hall and other common areas, Isaac said, could potentially house these elements.

Elements that don’t fit within the coliseum could then be pulled into the greater plan for the Rose Quarter, Brake said.

Miller noted that there isn’t any additional public money to pay for any programming elements left out of the joint proposal process. Veterans Memorial Arts and Athletic Center elements, for example, would need a new building.

“Now we would have to pay for a new building to support our programming versus a building that’s already been built,” Miller said.

Developer Doug Obletz, who represents the Memorial Athletic and Recreation Center proposal, has stayed relatively quiet regarding the joint proposal, saying only that the three teams and the mayor’s office have been having ‘constructive conversations.’

Two of the proposals seek to remove or alter the coliseum’s seating bowl to accommodate additional programming. Adams, however, has been vocal in recent weeks that the bowl should be preserved.

However, Brake said the city is still flexible on whether to preserve or alter the bowl.

“The mayor is conveying the themes he keeps hearing within the preservation and sustainability community,” Brake said. “It is possible to remove the bowl, but there is more support for keeping it these days. It’s hard to gauge where everyone is, but City Council also is more on board with keeping the bowl.”

Brake said the joint proposal would move forward within weeks, not months. If the discussions are not fruitful, the PDC and the city reserve the right to resume the process in several weeks with a competitive RFP. In the meantime, the city and PDC will now start work on planning for the greater Rose Quarter.

“This is a great opportunity to explore other places for these ideas within the district,” Brake said. “In some shape or form, there will be a proposal no matter what.”

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How many development teams does it take to reuse Memorial Coliseum? The city is betting on three as a ‘joint’ RFP process continues into next week.

Mayor Sam Adams on April 28 told the Rose Quarter Stakeholders Advisory Committee that he had directed the three development teams to submit a joint RFP combining the best aspects of all projects. Today was to be the due date of that joint RFP, but according to Matthew Miller of the proposal, the teams need more time. The other two teams include the concept and the .

“We’re going to try and reach a mutual compromise,” Miller said. “That might involve looking at the Rose Quarter as a whole instead of just the coliseum, otherwise we’re trying to fit three full concepts into one building.”

Doug Obletz of the MARC says that the groups are having ‘constructive conversations’ but doesn’t know how soon they will be able to report any resolution.

Miller says there have been two major shifts in the Memorial Coliseum process since he became involved that have led to this point: the city has less money to work with, and a ‘base case’ scenario is being examined. The base case, currently being developed by the Portland Development Commission would retain the coliseum’s use as a spectator venue while improving the building and the use of its spaces. That option has won favor among preservationists who don’t want to see the historic structure’s design altered.

“One of the main things we’re working through is the historic designation of the building and how the the building’s reuse needs to treat that appropriately and lightly,” Miller said. “It’s challenging from a programming standpoint. How do you reuse the building and give it new life?”

The Rose Quarter Stakeholder Advisory Committee will be briefed tomorrow on the team’s progress at a meeting at PDC at 5 p.m. The three teams plan to meet again Wednesday morning and will meet with Mayor Sam Adams on Monday.

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How many development teams does it take to reuse Memorial Coliseum? The city is betting on three as a ‘joint’ RFP process continues into next week.

Mayor Sam Adams on April 28 told the Rose Quarter Stakeholders Advisory Committee that he had directed the three development teams to submit a joint RFP combining the best aspects of all projects. Today was to be the due date of that joint RFP, but according to Matthew Miller of the proposal, the teams need more time. The other two teams include the concept and the .

“We’re going to try and reach a mutual compromise,” Miller said. “That might involve looking at the Rose Quarter as a whole instead of just the coliseum, otherwise we’re trying to fit three full concepts into one building.”

Doug Obletz of the MARC says that the groups are having ‘constructive conversations’ but doesn’t know how soon they will be able to report any resolution.

Miller says there have been two major shifts in the Memorial Coliseum process since he became involved that have led to this point: the city has less money to work with, and a ‘base case’ scenario is being examined. The base case, currently being developed by the Portland Development Commission would retain the coliseum’s use as a spectator venue while improving the building and the use of its spaces. That option has won favor among preservationists who don’t want to see the historic structure’s design altered.

“One of the main things we’re working through is the historic designation of the building and how the the building’s reuse needs to treat that appropriately and lightly,” Miller said. “It’s challenging from a programming standpoint. How do you reuse the building and give it new life?”

The Rose Quarter Stakeholder Advisory Committee will be briefed tomorrow on the team’s progress at a meeting at PDC at 5 p.m. The three teams plan to meet again Wednesday morning and will meet with Mayor Sam Adams on Monday.

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Multnomah County commissioners today voted unanimously to pay for design work for a new courthouse in Gresham‘s Rockwood neighborhood. Construction on the building, estimated to cost between $15.9 million and $19.5 million, could start as early as December.

The project will replace the aging Gresham courthouse, which commissioners and members of the pubic testifying before the board called too small and leaky. The state requires Multnomah County to offer a court facility for offenses taking place east of 122nd Avenue.

Building the courthouse now will take advantage of a weak construction economy and attractive financing rates, Commissioner Judy Shiprack said. “It’s timely because construction companies are hungry and interest rates are low,” she said.

Chairman Jeff Cogen described himself as a project skeptic, given tight county budgets. He said he received assurances that the county would have the money to operate the courthouse.

Invoking the Wapato jail, which the county built but couldn’t afford to operate, Cogen said repeating that mistake “would be devastating to our reputation in the community.”

“That was my biggest fear about the whole thing,” Cogen said after the vote. The district attorney, sheriff and court staff told Cogen that they could shift resources from the Portland courthouse without any extra operating cost.

“They told me they could do it, I expect them to do it and I’m going to hold them to it,” he said.

The new courthouse, planned to be built at Southeast 185th Avenue and Stark Street, will have three courts. Commissioners had discussed whether to build only two courts.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to build a facility that will be cramped and crowded almost immediately upon construction,” Commissioner Deborah Kafoury said.

Despite county budgets that require cuts year after year, Kafoury said the current Gresham courthouse doesn’t do the community justice. “It’s truly a disaster,” she said.

“One has to spend five minutes in there to see that.”

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Mayor Sam Adams says now is the time to deal with concerns surrounding the city’s operating agreement with Portland Arena Management for Memorial Coliseum.

In a letter to City Council sent this morning, he said the council should postpone today’s hearing on moving forward project proposals for the redevelopment of Memorial Coliseum until those concerns have been addressed.

MARC developer Doug Obletz of Shiels Obletz Johnsen last Friday sent a letter to City Council expressing concern that the city’s operating agreement with PAM allows the city to operate the coliseum only as a non-spectator facility, which Obletz says could derail his proposal for 6,500-square-foot stadium within the coliseum.

“I believe this validates why we were so concerned about this issue in the first place,” Obletz said. “The meeting (with Mayor Adams) was a great opportunity for me to explain the critical nature of this issue and for the mayor to understand it’s impossible to develop a business plan without knowing the parameters for operating the facility.”

PAM, a private company that manages buildings within the Rose Quarter, was acquired in 2007 by a subsidiary of Vulcan Inc., which is owned by Trail Blazers president Paul Allen.

The hearing was originally set for 2 p.m. today for the council to vote to allow three development teams, , the and the , to move forward to the RFP process.

Adams yesterday met with all three project teams, and says discussions will continue between the city, PAM and the Memorial Coliseum project teams until a solution is found.

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Mayor Sam Adams meets privately today with the three development teams vying to redevelop Portland’s Memorial Coliseum. The mayor will address concerns about city’s operating agreement with Portland Arena Management.

In a letter to council members sent Friday evening, developer Doug Obletz requested a delay in the RFP process until it can be determined that the city’s operating agreement with PAM doesn’t preclude his proposal from including a 6,500-seat arena. Obletz is part of the team behind the Memorial Athletic & Recreation Center proposal.

The city’s operating agreement with PAM allows the city to operate the coliseum only as a non-spectator facility, which Obletz says could derail his proposal. PAM, a private company that manages buildings within the Rose Quarter, was acquired in 2007 by a subsidiary of Vulcan Inc., which is owned by Trail Blazers president Paul Allen.

Obletz says the Blazers/Winterhawks team, which will also move forward in the RFP process, has told him and Veterans Memorial Arts and Athletic Center proposer Matthew Miller that they are unwilling to allow another group to operate the coliseum as a spectator facility.

“In order for our business plan for MARC to work, we need to operate spectator facilities within the Coliseum,” Obletz said. “Not being able to operate a spectator facility would require us to modify our plan and lose a significant revenue source.”

Obletz predicts that his proposal for a mixed-use recreation and spectator facility at the Coliseum will increase yearly attendance from 430,000 visitors to 1.2 million visitors. He first brought up his concern over the operating agreement to the mayor last summer. He sent a letter Jan. 12 to the Rose Quarter Redevelopment Stakeholder Advisory Committee expressing his concern, but was largely ignored until his most recent letter was received by city council on Friday, he said.

“If the Blazers are unwilling to modify the operating agreement, we will have to think hard about whether or not we should proceed,” Obletz said.

Adams says that a decision will be made by 10 a.m. on Thursday on whether city council will vote on the proposals. City council is scheduled on Thursday at 2 p.m. to vote on the Stakeholders Advisory Committee’s recommendations to move forward the three development teams to the RFP process. The other development schemes scheduled to move forward include the Blazers/Winterhawks proposal and the Veterans Memorial Arts and Athletic Center.

“Mr. Obletz has requested that the city slow and delay the process to examine the operating agreement more closely,” said Adams’ spokesman Roy Kaufmann.  “We’ve got an aggressive schedule we have to keep to but we want to be respectful to the proposers. If there is validity to Obletz’s concerns, we want to look into that.”

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Whether it becomes a center for the arts, an athletic and recreation facility or a souped-up version of its former self, Portland’s Memorial Coliseum is nearer to a more certain future.

Seven development teams were on hand for a Q-and-A with the Memorial Coliseum Stakeholder Advisory Committee Tuesday night, but the committee recommended that only the , the and the proposals move forward in the city’s RFP process. But first, those recommendations will need to be approved by Portland City Council at a meeting on March 11.

The and proposals were named alternates, in case any of the three teams are unable to complete the RFP process.

Partnerships with construction companies were announced for two of the projects moving forward. Kiewit Pacific would build the VMAAC, and Howard S. Wright has partnered with the MARC.

According to Doug Piper, Portland Winterhawks team president, the most important part of the Blazers/Winterhawks proposal is to maintain the coliseum’s distinct interior bowl while reducing seating capacity to create a more intimate, and economically viable, venue.

“What is the rationale of putting something else in place of the bowl?” Piper said. “You can have all of the ideas in the world, but if it doesn’t pencil, it won’t work.”

Blazers representative Jay Isaacs said the proposal has some new elements, including a dedicated meeting space for veterans. They also are exploring the idea of devoting facility space for a farmers market. Adam Wagner, project lead for Portland Action Sports Complex, said he is in talks with the Portland Trail Blazers to combine his proposal with the Blazers/Winterhawks renovation of the coliseum. Nothing concrete has been decided yet, however.

Developer Doug Obletz said his plan for the MARC, a 200,000-square-foot community recreation facility with a 6,500-seat arena, will attract 1.2 million new users to the coliseum. He plans to finance his project through a general bond obligation measure, urban renewal funds and New Market and energy tax credits, as well as private fundraising.

The VMAAC proposal would maintain an 8,000-seat arena at the coliseum while filling the remaining space with programs related to arts and athletics. It also would create a transparent “exoskeleton” around the building’s exterior, as well as a series of sweeping pedestrian ramps and water features.

“Our challenge now is showing the public that we need to include the arts in the final concept for Memorial Coliseum,” said Matthew Miller of VMAAC. “We have two strong competitors with very good ideas.”

According to Portland Development Commission project manager Kia Selley, the three teams going forward in the RFP process will receive a small stipend to help with design costs.

“The RFP process is very complex and expensive,” Selley said. “The stipend we provide won’t come close to touching those costs.”

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