Architectural renderings of a proposed renovation of the Moda Center show sweeping concourses with views of the basketball court and improved lighting, but whether public officials can muster support for the $600 million price tag remains to be seen.

They’re certainly trying. State and local officials mounted a concerted campaign this week to press the case for funding upgrades for the arena, which the city of Portland acquired in 2024 and leased back to Rip City Management, the management company of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Without the renovation, local leaders fear the Trail Blazers will move to another city.

“Renovating the Moda Center isn’t about one building — it’s about Oregon’s future,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in legislative testimony on Wednesday. “This project strengthens our economy, supports communities across the state and ensures Oregon remains competitive for major events and investment. With state partnership, it becomes a generational investment in jobs, culture and long-term economic relevance.”

Oregon lawmakers hope to raise a large chunk of the necessary amount with a tax on players and other employees around the Moda Center. A bill to create the fund and direct tax revenues to it was introduced in the state Senate on Monday. The legislation, Senate Bill 1501, would also allow the state’s Department of Administrative Services to take ownership in partnership with the city of Portland.

The city and Multnomah County are also discussing potential funding sources to remake the Moda Center. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson called the Moda Center “a crucial economic engine for our state” in testimony given Wednesday. Gov. Tina Kotek also voiced support.

Despite growing criticism in some circles of taxpayer subsidies for sports teams, business leaders are largely united behind efforts to retain the Trail Blazers.

“It’s hard to understate the importance of the Trail Blazers to our community, especially at a time like this,” said Greg Goodman, co-president of Downtown Development Group, a major Portland real estate investment firm.

Portland can’t afford to lose the Blazers when the city’s economic recovery remains fragile, he said.

“Portland’s getting better, but we’ve obviously had some setbacks,” he said. “And losing the Blazers would be devastating to the pride of the community.”

Fears the Blazers could move have risen as Paul Allen’s estate, controlled by Jody Allen, prepares to relinquish ownership of the team to an investment group led by Tom Dundon, a Dallas businessman with few apparent ties to Oregon.

Sports team owners have not been shy about moving operations in search of better stadium deals. Major League Baseball‘s Athletics are in the process of moving from Sacramento to Las Vegas after jilting its longtime hometown of Oakland, California. The NFL‘s Raiders moved from Oakland to Los Angeles to Oakland to Las Vegas. Seattle still bears psychological wounds from the SuperSonics leaving for Oklahoma City. And even the Chicago Bears, one of the NFL’s oldest franchises, is considering leaving the city — the state of Iowa is dangling incentives in a long-shot bid for the team.

The Moda Center was completed in 1995 and originally named the Rose Garden. The arena supplanted Veterans Memorial Coliseum as the city’s premier sports and concert venue.

In addition to the Blazers, the Portland Fire will soon call Moda Center home as its inaugural WNBA season begins in May. The arena also hosts major concerts, including the Wu-Tang Clan, Cardi B and Pearl Jam in recent years. However, some artists such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay have bypassed Portland in favor of making tour stops in Seattle.

Officials hope the renovation can be completed by the time Moda Center hosts the 2030 NCAA Women’s Final Four. The arena generates an estimated $670 million in annual economic impact and nearly 4,500 jobs, according to a joint statement from state and local leaders.

It wasn’t immediately clear which architecture firm is designing the renovation. GBD Architects has designed past Moda Center upgrades, including new suites, concession areas and retail and concourse spaces. But a spokeswoman for the firm said GBD is not involved this time.

The renovation push comes as the 1803 Fund and Albina Vision Trust work to remake the neighborhood around the Moda Center. In December, the fund announced it had purchased two groups of properties, including grain silos between the arena and the Willamette River, for $70 million.

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The 197,000-square-foot Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Portland’s Rose Quarter, will soon receive some TLC. The arena will close this summer and again in summer 2025 to allow construction of a variety of improvements.

Portland’s Spectator Venues Program, within the Office of Management and Finance (OMF), oversees the Veterans Memorial Coliseum (VMC), which opened in 1960. The arena hosts a total of approximately 400,000 people at around 100 events annually.

The building has received minor renovations and repairs over the years, but many of the primary systems, equipment and furnishings are original and need attention. The Portland City Council in a resolution in 2011 voiced support for renovating the arena, but no plans progressed.

In 2015, OMF conducted a study of several renovation options for the venue, as well as closure and demolition options. The study confirmed the financial viability of a renovated multipurpose arena with upgraded essential systems, as well as enhancements that would increase the functionality and appeal for a broad range of events, a city staff report states.

The coliseum needs critical deferred maintenance as well as seating bowl modernization, OMF public information officer Carrie Belding said. The work will include improving electrical and plumbing infrastructure, the concourse, and restrooms, as well as replacing the scoreboard and audio system. Plans also call for seismic and safety upgrades. The seating bowl will gain accessible seating areas, as well as premium and group seating areas.

The work will be done in phases, so it does not interfere with Winterhawks hockey games or other events. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer in partnership with venue operator Rip City Management. The building will close in late June and reopen in late September. A second closure is expected in mid-June 2025 through early October 2025. The bulk of the construction will take place during the two closure periods. Some work may be done between events outside of the closures and may continue through 2026; however, no extended closure is planned in 2026.

The project’s architect of record and design and engineering lead is Perkins&Will, led by staff based in Denver. Scott Edwards Architecture is serving as the local architect. The team also includes civil engineer Vega Civil Engineering and structural engineer Madden & Baughman Engineering. Balfour Beatty Construction LLC of Dallas, Texas, is the general contractor.

The design budget, according to the contract, is not to exceed $6.1 million. The construction budget is $53.4 million. OMF does not anticipate costs will exceed these amounts, the department stated in an email.

According to OMF, $53.4 million in taxable bonds were sold in March. The debt service on these bonds is being covered entirely with Visitor Facilities Trust Account resources. This account is dedicated to investments in visitor facilities and the travel and tourism industry. It is governed by an agreement between the city of Portland, Multnomah County and Metro.

The Visitor Facilities Trust Account receives a portion of the transient lodging tax paid on hotel room stays and a portion of the vehicle rental license fee paid on car rentals. Annual debt service on the 20-year bonds is $4.3 million.

Design costs are being paid for with resources from the city’s Spectator Venues and Visitor Activities Fund, which is a dedicated city enterprise fund that receives revenues from ticket fees at Rose Quarter venues and Providence Park, parking revenues from the city-owned Rose Quarter parking garages, as well as an annual allocation from the Visitor Facilities Trust Account.

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