Portland Pitches to the MLB

We may be one step closer to getting an MLB team in Portland.

A recent DJCOregon article covered some of the latest developments. Portland’s bid for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team is gaining momentum, according to Mike Barrett, managing director of the Portland Diamond Project (PDP). The group has secured a site at Zidell Yards and is waiting for MLB to expand or relocate a team. Barrett highlighted MLB's interest in a West Coast team, especially if the Oakland A’s finalize their move to Las Vegas.

PDP is advancing ballpark designs and engaging corporate sponsors, including Anheuser-Busch. Ownership details remain confidential, though high-profile backers like Russell Wilson and Ciara are involved. Local officials are advocating for the project, citing its potential to elevate Portland’s profile and economy. 

The Portland Tribune also covered the news here:

https://www.portlandtribune.com/news/we-got-the-jewel-mlb-to-portland-forum-addresses-impact-and-next-steps-in-pro/article_768ff9e4-d45a-11ef-a645-27b4d18e70bc.html

While all of this progress is promising, it seems the realization of an MLB team in Portland depends on a few key external factors, including MLB’s expansion timeline and decision-making.

Related post: http://www.mysouthwaterfront.com/2024/11/take-me-out-to-ballgame.html

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

There has been a lot of chatter over the years about the potential for MLB in Portland and also about the future use of the land in the South Waterfront (Zidell Yards properties).

In September, the MLB discussion took off anew. According to Jay Zidell via OPB:

“There have been numerous proposals over the years on what should become of Zidell Yards,” Jay Zidell, president of Zidell Companies, said in a statement about the letter of intent. “I think the potential for a future professional baseball stadium is an ideal use of the land. Who wouldn’t want to watch baseball with the Willamette River as the backdrop?”

A rendering of a potential baseball stadium in the Portland metro area provided by the Portland Diamond Project. The investor group announced Tuesday it signed a letter of intent to purchase Zidell Yards on the city's South Waterfront.

Courtesy of Portland Diamond Project

On October 30, the City Council adopted a resolution in support of this effort.

City Council signals support for Portland Diamond Project, MLB in Rose City 

"WHEREAS, with its vibrant urban riverfront location, views of multiple cascade peaks, and excellent pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access, a Major League Baseball stadium built on the Zidell Yards site would instantly become one of the most scenic stadiums in the league;"

Now, the big question, are Splash Hits a possibility in Portland? 

• https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/where-are-the-splash-hits-for-every-mlb-ballpark
• https://blogs.fangraphs.com/a-splash-of-history-looking-back-on-20-plus-years-of-mccovey-cove-homers/

More on Portland Motor Vehicle Theft Data

As mentioned in my previous review of 2023 South Portland crime data, the category that stands out the most in recent data is Motor Vehicle Theft. This is not unique to South Portland; it is consistent with trends across Portland and across the country.  Axios wrote about the national car theft trend in early 2023 and in July declared it was skyrocketing.

Oregon is tracking with the US-wide Motor Vehicle Theft trend as reported by the FBI Crime Data below, though well below the US rate. 

Diving into the PPB Stolen Vehicle data for 2023 here, and sure enough, Kia and Hyundai top the list. 10 of the top 10 car models stolen in Portland are Kia or Hyundai, highlighting the widespread impact of the Kia Boyz Tiktok video that taught viewers how to steal the cars with just a screwdrive and a USB cable, and invited the viral trend. 

The South Portland data set is similar, with 6 of the top 10 most stolen models being Kia and Hyundai. 95% of these have been recovered to date.

In addition there is some detail on the time and day of theft, and model year of vehicle: 

Long story short, you don't want to be a 2017 Kia or Hyundai left unattended from 6pm-midnight.

I mentioned previously that Portland restarted up a task force to tackle auto theft (and another aimed at retail crime) in May 2023.  Recently, DA Mike Schmidt commented on this Jeff-alytics article that the new enforcement initiative and algorithms for stopping cars are contributing to a decline in Portland in 2023. The Portland numbers have been decidedly lower in the second half of the year. 

The automotive manufacturers have also rolled out anti-theft software updates to address the vulnerability. Judging by varied reports across Reddit and other forums, it appears these have had mixed results.

South Waterfront news and updates...long overdue!

So much is changing around the neighborhood, it's hard to keep up. Here is a rundown of a few of the things that took place this past year:

• The Ella opened
• Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, was born
• The Oregon Ballet arrived
• Muselet (lovely and delicious) opened and closed
• The Groaning Board eventually closed, and Al Hawr moved in
• The Osprey opened this fall offering "retreat-style living"
• The orange BikeTown bikes are in the wild, and you can't miss 'em
• A slew of new food carts, including Smaaken waffle sandwiches came... and then the Gantry closed
• Cavalia took over the Zidell lot for the summer
• Wesley Matthews moved away
• Robin Lopez moved away
• Countrywide insurance company moved in
• Orange Theory fitness opened
• StyleFront closed
• RidePDX is here
• Huge cranes rolled in and construction began on OHSU's next building
• What's the Scoop? New ice cream shop in the Riva
• Blue Star Donuts in the Riva
• Heart Pizza in the Riva
• A real estate frenzy

• And WHEN will someone, anyone, open a neighborhood pub? Menu: burgers, salads, flatbread pizzas and local brews and wine... Not looking for anything fancy, just a regular pub fare lunch and dinner, family-friendly, watch the game, stop by after work for happy hour kind of place. I've heard this from so many neighbors over the years, but especially now. 

Cavalia Odysseo Photos South Waterfront

Odysseo: The Equestrian Spectacular by Cavalia

South Waterfront Construction - Fall 2013

The Emery:

The newest residential building in the South Waterfront, The Emery apartments, is preparing to open soon. Originally slated for August, it is now set for October.  We also learned recently that Lovejoy Bakers will be opening a new location in The Emery. Great news for the neighborhood!

OHSU Collaborative Sciences building is taking shape:

Some great photos were recently posted at Reportland Oregon: http://reportlandoregon.wordpress.com/tag/ohsu-collaborative-life-science-building/

And in related news, as it affects the research that will take place here, Phil and Penny Knight announced another huge donation, this one at $500M...if OHSU can match it.

Portland Milwaukie Light Rail:

We have just more 2 years to wait for the opening of the Portland-Milwaukie light rail bridge. You can continue to track the progress on Trimet's site.

 

Mazda Commercial

Last weekend we had a visit from the crew filming some new Mazda commercials. Here are some shots from the filming around our neighborhood on Saturday.

Setup and crew:

The models:  SUV, crossover and hatchback
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayHomepage.action

Boom car:

Yesterday Portlandia returned for a full day of filming around the South Waterfront. What do you think about all the filming disruptions lately? Did you catch any great photos or video? Feel free to shoot me a message: sowablog @ gmail . com

The Farmers' Market is back!

The South Waterfront Farmers' Market is back in action! It is happening on Thursday afternoons from 1:00-6:00pm.

There are lots of new vendors this year. Check out this new interactive map to explore.

Last Thursday's market was a hit, and the beautiful weather was an added bonus.  Thanks to the South Waterfront Community Relations for their good work on this event!

Open for Business! Welcome, Little Big Burger

menu from littlebigburger.com

South Waterfront's Little Big Burger made its grand opening this week. Their 3704 SW Bond location is open 11-9 daily.


The store had notified the neighborhood about the official opening last Friday, but after a last-minute delay due to mechanical difficulties, it was put off. They opened on Tuesday 3/12 with free burgers, and plenty of neighbors showed up to partake.

LBB at Bond & Gaines

Opening night line for free burgers

Rumors about LBB moving in to this location date back over a year, which many questions and some skepticism over that time. It looks like many locals are excited to see them here and will keep them busy from here on out.

Previous related posts:
http://www.mysouthwaterfront.com/2012/01/fta-burgers-in-south-waterfront.html

http://www.mysouthwaterfront.com/2012/05/no-more-little-burger.html

Sellwood Bridge Move

The Sellwood Bridge was moved this weekend, ever so slowly, and just 66 feet to the north. This temporary placement will be our route across the river while the new bridge is under construction...so, until 2015.

New bridge placement, west side

New bridge placement, entrance west side

Actually, *most* of the Sellwood Bridge was moved. The main Steel Truss Span of the bridge was placed on new supports for the temporary bridge structure. The original concrete & rebar end supports were left in place and torn down today - shown in the following pictures. 

Meriwether Construction Zone

I feel sorry for our friends living in these boarded up buildings...I mean, the Meriwether.

They have survived weeks of jackhammers and untenable noise all day long, and now this...

Everclear in E.C. park tonight

Concerts and more concerts!

Last night, Toque Libre entertained the neighborhood with their acoustic Latin tunes. Good turnout, and lots of dancing, despite the hot, HOT weather. 

Ecopalooza

Coming up tonight, EVERCLEAR will be performing in Elizabeth Caruthers - Ecopalooza is a benefit concert for SOLVE, a local nonprofit cleaning up Oregon beaches. That's right, the concert begins at 2:30 with a group of local bands. We will get a nice bluegrass warmup until Everclear takes the stage at 7:30.

Fences set up early this morning

Stage setup begins

For those of you concerned about noise (it is difficult getting a baby... or yourself to bed, with a rock concert going on right outside your bedroom), they tell me the band will wrap up by 9:00.

On another note, how did we not know this was going on this weekend? I don't recall seeing any notices about it, although I looked back and did find a mention of it in the August e-Current. At any rate, enjoy the change in weather, enjoy the entertainment, enjoy the outdoors this weekend!

Update - Photo from the pre-show:

Waiting in line @ Block 49

You may have noticed, there are about 20 people lined up at Gray's Landing (Block 49), awaiting tomorrow's 10:00am opening for applications.  They will be here all night, and half of these folks have been lined up all day. 

They are looking to get first dibs on a unit in the new building, with prices ranging from $480 to $805. Apparently there are strict eligibility req's, including income restrictions and a screening criteria, including credit and criminal background checks.

The first woman in line has several kids and grandkids in the area, and is looking to get a 1 bedroom for $595. Another guy in line, suitcase in tow, claims he relocated here from Ohio just for this opportunity. They are a bit concerned about where to find the closest grocery store, particularly for those who do not drive. One gentleman is also concerned (rightly so) that the nearby gyms are out of his price range. 

MetroWatch Security guards will be on hand all night, but it is doubtful there will be any security concerns.  You can check out a live construction cam of the building here: oxblue.com/open/REACH/Block49

The Gray's Landing project is part of the REACH program, developing affordable housing around the Portland area.

South Waterfront Greenway Construction

A View from the Water

Here are some current shots of the South Waterfront Greenway construction project. A friend and neighborhood resident captured these photos from out on the river last weekend.


For more on the South Waterfront Greenway project, visit: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?&c=45643

Image from portlandonline.com

Mobile Grooming?

Seen outside the Riva this week: Otto's Mobile Grooming (OMG!)  Hmm... how does this work?

 A closer look finds, yes, they will groom your pet right there inside the van!

For more information: 

"For questions, or to book an appointment, call (503) 283-2000, or email us at info@ottosmobilegrooming.com"

Light Rail Construction

Light rail construction powers on, along Moody Ave. Steel girders were delivered this week.

KPTV Fox 12 Oregon was there to document the girder delivery yesterday. They posted a cool slideshow of aerial shots on their site.

My (not as cool) shots from this afternoon below:

Steel girders installed

Underneath I-5

More girders to come