General Portland Discussion

Portland to weigh repairing or rebuilding its historic Expo

A recent assessment found that the 110-year-old building may need $30 million in repairs.
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The 110-year-old Expo is now the oldest operating municipal arena in the country, according to city staff, and a recent eye-opening assessment prompted officials to begin considering its future.
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Portland plans to contract with a firm through a competitive process to determine the potential scope and cost of a project, as well as to engage the community regarding the facility’s future, the city said in a press release Tuesday.
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They can hire a consultant, but they have to go with the $30M repair, right? The city has no money and replacement would cost, what, 3-5x the repair? That said, I'm interested in the possibility of rethinking that entire area: phases to connect it to (and then also replace?) Troubh, giving some ground to Hadlock (although I like the current quirkiness), integrate new/unique box seating/group space for Hadlock into the new Expo, add meeting/convention space, attempt to buy the gas station for more land/frontage on Park, figure out better/less chaotic parking (a dedicated garage?), shared space/concesssions/services with Fitzpatrick/HoP? If replacing Troubh is in the cards, pleeeease just do it all at the same time and make one cohesive building.
 
Yes, it's time to rethink the entire area. I'm not usually one to save old semi-functional buildings, but I like the Expo. Shore it up and figure out some new F&D spaces to help monetize it some more, maybe even upper level suites like they did at TD Garden with the upper deck. It's not so much for the rich or corporations, but for groups. Put in a narrow floor along the upper outside with the upper parts of the interior wall cut out (where the big ads are). Make a big F&D drink area above the front lobby too. Look at the revenue that Hearts of PIne next door brings in with F&D from its community areas. They serve craft beer and craft food (High Roller), not frankenfood like CIA, etc. do. Fans, or those under 50, don't want to sit down for the entire game. They want to get up and stand somewhere to hang with friends and others while still able to see the action. Did this for a Bruins game last year--a sushi bar opened up to see the ice.
 
My priority would be decent accessible seating. Right now, the choices are the courtside seats, or a wheelchair section that is slightly elevated, but behind the premium boxes so you can't see below the players' knees, where a lot of the action is. (Hard to follow the ball when you lose sight every time they dribble.) The proposed arena at Thompson's Point was going to have the wheelchair seating at the top, but that died.
 
Photos of Front Street Phase 3, 8 new affordable homeownership townhouses in East Deering on Presumpscot Street, from the Portland Housing Authority.

It's all modular construction, so I think the structures literally went up in a matter of days:
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Smart. This is an easy jaunt to the new Roux campus. In January of 2028 it opens with 2,000 students and several hundred faculty and staff. They have no housing and this development is new and modern. In 2031 the plan is 8,000 students and over a thousand faculty and staff. They are aiming for a dorm and a small hotel on the campus by then, but even with that, maybe 500 to 800 accommodated? I don't see the neighbors on board for 2,000 units of housing. I also see a doubling of property values for this area in the next 5 years. You don't need a crystal ball for this one.
 
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