I'm fine with/would welcome another music venue to Portland, but I hate this use for this lot. What shameful short-term thinking if this gets built where something taller should go, where housing had just been proposed. The Cumberland/Pearl view is terrible, ugly. And I question of functionality of the design - the main entrance on Myrtle being close to Merrill's primary back-of-house entrance, separate audience exit, and fairly close to the main entrance. I also question how easy - in reality - it will be to get a bus backed into the proposed bus entrance. Merrill often bags meters on the Cumberland side of Myrtle and parks buses there during shows. Even if there aren't buses there, is backing a bus in really feasible with a full street of cars? I hate that they would have to remove free short term City Hall parking spots on Myrtle to accommodate the main entrance and bus parking entrance. Same goes for Pearl - there isn't street parking to deal with, but man its going to be tight getting tractors backed in there. I think it's going to a major pain in the ass, holding up traffic, complained about by tours. Supposing you get them backed in - you have a long push to the stage with a leveler and a 5% slope on the way out. Lots of other functional issues looking closer the plans. Everything seems cramped - too many trade offs - the site may just be too small. Maybe they can technically pull it off, but will it be a good experience for the artists/production and will it be a good experience for the audience?