PORTLAND, Ore. — A group set on bringing a Major League Baseball team to Portland has agreed to terms for the undisclosed purchase price of Zidell Yards, the latest attempt by the Portland Diamond Project (PDP) to secure a property in an effort to build an MLB stadium.
"We've been down the path on properties before," Mike Barrett, managing director for the Portland Diamond Project said. "This one feels different because we've circled back to it. It's always been something that we've liked, but this one now in terms of what it possesses, in terms of being close to turnkey, it's already zoned."
Barrett said PDP had been in talks with the Zidell family before, but nothing ever came of those talks. Then recently, Barrett said, the Zidells approached the group of baseball investors about a possible sale.
"They're willingness to sit down and renegotiate and say, 'We want this to be a part of our family legacy,'" Barrett told KGW on Tuesday.
The organization has been trying to secure a site for a Major League Baseball stadium for years, dating all the way back to 2018. They previously looked at the Lloyd Center Mall, the Terminal 2 site in Portland and the RedTail Golf Course property in Beaverton.
For one reason or another, the different sites have yet to turn into a piece of property that would house the group's future MLB stadium.
"We have political support on this site," Barrett said. "When we went back to Major League Baseball several years ago and sat down with commissioner and his crew, one thing they said is (that) you need to have allies who are elected officials."
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler championed the potential sale of the Zidell Yards, calling it "a big moment for Portland."
"This is a tremendous opportunity to shape our waterfront, create new economic opportunities, and build a vibrant and sustainable neighborhood," Wheeler said in a release sent out by the PDP. "This builds on our growing sports economy and culture, including the recent announcement of a new WNBA franchise. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with PDP on the next steps."
Zidell Yards is 33 acres of mostly undeveloped land, sandwiched in between Oregon Health and Science University properties to the north and south, as well as the Tilikum Crossing bridge on the north side and the Ross Island Bridge running partway through the property.
Barrett said they looked at the entire property for where to place the stadium, saying it would most likely be built on the vacant piece of land between the Tilikum Crossing and the Ross Island Bridge.
"This property is on the water," Barrett said. "It's at the base of the Tilikum Crossing bridge. It's got so many of the things that we could check, in terms of mountain views from upper deck and from 200 level of the ballpark."
Sports columnist John Canzano says the group took a big swing and hit big.
"Big win for the Diamond Project, now they've got to sell it to Major League Baseball. I think it's super encouraging and it's interesting that this is happening at a time when the WNBA is coming to Portland," he said.
Earlier in 2024, Portland had looked at the RedTail Golf Course in Beaverton as a potential site, Barrett says it's still in the works but instead of housing a stadium, it would be used to build a training facility and Little League fields.
MLB still hasn't made any decisions on when it would expand to other cities looking to house a team, but Canzano said this puts Portland up near the front with other mid-size cities, like Salt Lake City, who are also putting together their own bids.
"It presents as a viable place for Major League Baseball to put a team. So, the question now goes back to Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball: Are you willing to put a team in Portland? Because Portland's got its arms open," he said.
The project enters a 120-day due diligence period with a 42-month period to purchase, the Portland Diamond Project reported.