The 12-member Portland City Council is suddenly facing over $1 billion in art, culture and entertainment infrastructure needs, that it has never held a full hearing about since the councilors took office in January 2025.
That is in addition to an estimated $1 billion a year infrastructure maintenance shortfall for the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Portland Parks & Recreation, which needs up to $800 million in maintenance spending to prevent the closure of one in five city parks within the next 15 years.
“There are a lot of needs that City Council must figure out how to meet,” newly-elected Council President Jamie Dunphy (Dist. 1) said.
The most highly publicized new need is the $120 million that Mayor Keith Wilson has pledged if the 2026 Oregon Legislature helps fund $600 million in upgrades to the Moda Center thought necessary to keep the Portland Trail Blazers in town. Senate Bill 1501 would create an Oregon Arena Fund to spend up to $360 million in state bond funds on the project. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson has promised to find an additional $88 million.
Wilson has promised additional annual payments for renovating and operating the Moda Center in future years if the 2026 Oregon Legislature passes SB 1501 before its March 8 adjournment. The Oregon Senate approved the measure Wednesday by a 24-6 vote, and the Oregon House must now quickly act on it.
Co-sponsor Sen. Lew Frederick, who represents North and Northeast Portland, said, “The Moda Center is the biggest economic driver in my neighborhood. Guaranteeing the future of the Blazers will help recover the future of the historic Albina neighborhood that was intentionally devastated in the past.”
Before that, the previous five-member City Council proposed building a new performing arts center at Portland State University before remodeling the aging Keller Auditorium that does not meet current earthquake standards. The “two-venue” solution was intended to allow popular touring Broadway shows to continue playing at the Keller before shifting to the new PSU location before it is renovated.
The cost of building a new 3,000-seat center at PSU is estimated at up to $358 million, while the cost of renovating the Keller into a modern 3,000-seat facility is estimated at up to $290 million.
A Market Feasibility Study recommended the city pursue the PSU project and not renovate the Keller as a performing arts center. That promoted Keller supporters to abandon the PSU project and focus solely on the Keller, but all discussions are currently being held by advisory and staff committees behind closed doors.
More recently, Metro, the elected regional government, has estimated that the city-owned Portland’5 Centers for the Performing Arts need up to $336 million in deferred and scheduled maintenance. The Portland’5 consists of three downtown Portland buildings: the Keller Auditorim at 222 SW Clay St.; the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 1037 SW Broadway; and just across from the Schnitzer on Southwest Main Street, the Antoinette Hatfield Hall, which houses the Brunish, Newmark, and Winningstad theaters.
Metro has been managing the buildings on behalf of the city, but the two parties have agreed to transfer management to the city by July 1, 2027. Facility Condition Assessments were conducted by the Sazan Group as part of the transfer agreement.
“While each building has a slightly different story, they all have significant capital needs,” Rachael Lembo, Executive Director, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, said when the FCAs were released on Monday, March 2. They found:
- The Keller Auditorium needs $6 million to $11 million in immediate/high priority maintenance (2026-2030) and $4 million to $7.5 million in short term maintenance (2031-2035), for a total of $10 million to $18.5 million. Mid-term and long-term maintenance needs for the Keller were not estimated because it might be replaced.
- The Antoinette Hatfield Hall needs $9 million to $17 million in immediate/high priority maintenance (2026-2030), $46 million to $86 million in short-term maintenance (2031-2035), and $28 million to $53 million in mid-term maintenance (2036-2045), for a total of $83 million to $53 million.
- Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hallneeds $14 million to $26.5 million in immediate/high priority maintenance (2026–2030), $36 million to $66 million in short-term maintenance (2031-2035), $13 million to $23 million in mid-term maintenance, and $24 million to $45 million in long-term maintenance (2046–2055), for a total of $87 million to $160 million.
Beyond all that, an estimated $50 million in city greenway and road improvement costs will be needed if a Major League Baseball stadium in built at Zidell Yards along the west bank of the Willamette, as has been proposed by a group of private investors.
The full 12-member council has never held a public hearing on any of the proposals. The closest were two briefings on the “two venue” proposal and pending management transfer of the Portland’5 before the council’s Arts and Economy Committee, which no longer exists. It is being replaced by a new City Life Committee that will not start meeting until April.