Although a deal has been approved by the Portland City Council to remodel PGE Park, the design of the remodel is still being challenged by the city's Design Commission.

The Design Commission meets later this month to discuss a number of changes requested of the design team, led by Bill Crockett of Ellerbe Becket.

On Wednesday morning, the city council, in a 4-1 vote, approved the PGE Park renovation project. The city's deal is a public/private partnership with Portland Timbers' owner Merritt Paulson and his company Peregrine LLC.

The commission wants to know what the sustainable aspirations are for this project and how are they being conveyed to the public.

At a recent meeting, the commission expressed concern about the eastern side of the stadium, on Southwest 18th Avenue. Bleachers on the 18th Avenue side are low enough so pedestrians can look onto the field during events -- an aspect of the historic stadium that has always given non-paying audiences a chance to see the action on the field.

Ellberbe Becket is expected to return to the Design Commission later this month with improvements regarding how the current plan allows the stadium to greet the street on the 18th Avenue side.

During events, of course, gates must be closed on the 18th Avenue side -- but commission members said they still want pedestrians to see into the stadium. They also want the improvements to be more pedestrian friendly when there are no events.

"The  effort shown certainly illustrates the challenge of this site in balancing this important open space view shed and the demands of the expanded program deemed necessary for the remodeled stadium’s needs," the commission wrote in a recent summary, after meeting with Ellerbe Becket. "However, views onto the stadium field from SW 18th are critical to the pedestrian experience, both during games and on non-game days, and remain a design challenge that will need to be successfully addressed."

The commission said Ellerbe Becket's idea to remove security fencing during non-game day events is an interesting concept.

"However, its long term maintenance and operational challenges present itself as a less than permanent solution for maintaining the view sheds into this Open Space zoned facility," they said. "The revised design has not yet resolved the 'back-of-house' appearance along Southwest 18th and is not  active for most of the year. This is a fundamental problem with the proposal. What the kiosks are intended for is not the best use of street frontage; they leave the street cold, unoccupied and unwelcoming on off-days."

The commission told Ellerbe Becket:

• Bathrooms fronting Southwest 18th do not activate the street edge.  
• Take a closer look at the Park’s overall program and put the right uses along the street while maintaining the view shed of the this Open Space zoned stadium from Southwest 18th Avenue. Specifically, activate and energize the program to be provided along SW 18th that will benefit both the project and the public realm.   
• The team store still seems tucked away at the north end. Consider reconfiguring more closely to the street to be more viable as a successful non-game day retail store.   
• Move restrooms to a less visible location – it appears there is room to incorporate these less-than-desirable functions away from SW 18th Avenue by being behind stadium seating and/or within the medical office building addition..
• Continue to explore the logistics of moving the 18th Street fence back on off-hours and allow the kiosks to be open and accessible from the street.  
• Contemplate landscaping, water, activity and art.

At Wednesday's council meeting, commissioner Randy Leonard said he is "exceedingly proud" of the deal with Paulson, which doesn't draw from the city's general fund during the economic downturn. 

Commissioner Amanda Fritz said the deal means that the Beavers baseball team will be without a home, until its owners decide where the team can play once PGE Park is converted for major league soccer use. The Beavers were orginally going to move to a new stadium where the Memorial Coliseum is, but that idea was voided by preservationists' concerns.

However, Adams said the deal with Paulson is "pretty remarkable" in an economic downturn and expressed confidence that the taxpayers will be held harmless. "I don't know of a project that has been more publicly vetted," he said.

"The rest of country is going to see why this is Soccer City USA," said Merritt Paulson.