On Nov. 1, the city began the formal process of deciding the fate of Portland’s Memorial Coliseum, while looking for what officials call "innovative ideas" to reinvigorate the structure.

The Portland Development Commission is asking local architects and developers for ideas about how to revitalize the 49-year-old Coliseum. The PDC is issuing a request for concepts from the design and development community, starting Nov. 2 through Jan. 8. The concepts will be evaluated against criteria established by a Rose Quarter strategic advisory committee. 

One of the projects being considered is "Jumptown," which would include a remodeled coliseum, as well as a hotel, office space and retail -- as presented by the Portland Trail Blazers organization. Jumptown appears to be one of the most well developed concepts, as organizers have already launched the Web site www.imaginejumptown.com. 

After this initial call for concepts, the PDC will issue a request for proposals from a short list developed in the initial call for concepts.

Kia Selley of the PDC said the initial call is “intended to be welcoming to people who don’t have a lot of development experience to get their concept out there. We expect to have a range of different proposers.” 

In the months since Mayor Sam Adams announced he would not move forward with plans to tear down the coliseum, due to an outcry from historic preservationists and fans of the building’s design, the city has been working on establishing a timeline for renovating the colisuem. The new call for concepts deals with the colisuem only, and a larger Rose Quarter development strategy will be undertaken in May to September of 2010.

The call for concepts for the coliseum will give some respondents the option of asking to team up with a developer, if they do not have one.

“The bar will be set very low and be very welcoming,” Selley said, regarding the call for concepts. "We really want to have strong community dialogues."

However the respondents are expected to have estimates for the cost of the revitalization and show how the proposal will be financially viable.

The coliseum is used by the Winterhawks and various other entertainment events. However, it is an annual money loser. That is something that the PDC would like to turn around. The new proposals should complement the existing uses at the Rose Quarter and make use of the quarter’s position as a transit hub for buses and light rail.

Drastic changes to the colisuem, such as removing the seating bowl, are off the table, Selley said. The coliseum last month was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The new proposals should explain how they will respect the architectural integrity of the building and its defining characteristics.

The Trail Blazers also have a proposal for the coliseum called "Jumptown," named after the area's pre-coliseum roots. Selley said all ideas will be considered, however.

“I hope we get a lot of good concepts,” said Selley. “The concept is the focus of this part of the project.” For more information, go to www.Rosequarterdevelopment.org.