Portland City Council unanimously authorized negotiations with Albina Vision Trust over city-owned land around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 3. The vote could shape future Rose Quarter redevelopment while tying the process to Lower Albina restoration. Here is what the resolution does, what remains undecided, and what comes next.
Key Takeaways
- Portland City Council adopted the resolution 12-0 on Sept. 3, 2026, directing the city administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust.
- Portland owns 10 parcels around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, including properties with redevelopment potential.
- The resolution does not approve construction, transfer property, or commit public funding to a redevelopment project.
- Albina Vision Trust is advancing a broader 94-acre redevelopment vision for historic Lower Albina.
- Any binding development agreements must return to City Council, with the negotiation process limited to no more than 12 months after it begins.
Portland has opened a new phase in planning for city-owned land surrounding two of the Rose Quarter’s largest public venues.
On Sept. 3, the Portland City Council voted 12-0 to direct the city administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust for the opportunity to serve as a development partner for properties adjacent to the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The decision gives the nonprofit a formal role in discussions but stops well short of approving a redevelopment project.
The vote brings Albina Vision Trust’s Lower Albina redevelopment strategy closer to the Rose Quarter while city officials separately negotiate the future of the Moda Center.
Winta Yohannes, executive director of Albina Vision Trust, framed the decision in terms of moving beyond symbolic commitments.
“We either talk about equity endlessly with no action, or are asked to rebrand crumbs as fortunes. We can reject both.”
Yohannes made the remarks ahead of the council vote, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Portland’s Vote Opens Negotiations, Not Construction
The Sept. 3 resolution establishes a negotiating process rather than a final development agreement.
The city administrator is directed to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust over its potential role as Portland’s development partner for city-owned properties adjacent to the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The resolution also establishes criteria the city should consider when evaluating a partner.
Those criteria include experience in real estate financing and development, the ability to attract significant philanthropic or private investment, and a record of advancing the public interest and Portland’s adopted objectives for the area.
The negotiations are also expected to address how a partnership would be structured, which properties could be involved, the value of development rights, redevelopment timelines, potential public financial support, and the responsibilities of the city and development partner.
Importantly, the resolution does not appropriate public money or authorize construction. Portland officials said any questions involving land value, development rights, outside investment and potential public funding must be worked through before binding agreements are finalized.
Ten City Parcels Frame the Rose Quarter Opportunity
Portland owns 10 parcels in the Rose Quarter around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The city’s resolution says a number of those properties have redevelopment potential.
The land sits in one of Portland’s most visible redevelopment areas, where sports and entertainment venues operate alongside transportation infrastructure and several long-term planning initiatives.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that properties under consideration include sites currently occupied by two parking garages. Albina Vision Trust is expected to develop a proposal outlining how the land could be used.
That makes the current process different from redevelopment of vacant land. Existing parking and event-related uses will need to be considered alongside potential new development and the operational needs of the Rose Quarter.
The talks also arrive as other redevelopment projects across Portland continue through planning, infrastructure and financing stages. Lower Albina is one of several large districts where Portland is attempting to coordinate public infrastructure with longer-term residential and commercial development.
Parking Garages Put Existing Uses in Focus
The inclusion of parking properties means any future plan would have to address how redevelopment interacts with the Rose Quarter’s existing event functions.
The resolution specifically instructs the city to consider compatibility with the operation of the event campus when evaluating development proposals. It also calls for a site-by-site property strategy rather than assuming every parcel will follow the same development path.
No decision has been made to demolish the garages, replace them or convert the sites to another use.
For now, the council action establishes the process through which those possibilities can be evaluated.
Albina Vision Trust Brings a 94-Acre Lower Albina Plan
Albina Vision Trust was created in 2017 to advance a community-led redevelopment vision for Lower Albina, an area deeply affected by urban renewal and major infrastructure projects during the 20th century.
The City of Portland has acknowledged that Interstate 5 construction and decades of urban renewal displaced thousands of Black Portlanders, as well as Black-owned homes and businesses, from Lower Albina.
Albina Vision Trust’s broader redevelopment area covers about 94 acres in Portland’s central city. Its plans combine housing, commercial activity, public spaces, cultural uses and connections to the Willamette River.
The organization has already moved beyond planning on some nearby projects.
Albina One, its first housing development in the district, opened in 2025 with 94 affordable units. Albina Vision Trust has also pursued redevelopment of the 10.5-acre Portland Public Schools headquarters site as part of its broader Lower Albina strategy.
The City Council formally accepted Albina Vision Trust’s Community Investment Plan in July 2024 as a guiding framework connected to Lower Albina planning. The current Rose Quarter negotiations build on that earlier relationship while creating a separate process for city-owned land near the arenas.
Rose Quarter Development Aligns With the Moda Center Timeline
The Albina Vision Trust negotiations do not constitute approval of the Moda Center lease or renovation package, but the two processes are not proceeding in isolation.
Portland’s resolution specifically connects the timing of potential development agreements with negotiations over a new long-term Moda Center lease. The city anticipates finalizing that lease by Dec. 31, 2026, according to the resolution.
Portland City Council previously approved a term sheet supporting up to $120 million in city funding toward the proposed Moda Center renovation plan. That agreement established a framework for further negotiations involving renovations, the Trail Blazers’ long-term tenancy and financial terms.
The city-owned parcels, however, remain a distinct development issue.
Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney said the city should consider both the arena and surrounding properties as it weighs the future of the district. Portland officials have described redevelopment around the Rose Quarter as an opportunity to connect investment in the arena area with the wider Lower Albina strategy.
That coordination represents an important clarification to the current process. Decisions about the land do not automatically determine the future of the Moda Center, but Portland intends to consider the two tracks on a concurrent timeline.
The Next Decisions Return to City Council
The Sept. 3 vote gives city officials authority to negotiate, but it does not guarantee that Albina Vision Trust will receive development rights or that any particular project will proceed.
The resolution requires binding agreements to return to Portland City Council for consideration. It also limits the negotiating period to no more than 12 months from the start of negotiations.
That process is expected to determine the value and disposition of individual properties, the structure of a potential partnership, development milestones and whether public financial support would be necessary.
The city will also have to determine how proposed development can coexist with the Rose Quarter’s event operations and align with other Lower Albina initiatives, including transportation improvements and the Reconnecting Albina Planning Project.
For Albina Vision Trust, the council vote provides an opportunity to extend its Lower Albina work onto additional city-controlled land. For Portland, the next stage is less about approving a predetermined project and more about deciding what development rights, partnership terms and public obligations would be acceptable.
The outcome of those negotiations will determine whether Albina Vision Trust ultimately takes on a formal development role in the Rose Quarter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Portland City Council approve?
Portland City Council approved a resolution on Sept. 3 directing the city administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust over a potential development partnership involving city-owned Rose Quarter properties. The resolution was adopted by a 12-0 vote and does not approve a final construction project.
How many Rose Quarter properties does Portland own?
The city owns 10 parcels around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, according to the adopted resolution. The document says a number of those parcels have redevelopment potential, while reporting on the proposal identifies two parking garages among the properties involved.
What is Albina Vision Trust planning for Lower Albina?
Albina Vision Trust is advancing a roughly 94-acre redevelopment vision that includes housing, commercial and cultural activity, public spaces and stronger connections to surrounding neighborhoods and the Willamette River. Its work is intended to restore development to an area where Black residents and businesses were displaced through earlier urban renewal and infrastructure projects.
Did the council approve redevelopment of the parking garages?
No. The resolution authorizes negotiations and does not establish that the parking garages will be demolished, replaced or redeveloped. Any binding agreement involving the properties must return to City Council.
Are the Rose Quarter land talks part of the Moda Center deal?
They are separate city actions, but Portland intends to coordinate their timelines. The Albina Vision Trust resolution calls for binding development agreements to return to council on a concurrent timeline with the city’s negotiations over a new long-term Moda Center lease.
