I hope when the City bankruptcy comes, citizens will be informed enough to look back in time and know who should get the lion's share of blame.

Sounds like they want our penniless county to chip in as well. The county is like the poor relative or friend who keeps getting roped into expensive group activities by people who are oblivious to his circumstances.

When talking about idiotic Portland projects, I can't help but quote what is rapidly becoming the perfect documentary for what the city has become under Sam Adams. "You don't have enough ammunition, Captain, to shoot them all in the head. The time to have done that would have been at the beginning. But we let them overrun us. They have overrun us, you know. We're in the minority now. Something like 400,000 to one, by my calculations."

I can't tell from the article whether this RFP notice just came out this week, or if it has been out for some time. If the former, one must wonder if the fix is in. Things are in flux in the economy and an RFP ought to allow enough time for new players to form up and develop a proposal.

The City That Fixes.

has The Nines hotel repaid its loan yet?

http://oldtownperspective.blogspot.com/2012/03/nines-no-lessons-learned.html

"It’s going to be a fast ride from there."

From the article.

Y'know if we kill METRO and give PPS their $400M/yr budget, that'd kill a couple of birds at once (yes, I know the schools are supposed to be bottom of the list and will blow the money anyways, but a man can dream.)

Steve,
How would you propose that a movement begin to eliminate or severely reduce METRO?

RFP has been out and available to public for 60 days.

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=40624

There are no major subsidies from Metro or City. Private sector and market conditions will determine if the project moved forward.

Hotels near our convention center are weak compared to other cities. Portland dn do better...

Brian: "There are no major subsidies from Metro or City. Private sector and market conditions will determine if the project moved forward."

Then why isn't it there already? There will be major subsidies from Metro and the City.

How would you propose that a movement begin to eliminate or severely reduce METRO?

Start a state-wide initiative to revoke METRO's charter. Other than that, send in your property taxes less the METRO part.

I mean it is such a waste of money since the city/county can run the zoo/garbage, that we pay all this money for these people to sit and think about problems 50 years down the road and re-draw map boundaries. I'd say we pay people who can fix today's problems.

Clineman - how was Metro formed? Can this snake nest be undone the same way it was built? actually, I am sure it can, but how difficult it would be is another matter. The public employees unions would be armed to the teeth with money and organizers flowing in from all over the US.

And as for Mr. Waylon, why, he doesn't have to worry about jobs ever again. He probably already has a board position lined up at one or more of his crony's firms. Maybe even a nod from Neil (oops, I meant Gov. Blue Jeans) to be on the TriMet board where he would be even more valuable to his friends. No, don't waste any time worrying about W.

Nines is probably under water but keeping a lid on it. Vintage Plaza just sold. Didn't something in the South Waterfront just change hands again, too? So, clearly, this town needs more rooms!

The thing that gets me on this zombie hotel proposal, is that we never get names for the proponents of this thing who seemingly have unlimited power to bring it back from the dead no matter how many times mere voters put another stake through its heart. Obviously, it is some party or parties who get well paid regardless of how hard or fast the thing fails. Also, it has to be someone who doesn't have to run for office again.

"There are no major subsidies from Metro or City."

How stupid do you think we are to believe that? Every project that costs us a ton of money they tell us the same thing.

Don't believe the hype!

"Hotels near our convention center are weak compared to other cities."

So what? Our schools, roads, freeway systems are crappy near to and far from the convention center along with exorbitant rates on garbage and water near the CC.

Oregon is so effed up it allows its governing bodies to morph into real estate development organizations with a vacuum hose in the public treasury.

Metro
PDC
CoP

How far does it go? What really happened with John Kroger?

In my latest Hollywood Star freebie rag is this nugget.

" Scott Cruickshank has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Oregon Convention Center...........Metro is taking another crack at creating a Headquarters Hotel near OCC, long identified as a key to attracting large conventions and pursued by various government agencies for 20 years so far without success. Cruickshank notes the Metro will be issuing a Request for Proposals for such a facility on July 11th and says "Rooms occupancy levels are high and building costs are low right now. We're in a good spot".

So that's alright then.

I would encourage Portland and/or Multnomah County to pay a multi-million dollar operating subsidy to Marriot or Hilton. And millions more for Hoffman to build it at union scale.

So long as they offer a similar incentive to Corrections Corporation of America or Wackenhut to operate the WAPATO JAIL.

Only two bidders. Both local with out of town financial sources.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2012/07/12/langley-schlesinger-submit-proposals.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2012-07-12

PS: Portland hotel rates are nearing all time highs. Construction costs are as low as they will go. If the HQ hotel cannot be pulled off now, WITHOUT major gubermint subsidies, it will not happen.

Lead with facts. Educate yourself. Information will set your free...

http://hotelnewsresource.mobi/?p=64599

"Portland hotel rates are nearing all time highs."

THat means the Nines is gonna pay back all that money they owe us then?

Steve: yes, the nines should meet their obligations to Taxpayers through their loan through PDC.

The hotel market is " sucking less" in Portland. If we can get job creation going, Portland's hotel market should continue in the black.

These FOOLS at Metro are delusional if they honestly think that any convention will chose Portland between the months of November and May over Las Vegas. Not only is Las Vegas cost competitive, it has far better airline connections, far better choices of hotels, better entertainment, and better climate.

Money for the construction trumps all other considerations.

Brian, "There are no major subsidies from Metro or City. Private sector and market conditions will determine if the project moved forward."

Haaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa-haaaa! You're either dumber than a sack of hammers or you just moved here.

If the private sector and market conditions had seen an opportunity to make a profit on a Convention Center Hotel, they would have done it by now.

This TURD won't fly unless and until METRO/PDC/Multnomah County/CoP polish it up with publicly funded wings made of 24k gold.

I like the idea to shut down Metro, and give the money to PPS.

Then, PPS could take over the Convention Center and turn it into a new mega-high school. (Earlier I suggested a new city hall/county courthouse complex, but high school is just as good.) That will allow PPS to sell off a number of the historic high school properties to developers for re-use (and return to property tax paying status). So we have a new, well maintained, modern, LEED certified high school at virtually no cost (it's already owned by taxpayers), plus increase in revenue. Plus it's probably cheaper to maintain.

Since it's close to PPS headquarters, possibly PPS could move their administrative offices to the Convention Center as well, and sell off that property too.

Since Metro would be shut down, the Expo Center property could also be sold off for redevelopment. Or another high school. Maybe the Expo Center could be the city's "Vocational Training School" and the Convention Center be the "High Tech, Athletic and Art School"...with Memorial Coliseum used as the school's gym facility.

It would be a shining example of "reduce, reuse, recycle" and showcasing Portland's commitment to making the most of what we already have - create new, vibrant educational facilities out of existing, underperforming public structures, while becoming more economically sustainable by reducing overall educational expenses. By giving students opportunities in new, environmentally friendly environments we will engage our youth in enhancing the community that we all live in and create a better future for the region's citizens.

(Excuse me, after coming up with that many loaded buzzwords, I need a shower.)

"Brian's" IP address resolves to:

CustName: Private Customer
Address: Private Residence
City: PORTLAND
StateProv: OR
PostalCode: 97209
Country: US
RegDate: 2012-06-12
Updated: 2012-06-12
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/customer/C03081298

Pearl District, no doubt. Developer weasel sock puppet alert!

Actually I think it's refreshing to have someone like Brian have the nads to come on this board and set out his case and/or beliefs and or hype....zzzz.

Yeah blah blah schill,pr flack, plant etc..

Otherwise it's a circular firing squad.

When 90% of our HS kids are graduating on time without need of remedial classes before PCC, 80% of streets and bridges are in good or better condition, 100 parks have full 12 hour summer recreation programs, every kid who needs it has pre-school, and bus service here is no longer a joke, then ask me about a publicly owned hotel we'll cover the losses on. Until then, just go away.

It is obvious that no one read the RFP. The current proposal from Metro states the Convention Center Hotel must be financed and owned privately. No subsidies from the City, County or Metro.

While Portland likes to portray itself as a progressive and tolerant City, it is not. Conservatives and their sometimes brethren, libertarians, have been driven underground. Many conservatives have not come out of the closet yet, fearing retribution.

Bojack: you hold yourself out as being tolerant, while pharisaically denying a minority in your midst the ability to express dissenting viewpoints without fear of reprisal. This fact is deeply troubling. If you disagree with someone, you will “out them”? If anyone dare disagree with the lawyer from Newark, NJ, they will be destroyed? In the name of tolerance?

This is my last post on this blog. Enjoy your circular firing line. “In a place where everyone thinks alike, no one is thinking”…

"It is obvious that no one read the RFP."

Its pretty obvious based on the cover page for the RFP that they don't want people with weak financial backgrounds, however, there is no mention of NO subsidies.

Its also obvious you don't remember the last hotel push with no prop taxes, land for free, barely any SDCs or fees to pay and no-interest loans which, like the Gerding-Edlen/Vestas deal, probably have no pressure to be paid back.

Why is it necessary to give these guys so many breaks when other hoteliers?

"express dissenting viewpoints without fear of reprisal."

Explain to me again why making you look in a mirror to see the errors of your thinking is a reprisal?

METRO will do anything to push this and they've already lied when they said they killed it two years ago.

Brian, is your claim of "no subsidies" like that employed by CoP/PDC and the media in regards to the Rose Garden/Quarter?

They claim that Paul Allen paid for it, but reality is that Portland taxpayers paid over $38 Million in all forms of subsidies plus essentially got the land for free.

Lee,
I wonder how many "essentially got the land for free" projects have been facilitated in this city?
. . . or for an exceptionally good deal, a list ought to be made, we so need investigative reporting around here.
Our public park land in St. Johns, Johnswood Park was sold for a housing development years ago, does anyone remember if that sold for a going rate?
Land deals, so much around here is all about land and deals and much money to be made by certain ones.