Walmart.

Sam loses.

After the massive force of City, County, State and Federal ‘Investigators’ converged on the fire scene spending weeks picking through the ashes and at considerable cost to we taxpayers, they are now telling us they don’t know how the fire started. I suspect they do know how but just can’t prove how and who set the flame.

Whenever big business is involved in the Portland area, what isn't suspicious?

Local politicians can't even be trusted.

It sure does seem suspicious. We're on the same wave length.

And according to the O article "whatever is built there will be leveled" for the new bridge.
So the owners get paid twice, and the taxpayers pay more?
And what about the $1.2 million in back taxes?

I would hope the city's largest newspaper will dig much deeper into the arson angle unless they are planning to tie the sale into the entire scheme down the road. Meanwhile, a $1000 reward is being offered for information on the arson. Better add another two zeros to that amount if they want real answers.

I'd like to know how the fire insurance carrier weighs in on this?

And who'd have guessed? According to the story Sam Adams has been involved one way or another.

This talk of a project is a ploy to get the state/city/county to buy up the property now to avoid having to pay much more later.
Would the insurance company have a case against Sammy for stalling the previous project ?

BTW - I am not implying in any form or way that Walmart is the responsible for the property being available.

I'd look at the owner of that shuttered hotel for the past 10 years myself for answers.

The recent house fire on N Chautauqua could also be viewed as suspicious. It is a long one story run down ranch style house that sits on a corner lot. Per the Oregonian, the owner passed away a few months ago. The likely new owner of the property will be a developer who will demolish what is left of the house and replace it with four or more skinny houses. Ka-ching! There are already a number of skinny housed on North Chautauqua.

Would the insurance company have a case against Sammy ...

Any case against Sam is really a case against the CoP taxpayers - regardless of whether he is still in office.

An unfortunate circumstance John, for I believe politicians should be held finacially accountable for their misdeeeds in office.

"Burning Desire Mall"

That hotel used to be a convention destination hotel. A lot of national AKC dog breed clubs held their specialties there (the last one I saw was the Boston Terrier Club of America). It had the advantage of being close to the Expo Center and downtown. Granted, these were not huge conventions, but a lot of conventions aren't huge. They still need places to stage their meetings and events. This was a nice venue.

One might ask, if that place couldn't make it as a convention magnet, how much more attractive does the zombie convention center hotel plan look now?

And yes, it was obviously arson.

Arson? Nah. Sam, Tom and I were just smoking a doobie and Sam and Tom kinda' got out of control. More.