City Life Advances Resolution to City Council

On August 11, the City of Portland’s City Life Committee voted to advance to the full City Council a resolution supporting moving ahead with planning for a City-owned Broadway theater at the proposed Performing Arts + Culture Center – as well as launching a public planning process to determine what is next for Keller Auditorium.

At a previous City Life hearing, Chair Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Vice Chair Eric Zimmerman and committee members Candace Avalos, Angelita Morillo and Dan Ryan heard powerful verbal and written testimony from students, artists, arts organizations, educators, civic leaders and neighbors in support of the resolution. City Life councilors also received more than 1,200 emails from supportive community members.

The resolution is the critical next step after three years of public process that began in 2023 with a City call for proposals for potential new performing arts facility sites in Portland. Market and economic analyses and recommendations from independent advisory groups have all underscored the benefits of building at the PSU site.

The resolution instructs City staff to work with Portland State on more detailed cost estimating and to determine a realistic target for the City’s initial financial commitment – to take the project from conceptual planning to the detailed project definition needed for key funding decisions to be made.

The $44 million figure mentioned in some media reporting is 10% of the estimated total cost of the City-owned Broadway venue. It is a potential target for the City’s initial financial commitment that will be determined in the next phase of planning. Any financial commitment will require subsequent City Council approval.

City funds will pay for the City-owned Broadway venue, not for other elements of the multi-use project. Portland State has separately identified funding for the smaller theaters, rehearsal spaces and classrooms it will own to benefit students and the larger arts ecosystem. In addition, Colas Development Group has entered into an exclusive negotiating relationship to develop the Center’s hotel and conference center.

Thank you to everyone who took action, submitted written testimony, or testified in person on behalf of the Performing Arts + Culture Center project as the resolution came before the City Life Committee. That community support has helped drive momentum behind a vision that will create new opportunities for artists, audiences, students, and cultural organizations across our region.

The resolution passed by City Life is expected to go before the full City Council on September 3.