Portland Baseball Backers Withdraw Offer For School Headquarters

PORTLAND, OR – The baseball team that Portland does not yet have announced Wednesday that the home they'd been looking at is no longer an option. Several months after making an offer to buy the Portland Public Schools headquarters, they have now withdrawn that offer.

The Portland Diamond Project, which is trying to attract a Major League Baseball team to the Rose City, had been attracted to the site because of its access to transportation and ability to transform the neighborhood.

Portland Diamond Project CEO and founder Craig Cheek said that after looking in-depth at plans for the area being developed by community group Albina Vision Trust, they decided that Albina Vision's plans were better for the neighborhood.

Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

"It became apparent to us that the Albina Vision Trust's board of directors has a long-range plan for the building and the immediate area that will serve the overall community in a very meaningful way,” Cheek says.

"Albina Vision's focus on diversity and social equity is aligned with our mission, and we are putting our full support behind it."

A board member of Albina Vision Trust, Gregg Kantor, said that the Portland Diamond Project's decision was correct.

"We are pleased with their decision and believe it is the right one for our community," Kantor says. "We believe the PPS site was not the right place for a baseball stadium given the opportunities it offers to help create a new and diverse neighborhood."

The Diamond Project had also made an offer for the former ESCO site but it was sold to a group of private developers.

They say that they plan to make an announcement in a few weeks about other properties that they are looking to option in the Portland city limits.

Photo via Portland Diamond Project.