Portland community gives mixed reaction to proposed Live Nation venue at City Council hearing

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — During a Portland City Council meeting Thursday, reactions were decidedly mixed about a proposed Live Nation venue. While many members of the local music community strongly opposed it, some business owners championed the idea.

This comes a day after the board of Prosper Portland, the city's redevelopment arm, approved the sale of land that once housed a large homeless camp near OMSI.

While the music venue plans are tentatively moving forward, Portland City Council deferred the official vote until next month.

A city hearings officer originally approved the land use application for a developer to build a four-story concert hall that could hold up to 3,500 concertgoers in a $2.4 million agreement. The site is now a vacant lot on Southeast Water Avenue between Water and Main Street.

Opponents like local nonprofit MusicPortland say it’s not right that this sale is happening the day before the City Council is set to hear their appeal of permits for the project. The organization, which represents local musicians and venues, wants to stop the project.

They believe it would be bad for local musicians, claiming Live Nation venues elsewhere take away business from smaller locations and pressure local musicians to work with them.

"Live Nation doesn't care about local businesses. They breach contracts and I'm concerned they will breach contract with local developers," stressed Renée Muzquiz, MusicPortland's Director of Operations. "No musicians in the room today support this project."

"They have to think about the long-term and downstream consequences of a city on the brink of a logistical nightmare," added Jacob Westfall, another MusicPortland member.

The U.S. Justice Department is suing Live Nation – the parent company of Ticketmaster – claiming it stifles competition and increases ticket prices. Oregon and Washington’s Attorneys General have joined in that lawsuit. Live Nation disagrees that it's a monopoly, stating that competition has eroded Ticketmaster’s market share and profit.

Portland City Council heard hours of testimony on Thursday, both for and against the project.

MusicPortland members were among the loudest voices to disagree, saying the city should've denied the conditional use permits because of environmental issues, parking shortages and nearby train tracks.

"You're gonna be stuck in traffic for a half hour, behind a train, a freight train, that cannot be stopped," Westfall said. "It's more important than 3,500 people seeing a new artist."

Music business veterans also weighed in, including David Leiken, former manager of the Roseland and Paramount Theaters in Portland. He called the approval of the venue "questionable," especially amid the DOJ suit.

"How will this work if the financing is impacted by many lawsuits?" Leiken said. "What is impossible to believe is how it got this far."

Brigid Blackburn, another eastside business owner and member of the Central Eastside Industrial Council, said improvements would help but the benefits far outweigh the concerns in the industrial district. She said the venue could create jobs, attract tourists and boost local business revenue.

"My hope walking out of the meeting today, and for Portland is that we really do find our commonality between those places and find that compromise and collaborative spirit because that's what Portland does the best," Blackburn said.

Local developers Beam Development and Colas Construction are leading the project. In an interview with KOIN 6's Eye on Northwest Politics, they said opening the venue is the right choice, despite the federal lawsuit that Live Nation is facing.

"Live Nation has deep experience booking acts and talent in the City of Portland, they have a local presence and they have a great track record," said Jonathan Maslin with Beam Construction.

Though many local musicians are concerned about the impact on the local music scene, Live Nation said local acts would get more opportunities to perform.

If Portland City Council gives the final greenlight when they vote on October 2, than construction could begin as soon as 2025 and the venue could open as early as 2026.