An effort to reimagine the future of the Portland Expo Center site generated eight proposals, Metro announced on Wednesday.
The Expo Future’s Request for Expressions of Interest process invited community groups, businesses and other interested parties to suggest future uses for the Expo Center site. The Expo Center, parts of which are more than 100 years old, sits on 53 acres in North Portland.
View the proposals
Detailed proposal descriptions from the RFEI process and visions for the Expo Center site can be viewed in this summary document.
Metro received eight proposals from local, national, and international companies and organizations that speak to the project’s community-driven guiding principles.
- Oregon Black Heritage Museum from Oregon Black Pioneers
- Site of Conscious from the Japanese American Museum of Oregon and Vanport Mosaic
- Expo Center, Reimagined from Expo Center Equity & Enhancement Partners and ASM Global
- The Portland Re-Use Collective from Community Cycling Center, Rebuilding Center, Community Warehouse, Free Geek, and Repair PDX
- Specht-Colas Redevelopment from Specht Development, Inc, Colas Development Group, Mackenzie, and Colas Construction
- Storyteller from CIP Consultants, Rena Solutions, Portland Film Office, Oregon Film, Leo, LLC and Kaiser+Path
- Regional Regenerative Economy Hub from Hemp Collaborative
- Trammel Crow Redevelopment from Trammel Crow
"The Expo Center is a unique site with a rich history, and these proposals reflect Expo’s potential to revitalize our regional economy and quality of life,” said Metro Council President Lynn Peterson. “I look forward to the community conversations about how we can use Expo to advance regional equity, our values and our economy.”
Metro embarked on the Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) process in June 2022 to explore principle-driven development concepts for publicly owned sites that complement existing use, repurpose, or replace the Expo Center and bring additional funding to conduct necessary improvements to the site.
Each proposal will undergo an internal and community review process, where Metro will consider how each project aligns with the guiding principles and maximizes community benefit.
At the conclusion of the review process, a report will be developed, and Metro’s chief operating officer Marissa Madrigal will make a recommendation on the next steps to Metro Council and Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission (MERC) Commissioners in Spring 2023. The anticipated decision-making timeline will be as follows:
| Date |
Decision or action |
| October 2022 |
RFEI proposal due date |
| January 2023 |
RFEI review process and report complete |
| February 2023 |
COO recommendation to Metro Council and MERC |
| Spring 2023 |
Expo Future Steering Committee considers options |
| Winter 2023 |
Steering Committee makes a recommendation to Metro Council and MERC on next steps |
| 2024 |
Metro enters negotiations with potential development partner(s) |
| 2025 |
Metro finalizes development and lease agreements with site partner(s) |
| 2026+ |
Active redevelopment of the Expo site. |
Metro and MERC will consider the highest and best use for this site based on feedback in this report and consideration of other emerging factors.
“The Expo Center has been both a cultural and historical site for more than a century,” said Karis Stoudamire-Phillips, chair of the Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission that oversees the Expo Center. “We MERC commissioners look forward to continuing to work with Metro Council and our collective community to assess and determine how best the Expo Center site can serve the needs of the evolving Metro region.”
To learn more about the project please visit expofuture.org.