Development opportunity
After careful analysis and collaborative community conversations, the Portland Expo Center is ready for redevelopment. Metro seeks a public-private development partnership to realize its vision for Expo. Solicitations are expected to be issued in summer 2025. A development partner may be selected by the end of 2025.
Expo Center today
Click on image to enlarge
Spanning 53 acres, the Portland Expo Center is well-situated in north Portland at the junction of the scenic Columbia River and Interstate 5 – a major gateway to Portland and Oregon. Expo is easily accessed by car or onsite light rail and bus and is just eight miles from Portland International Airport.
Expo includes 180,000 square feet of modern, flexible floor space (Halls D and E) and another 153,000 square feet of exhibit space built in 1925 (Halls A, B, and C). Approximately 50,000 square feet of this older space may be retained, pending a structural analysis. Expo is zoned for general industrial use by the City of Portland and operates as an exhibition facility with a conditional use permit from the City of Portland.
Portland International Raceway, Portland’s Delta Park sports park, and Heron Lakes 36-hole championship golf course are within a mile of Expo Center.
With strong annual bookings of traditional shows and an expanding portfolio of sports events, Expo has a solid foundation for transformation to its next century of service.
Available studies
Metro has multiple studies relevant to Expo’s redevelopment, which are available at the end of this page.
View the studies
The vision for Expo Center
Metro’s vision for the Portland Expo Center is a compelling blend of history, culture, and sports: transform Expo’s campus into a sports and sports tourism destination that meets local and regional needs, while representing the rich and complex histories and cultures associated with the site.
Developed over 15 months, the community- and market-driven vision for Expo includes the following components:
- Upgraded sports equipment for existing facilities
- A new twin-sheet ice sports center
- A new court sports facility
- A new family athletic and entertainment center
- A new community cultural center and garden
- Connection to natural areas
- Parking enhancements.
Representation of the histories and cultures associated with the site, including those of area Tribes and the urban Indigenous, Japanese American, and Black communities, will be unmissable at the site and conveyed through:
- Facility design
- Art
- Educational programming
- Natural spaces
- Sports.
The estimated cost for this first phase of the project is $300 million.
Assuming market demand, successive phases would include:
- A 120-room hotel
- A 15,000 square-foot food and beverage expansion
- Installation of an indoor track.
Preferred development scenarios
Click on image to open PDF of development scenario
Click on image to open PDF of development scenario
A rich history
Expo has served as an exhibition facility for more than 100 years, and the site has an exceptional place in the history of Portland and the United States. This rich, complicated history spans millennia and includes Indigenous Peoples, Tribes, Japanese Americans, and the former mixed-race City of Vanport. Metro is committed to representing and memorializing these histories in the Expo Future project.
Learn more about Expo’s history