Vision for PGE Park: A place that says ‘soccer’

In 2011, soccer fans coming to PGE Park will be able to step off the MAX train and step through an expanded park entry.

As they head to the new seats on the stadium’s east side, they’ll see the raucous Timbers Army partying on a new platform at the north end and other fans sitting in premium seats as close as 30 feet from the field.

And when they’re hungry or need a bathroom break, they won’t have to battle the traffic and long lines that plague the park now, even when it’s only half full.

At least that’s what Merritt Paulson and his consultants are envisioning for PGE Park. Paulson, owner of the Portland Timbers soccer team, plans to use $31 million to remake PGE Park into a “soccer-specific” stadium for his pending Major League Soccer franchise.

– Excerpt from The Oregonian, August 6, 2009