Portland planners set aside an approved Master Development Plan that anticipated nearly 300 units of housing in downtown Portland so LiveNation could move forward with a proposed music venue across the street from the Merrill Auditorium.
According to a May 23, 2025, memo from Portland planning staff to the members of the Portland Planning Board, the parcel targeted by LiveNation as the site of a proposed new live music venue was one of three parcels included in a Master Development Plan (MDP) that had been approved by the Planning Board on Aug. 9, 2022.
The MDP approved by the Planning Board outlined, “a comprehensive development spanning the entire block bounded by Congress Street, Myrtle Street, Cumberland Avenue, and Pearl Street,” and subdivided the area into three lots. The plan for Lot 1 envisioned a hotel with retail space and nine condominiums; the plan for Lot 2 anticipated 110 units of housing and 4,000 square feet of retail, while the plan for Lot 3 called for 179 units of housing. along with 6,900 square feet ground-floor retail space.
Lot 3 has since been removed by planners from the master plan at the request of the LiveNation developers so that they can move ahead with their controversial project.
“At this time,” the memo states, “Lot 1 and 2 remain in the Master Development Plan.”
But the decision to remove the lot in question from the Master Development Plan isn’t the only decision that’s gone LiveNation’s way in the convoluted approval process.
The proposed venue, which would seat more than 3,300 people, would be located directly across the street and within yards of the Merrill Auditorium.
Portland zoning regulations prohibit venues from being located from within 100 feet of one another.
However, city planners have determined that this regulation doesn’t apply, even though the buildings would be within 100 feet of one another, because the front door of the proposed LiveNation venue is not within 100 feet of the front door of the Merrill.
“The applicant submitted a diagram (Attachment 24) showing that the proposed building’s main entrance is outside the 100-foot radius from the main entrance of Merrill Auditorium on Myrtle Street.,” the staff memo states. “The secondary entrance at Merrill Auditorium, which serves the Merrill Rehearsal Hall, is not considered the building’s main entrance or for guests entering the facility. It is used for staff, backstage access, and deliveries … Conclusion: The proposed project complies with the zoning regulations regarding the required distance between entertainment businesses. Attachment 24 confirms that the proposed building’s main entrance is located beyond the 100-foot radius from the main entrance of Merrill Auditorium on Myrtle Street.”
The Portland City Council will consider a 180-day moratorium on theater and performance hall projects that would seat more than 2,000 people at its Aug. 11 meeting. The agenda for that meeting is expected to be posted on the city’s website sometime tomorrow.
You can download LiveNation’s Planning Application, along with the attachments and staff memos, below.
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