Clearing the way for a redevelopment plan, the Portland City Council on Wednesday said the mall’s fate fell outside the scope of a close land-use vote.
PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) – Portland city council members say it’s not in their power to save the city’s beloved Lloyd Center Mall.
At the end of a two-hour meeting Wednesday, the council voted tentatively 10-0 to support approval of a redesign plan, ending appeals from groups such as the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition and the Save Lloyd Campaign.
In June, council members heard two days of impassioned testimony from ice skaters, community members and other activists seeking to preserve the historic mall and its rink. But on Wednesday, they said that even if they upheld the latest appeals, saving the mall was beyond the scope of their powers at this point.
“There is no decision by which we can force the preservation of this mall,” said Councilman Mitch Green, summing up what appeared to be the council’s consensus. The council will return to the topic on July 29 for a final vote.
The Lloyd Center mall opened in 1960. Its ribbon cutting featured a live performance by Ella Fitzgerald. At the time, the 1.2 million square foot building was one of the largest shopping malls in the world.
Now, the mall is closing. According to Lloyd Center’s Downtown Master Plan, it will be replaced with mixed-use development.
Christe White, an attorney for the design firm ZGF Architects, said Wednesday that even if the city council were to approve the appeals to that plan, the mall’s demolition had already been given the green light and would proceed. The Lloyd Center’s last day of operation will be August 8.
Wednesday’s two-hour meeting once again brought public testimony. Many Portlanders love the mall’s historic ice rink, describing it as an important community gathering space and calling for its preservation.
Tensions rose throughout the meeting. Council President Jamie Dunphy repeatedly reminded attendees that audible reactions such as clapping, shouting and whistling were not permitted.
Dunphy said he shared the residents’ connection to the Lloyd Center. He recalled his teenage years spent there. However, after concluding that the appeals could not save the mall, he decided not to support them. Instead, he suggested exploring whether other locations, including the nearby Veterans Memorial Coliseum, could serve as a public rink in the future.
Other council members offered similar ideas. Councilman Sameer Kanal spent much of the hearing questioning whether the city could legally require year-round community gathering spaces or a replacement rink as conditions of approval.
Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney similarly questioned whether the Lloyd Center adequately redesigned planning policies encouraging public gathering spaces. She suggested that the council should consider requiring some form of year-round public space.
While the demolition and redesign of Lloyd Center Mall has sparked anger and sadness across the city, some council members criticized the city’s public engagement process. They said the legal notice requirements for the mall’s redesign fell short of the goals for meaningful community involvement.
“If we’re going to say we take people’s concerns seriously,” said Councilor Pirtle-Guiney, “we have to give this opportunity.”
In the end, however, the public outcry was not enough to save Lloyd Center Mall on Wednesday. The July 8 vote was simply on the redesign plan, and the widespread love of the mall wasn’t enough to override legal rules or stop demolition, Councilman Dan Ryan said.
“The two main concerns I’ve heard are preserving an ice rink and objections to demolition,” Ryan said. “None of these points are applicable to the criteria and scope of the city’s master plan.”
Before the 10-0 vote, Councilwoman Loretta Smith addressed those who had spent weeks urging the city to save the mall.
“I hear you and I heard you,” said Smith.
“No you don’t!” an audience member yelled before storming out. “Shame! Shame on you all!”
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