Portland’s Memorial Alternative

Officials in Portland, Ore., have announced plans to tear down the nearly 50-year-old Memorial Coliseum to make room for a new ballpark for the minor league Beavers.

The baseball team plays at PGE Park downtown, but the city has been granted a Major League Soccer franchise that could begin playing in the stadium in 2011 following renovations.

The razing is just one part of a redevelopment plan for the city’s aging Rose Quarter entertainment district, which would feature the new ballpark and Rose Garden Arena as anchors.

A recent planning meeting with officials from the city, the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and a group fronting the soccer effort weighed other ideas for the district including a 2,500-seat venue, sports museum, retail and office space, nightclubs, restaurants and a hotel, the Oregonian reported.

The city will reportedly use money from bonds and private funding to finance the new ballpark, which would need to be built in time for the 2011 season. However, no timeline has been set for the Rose Quarter redevelopment.

The city will hold an open meeting to discuss the proposals April 14.