The Portland Timbers announced a $50 million-plus proposal Wednesday to expand Providence Park by 4,000 seats through a privately funded renovation.
Why does Kaka still top MLS salaries?
Portland has sold out every regular season and playoff game at the 91-year-old stadium since entering MLS in 2011, with more than 13,000 fans on the club's season ticket waiting list. The stadium, which also plays host to the NWSL's Portland Thorns, boasts a capacity of 21,144 that sits in the bottom half of MLS venues.
The design by Portland-based architecture firm Allied Works would add a 93-foot covered structure on the east side of the stadium, with the Timbers citing the Shakespearean Globe Theatre in London and La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires as inspirations.
"Providence Park is one of the most special stadiums in sports," said Mike Golub, president of business for the Timbers and Thorns, in a news release. "With our proposed expansion, we will enhance the incomparable fan experience and intimacy and provide the opportunity for some of the more than 13,000 members of the waiting list to become season ticket holders."
The Timbers plan to complete the renovation over the course of two offseasons. A specific time frame has not yet been decided, with construction set to begin in late 2017 or 2018 and conclude in early 2019 or 2020.