The City of Portland is seeking applicants for the citizen advisory committee that will help decide how and whether to proceed with the proposal to build a new performing arts center at Portland State University and then renovate the downtown Keller Auditorium.

Eleven people with technical expertise or professional experience will be appointed to the Future of Large-Scale Performing Arts Steering Committee. Applicants are being sought from the fields of architecture, construction, finance, fundraising, performing arts, real estate development, urban planning, and venue operations. The deadline for applying is Sept. 29.

The committee will receive reports and progress updates related to the Future of Large-Scale Performing Arts project approved by the City Council in October 2024. The new council is not necessarily bound by that approval.

Members will provide their perspectives and feedback, and make recommendations on next steps and direction for the project to the city’s Community & Economic Development Service Area, which is managing the project. Topics for review and discussions will include recommendations from the previous Performing Arts Venue Workgroup, results from previous and future transportation studies, findings from an upcoming market feasibility study, potential funding and partnership opportunities, and more.

The council approved the “two-venue” plan last October to solve the problem of how to accommodate touring Broadway shows if the Keller – which is not earthquake-safe – is closed for upgrades and renovations. Such shows are far and away the most popular offerings in all city-owned arts venues, and the revenue they generate largely supports the other Portland’5 theaters. They include the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and the three smaller theaters in the adjacent Hatfield Hall.

PSU proposed building a new city-owned facility as part of a new Portland Arts and Culture Center on property it owns several blocks south of the Keller. If built first, that would allow Broadway shows to be staged there while the Keller is shut down for renovation. Although many questions remain to be answered with the assistance of the steering committee, two early hurdles have already been overcome.

First, Portland State University has raised $155 million for its share of a partnership with the city to build a 3,000-seat center on property it owns on the eastern edge of its campus. The money, which includes $85 million in state bond funds, will help finance a related 1,200-seat theater and academic space, along with on-site parking.

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Second, a traffic study commissioned by the city found that both new PSU-located facilities would not create insurmountable congestion when operated at the same time as a renovated Keller. Some mitigation steps would be needed to ensure the continued smooth flow of traffic, however.

Still to be determined is whether and how Portland government can fund both projects. The new center at PSU was estimated at $358 million last October. Renovating the Keller was pegged at $236 million. Adjustments, infrastructure improvements, and inflation could push the total cost to $750 million or more by the time construction starts. Coming up with that much money now falls to the current 12-member City Council that replaced the previous five-member version in January.

According to the city, the steering committee will meet six times between November 2025 and June 2026. Each meeting will be two hours long, for a total of 12 hours of meetings. Meetings will be held in-person in the Portland Building, in downtown Portland. Some review of materials in advance of meetings will also be required.

More information and the online application form can be found at portland.gov/arts/keller/future-large-scale-performing-arts-steering-committee.

A previous Oregon ArtsWatch story on the project, Two homes for Broadway shows? Portland aims for a double, can be found here.