The draft report by Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh suggests that if the Memorial Coliseum is torn down and a major league baseball stadium is not built in the area, the Rose Quarter "could potentially be one of the most dynamic and exciting new districts in the city... ."

The report envisions another Pearl District--the city's former warehouse district--with mid-rise buildings on traditional city blocks filled with apartments, office space and ground-floor restaurants and retail shops. Then again, this is the third such plan since billionaire Paul Allen said he could turn the Rose Quarter into something special.

The 1992 Rose Quarter development agreement with Allen built the Rose Garden Arena, three parking structures and an adjacent office building with ground-floor retail that opened onto a public plaza. It also gave Allen control of several parcels that remain undeveloped, underdeveloped or, in the case of Memorial Coliseum, in dire need of redevelopment.