First there was the 1992 Rose Quarter development agreement,which built the Rose Garden Arena and the accompanying officebuilding and parking structures. It also gave billionaire PaulAllen, developer of the Rose Quarter control of several parcelsthat remain undeveloped, underdeveloped or, in the case of MemorialColiseum, in need of redevelopment.

In 1995, the Rose Quarter Master Plan came along, detailing thearea's transformation into a 24-hour entertainment district andattracting restaurants and retailers. The plan, which includedwaterfront office space, a convention center hotel, a rollercoaster, theaters and other developments, was never acted upon.

In 1998, with all but one of the tenants having left for lack ofbusiness, Paul Allen's Oregon Arena Corp. commissioned its own,private study looking at development possibilities for the RoseQuarter properties it owns outright and the city parcels itcontrols as a result of the 1992 development agreement.