PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Blazer fans and Rose Quarter leaders are coming together ahead of a Portland City Council meeting to show public support for Moda Center renovations and keep the team in the city.
Portland’s elected leaders are meeting this week to discuss [funding for arena renovations](https://www.kptv.com/2026/07/31/trail-blazers-face-portland-city-council-first-public-lease-talks/). The city owns Moda Center, which has fallen behind NBA standards, and the Trail Blazers are currently negotiating their franchise lease with the city.
City councilors and commissioners are debating how much support to pledge amid a budget deficit.
Donald Kenney, co-owner of Blazer-themed sports bar Spirit of 77, opened his business across from the arena. He said the stakes extend beyond basketball.
“I built this place along with my friends with my bare hands,” he said.
Kenney said the arena’s condition affects more than just the Trail Blazers.
“We can’t get any of those massive concerts that everyone talks about wanting to have,” he said.
He also pointed to the broader impact on the Lloyd District and surrounding community.
“You are dooming this entire region for another 30 years. There used to be schools, there used to be grocery stores, there used to be people who lived here, and we bulldozed it all for a freeway and a couple of buildings.”
On the city’s responsibility to the building, Kenney said: “You have a building that’s broken down that you bought. You are going to have to take care of this building regardless of whether or not you have this entity as a tenant.”
Mike Thelin, with the group [We Are Rip City](https://www.kptv.com/2026/07/16/portland-businesses-community-groups-form-coalition-support-moda-center-renovation/), said the opportunity is rare.
“There’s 30 cities in the entire world that get to be home to an NBA team,” he noted.
“You don’t get these things back,” added Jim Etzel, Sport Oregon CEO.
Spirit of 77, alongside We Are Rip City, is handing out signs and collecting testimonies ahead of the council meeting.
Portland City Council is holding a public work session Wednesday morning to vote on a term sheet for the renovations.
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