First look: Timbers buy practice land for $25 million with plans to expand

The club has completed a $25 million purchase of the 13-acre property that houses its current training facility from the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District.

The Portland Timbers are taking a major step toward modernizing their infrastructure.

The club has completed a $25 million purchase of the 13-acre property that houses its current training facility from the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, the Timbers announced Tuesday. The acquisition paves the way for a significant expansion of the facility.

Planned upgrades to the new Timbers Performance Center include the addition of a second grass training field — bringing the total to three fields — a viewing deck overlooking the pitches, expanded office space, an indoor training surface and enhanced player facilities.

“Today’s announcement of the purchase of the Portland Timbers Performance Center represents a critically important investment in the future of the club,” owner Merritt Paulson said in a statement. “We now control a 13-acre footprint that provides us plenty of space to build a best-in-class training home for the Portland Timbers and its entire development pipeline.”

The Timbers originally opened their training facility on THPRD grounds in 2012, occupying a 6,000-square-foot block within a 90,000-square-foot service center. A 2,600-square-foot addition followed in 2015, and in 2017, the club tripled its footprint to 24,000 square feet. Under the new plans, the Timbers aim to fully utilize the 90,000-square-foot facility.

“This decision provides us the ability to grow and expand an already elite professional training site,” Portland General Manager Ned Grabavoy said in a release. “Our staff and players throughout the club are thrilled for what the future holds, as we continue elevating the standards of a high-level performance and development center.”

This story will be updated later this morning.

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor