The Medford-based car dealership, Lithia Motors, has won the bid for Terminal 1. But the $12.5 million deal doesn’t include the Portlandia statue.
Terminal 1 is a large industrial lot on the edge of Portland’s Pearl District, which also offers river access.
Lithia is one the country’s largest car dealerships. When it made an initial offer, it suggested the city move the iconic Portlandia statue to the site — to welcome, “seafarers and the world to our beautiful city.”
Lithia has now won the deal over a half dozen other buyers, but the city says Portlandia is not part of it.
In its offer, Lithia said it’s looking to consolidate its scattered Portland operations under one roof. Contrary to rumors, the company is not planning to relocate its headquarters to the site. It moved into a new HQ in Medford just four years ago.
Terminal 1 attracted attention earlier this year after a developer proposed using it as a giant campus for Portland's homeless population.
Copyright 2016 Oregon Public Broadcasting
