The Portland Timbers are in the process of examining the feasibility of a new stadium expansion plan that could add up to 3,500 seats to Providence Park.

The Timbers have been looking at ways to significantly expand the seating capacity at the stadium for over a year.

Providence Park currently seats 21,144 fans, but the demand for Timbers tickets is much higher. There are now nearly 13,000 fans on the Timbers' season ticket waitlist.

Earlier this year, the Timbers had been looking into a plan that could add up to 2,000 new seats to Providence Park, but in recent months they've abandoned that initial plan and started to hone in on a new design that could add even more seats.

"We have huge demand to attend our matches and we need more seats to satisfy at least part of that demand," Timbers President of Business Mike Golub said. "We've been examining a new approach in last few months that we're excited about that would add as many as 3,500 seats."

While adding seats is obviously a priority for the Timbers, Golub said that the club is only interested in expanding capacity in a way that would not adversely impact the current fan experience.

"This new design that we're focusing on is really exciting because it's new real estate in an area that's really complimentary to the existing fan experience," Golub said. "If it ends up being feasible, we think it will be a really exciting scenario."

While Golub would not discuss the specifics of the design, he said the Timbers are currently working with a firm to determine whether the new plan is both operationally and economically feasible. The Timbers have said in the past that they plan to pay for any renovations.

To move forward with the plan, the Timbers would need approval from the city. If the new plan does pans out, renovations could not feasibly begin until after the completion of the 2018 season at the earliest, Golub said.

"We're really serious about it," Golub said. "It's just a matter of finding the right design and the right approach, which we think we're potentially honing in on."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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