The Portland City Council have passed a resolution to support starting negotiations with Merritt Paulson over a financing plan to renovate PGE Park to accommodate a Major League Soccer team.

The move effectively decouples the $37 million PGE Park project from a proposed new $48 million baseball park for Paulson's minor-league Portland Beavers.

Both the Beavers and Paulson's minor-league soccer franchise the Portland Timbers share PGE Park. But because MLS requires soccer-specific stadiums for its franchises, Paulson is pursuing separate stadium projects for both clubs.

Earlier attempts to place the stadium at the Rose Quarter failed.