PORTLAND, Ore. -- Failed plans near Portland’s Burnside Bridge may be resurrected in a slightly new form. A local developer wants to create a large music venue at the east end of the bridge.

The Portland Development Commission is discussing the music venue idea. It’s also entertaining an idea to expand the famous skateboard park under the bridge.

The interest is there but a lot depends on the economy.

Right now, the land just northeast of the bridge is a ghost town, complete with a large, empty commercial building.

In 2005 plans to redevelop the site into a $100 million mixed use hub fizzled.

“At that time the condominium market was robust,” explained PDC project manager Kia Selley.

The city's development commission has tried in vaIn to find an anchor tenant. It’s ready to do something -anything- productive with the four blocks.

“We're talking about temporarily allowing the skate park to expand about 25-30 feet just north of the Burnside Bridge,” she said.

That, and potential food vendor carts and leased parking are new short-term ideas.

As for the long term outlook, private developer Brad Malsin wants now wants transform what he calls the city's most crucial juncture of transit and neighborhoods.

“I always had felt that and understood what the connection of the central eastside to the rest of the city,” said Malsin of Beam Development.

He already has several properties in his eastside portfolio.

At the bridgehead, Malsin envisions a collection of green, sustainable buildings including offices, retail, live-work housing and a crown jewel two-thousand seat music venue operated by Monqui Productions.

“It will be a little bit of a work in progress until we figure out how things are going with the economy,” he added.

The city is cautiously excited by the interest and will begin researching the venue idea before asking the public's opinion. The PDC will ask key questions.

“Will it compete with other venues downtown and what will it cost will it need public financing?”

The two potential partners couldn't likely achieve such a proposal alone. In the very least, this recently overlooked site has a suitor once again.

The PDC says a down economy is a perfect time to invest in the future.

But it won't sign a new Burnside Bridgehead agreement unless the market -and the public- support all these new ideas.