One election worth watching tomorrow: the fate of a new Medford ballpark for the relocating Eugene Emeralds (High-A; Northwest League) will be on the ballot tomorrow, as voters decide whether to raise local hotel taxes.
On the ballot is Measure 15-238, which would increase Medford’s hotel tax by up to 2 percent. The proceeds of this new revenue could be used to back Creekside Quarter (below), an ambitious downtown development built around a conference center, a new Medford ballpark, the usual convention amenities (hotel and restaurants), office space and residential. Using a hike in the hotel tax is a popular tool for raising revenues in a painless way: like car taxes, only tourists and insurance companies pay the hotel tax.
While Eugene is one of baseball’s great traditional markets, hosting Pacific Coast League ball for decades before easing into Short Season A play and eventually the Northwest League, the Emeralds have faced a slew of issues in meeting MLB’s new MiLB facility standards, kicking off in 2025. The Emeralds played for decades at Civic Stadium before moving to PK Park on the University of Oregon campus. On the fan side PK Park is a perfectly lovely facility, but it lacks the player amenities–like updated clubhouses, food-prep facilities and training spaces–demanded these days by Major League Baseball. The Ems attempted to put together a new-ballpark plan on Lane County fairgrounds land, but the move was rejected by voters, leading to today’s present situation.
Medford is not the only community to seek out the Ems; we know of at least one other owner pitching the team on a move to an existing ballpark, but that move was rejected by MLB officials. Should Eugene lose the Ems to a new Medford ballpark, we would expect some quick moves from the pro Pioneer League or the summer-collegiate West Coast League to negotiate for a team at PK Park.
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