A study evaluating the feasibility of a new Medford (Ore.) ballpark for the relocating Eugene Emeralds (High-A; Northwest League) is scheduled for discussion by the City Council on November 18.
The $500,000 study–funded by Emeralds ownership and the Medford Urban Renewal Agency–will examine whether Hawthorne Park, part of the core Creekside Quarter development district, is the right place for a new Minor League Baseball ballpark.
In November 2025 voters approved a hike in the local hotel tax, up to 2 percent, to back Creekside Quarter (above), 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, pretty much only tourists and insurance companies pay the hotel tax…