Medford council will consider asking voters in November to approve raising lodging taxes on hotels from 11% to 13% to provide some of the seed money; plans are long range

A proposed $500 million Medford downtown redevelopment project is taking shape that could attract a minor league baseball team with a new stadium, a conference center and hotels.

“This is not just a baseball project,” said Medford City Councilor Kevin Stine. “All these amenities kind of link up to provide a positive to the whole area.”

On Wednesday night, the Medford City Council will consider asking voters in November to approve raising lodging taxes on hotels from 11% to 13% to provide some of the seed money to spark private development in what is being called Creekside Quarter. The increase would provide just over $1 million annually to the city, officials said.

The project area would encompass Hawthorne Park, and also from Bear Creek to Riverside Avenue on the west, Main Street on the south and Fourth Street to the north.

Roughly half of Hawthorne Park would be the site of the new ballpark, hosting the Eugene Emeralds, a High-A minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants that plays more than 65 home games in the Northwest League each year. The season began in April and is scheduled to run until early September. In total, the team is scheduled to play more than 130 games in 2025, according to its schedule.

Stine said the ballpark would require moving the existing playground at Hawthorne to the south end of the park.

He said one of the goals is to keep the south end of Hawthorne Park as a park, available for other recreational activities next to the proposed ballpark.

“There absolutely will be a park at Hawthorne,” he said.

The baseball stadium, which would face the Medford Center on Fourth Street/East Jackson Street, would have a shaded area for spectators, but the ballfield itself would not be covered.

Another feature on the drawing boards is a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek that would connect the park and stadium with businesses along Riverside Avenue and would provide a link to Pear Blossom Park next to Lithia Motors headquarters.

Stine said the plans are long range and would require buy-in from private developers. The city will need to take a number of steps in the coming months to formalize the idea. He said the $500 million number is based on the build-out of the entire project area with hotels, business centers, the ballpark and parking areas.

Revitalizing downtown and making Bear Creek more of a focal point in the downtown have been a city goal for some time. The city has taken some steps to revitalize Riverside in recent years.

So far, no firm decisions on Creekside Quarter have been made, and timelines haven’t been established. The proposal remains a preliminary concept, and it could require the establishment of a new urban renewal area to help it come to fruition.

The city has undergone a series of negotiations with the Emeralds about moving their team to Medford.

“We’re making every good faith effort to bring the Emeralds to Medford,” Stine said.

In April, the Emeralds made a pitch to the city to build a $90 million stadium in the downtown area.

The Emeralds, or “Ems,” have been using the University of Oregon’s PK Park in Eugene, but the field is out of compliance with Major League Baseball’s new standards for minor league facilities.

The new Medford ballpark, which would feature about 2,600 seats, would also be used for live entertainment events, including concerts.

The Emeralds plan on 66 home baseball games a year plus at least another 150 events.

The proposal pitched by the Emeralds called for the city to finance $45 million of the project with the remainder coming from a variety of other sources. In Eugene, the Emeralds attempted to get enough money together to build a stadium there at a cost of $90 million, but voters rejected a $15 million measure that would have provided the final dollars for that project.

If Medford succeeds in attracting the Emeralds, it would create a triumvirate of large-scale sporting options that include Rogue X to the north and Lithia Driveway & Fields to the south.

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com.