Indoor Multiuse Sports Facility Predevelopment Project

Travel Lane County is evaluating the feasibility of an indoor multiuse sports facility that could serve local athletes during weekdays and support regional tournaments on weekends. This work is part of a decades-long effort to address winter visitor activity, the season when overnight stays and visitor spending consistently decline across Lane County.

We are in the early predevelopment phase. Our focus is gathering verified information, understanding what is feasible and keeping the community informed. No decisions have been made about site location, design or funding. The most recent project activity and public materials are summarized on the Latest Updates page.

Funding Options Evaluated

In earlier phases of work leading up to the current predevelopment effort, multiple funding and governance mechanisms were evaluated to support development of a potential indoor multiuse sports facility. This work focused on identifying approaches that could align tourism industry capacity with long-term facility investment.

One option explored in detail was a Tourism Improvement District. Analysis indicated a TID could provide a dedicated funding stream for facility development outside of an increase to the Transient Lodging Tax and, if implemented, could have been managed by Travel Lane County.

As this analysis progressed, Lane County elected to pursue a 2 percent increase to the Transient Lodging Tax as the preferred funding approach. Following that decision, further development of the TID model was paused.

While the TLT increase has generated funding to support tourism-related investments, its statutory and contractual constraints affect how funds can be used for capital facility development, adding complexity to implementation of a potential indoor multiuse sports facility.

What Is Predevelopment?

The predevelopment phase focuses on understanding the core components of a potential indoor multiuse sports facility, including:

• Facility size and configuration for community and tournament use
• Construction cost estimates, verified by local experts
• Zoning, traffic and infrastructure considerations
• Potential site readiness and feasibility
• Operational and ownership models
• General timelines for evaluation
• Early economic context

This work is about verification, clarity and feasibility. It ensures that any future decisions are transparent and based on accurate information.

Facility Needs & Requirements

Independent analysis by The Sports Facilities Companies indicates that a tournament-capable facility in this region would require the equivalent of eight basketball courts or sixteen volleyball courts, in terms of floor space and ceiling height.

A facility of this size and configuration could support multiple sports and activities such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cheer, pickleball and more. It could also serve additional community functions, including meeting space and emergency preparedness.

Possible Locations

Travel Lane County is studying several potential locations, evaluating them against criteria such as:

• Zoning and land-use feasibility
• Transportation access
• Infrastructure requirements
• Proximity to lodging, dining and services
• Community accessibility
• Construction feasibility
• Potential readiness timelines

Potential sites include the Lane Events Center in Eugene, a location in west Eugene, a location in Cottage Grove and the former Royal Caribbean building in Springfield, as well as others.

The former Royal Caribbean property was under a publicly reported purchase agreement previously. Travel Lane County released that agreement to allow additional time for due diligence. The site continues to be evaluated as one of several possibilities. The property owner plans to lead required zoning and traffic scoping. These reviews typically take six to twelve months.

Doing Due Diligence

Evaluations underway include:

• Construction feasibility
• Cost verification
• Zoning and land-use research
• Traffic and transportation analysis
• Infrastructure review
• Operational model options
• Ownership and management considerations
• Economic context

Potential Cost

A local construction contractor is developing cost estimates for multiple scenarios, including new construction and remodel of an existing structure. These estimates are expected by late January and will not include site acquisition or site-specific expenses.

What Comes Next

The information-gathering process is ongoing. Travel Lane County will continue coordinating with partners and sharing verified updates. New information will be added to the Latest Updates page of this website, or you can sign up for our sports enews below.