As the only facility of its kind in Oregon, an indoor multiuse sports facility would be a unique draw for people from across the Pacific Northwest. Evan Eleff of Sports Facilities Advisors discusses the economic and community benefits of multiuse indoor sports facilities and the projected economic impacts of a facility located on the Lane Events Center campus in this presentation. A written summary of the proposed project is available here.
An indoor multiuse sports facility could include:
A hydraulic banked 200m indoor track that can raise and lower in just four minutes
Convertible spaces for nearly every imaginable indoor athletic or recreational event:
21 wrestling rings
16 volleyball courts
9 basketball courts
20 pickleball courts
Gymnastics
Cheerleading
Martial Arts
Ample storage for a variety of flooring and implementations
A mix of up to 4,000 permanent and temporary seats
Training and competition space for student athletes from middle schools, high schools, local colleges and universities
Ancillary spaces for medical, training, hospitality and other uses
Locker rooms, restrooms, concessions and more
Meeting and event space for trade shows, conventions, concerts and more
Indoor climate-controlled space for emergency response
Economic & Community Benefits
An indoor multiuse facility could generate millions for our businesses that rely on visitor spending. It would:
Draw stable, all-season revenue, projected to draw as much as $91 million in cumulative spending in the community within five years and nearly $486 million over 20 years, all while breaking even in operating costs in year 5, according to consultant estimates
Boost our hospitality industry by generating 31,000 room nights annually within 5 years.
Reduce seasonal fluctuations in hospitality jobs, aiding employee retention in hotels, restaurants, tasting rooms and more
Capture otherwise-lost visitor tax revenues that could better support our broader community to fund parks, museums, arts and marketing the visitor industry
Improve the health of our local youth by allowing them to participate in year-round sporting events — having adequate community facilities and athletic programs is especially important amid rising obesity rates among our nation’s children, while kids who live active lifestyles are six times more likely to stay active as adults
An indoor multiuse facility could also provide a critically needed emergency response space for wildfires, earthquakes, extreme heat and more.
Maximize the use of the county-owned fairgrounds property to deliver year-round community-centered services.
There is a solution! We need an indoor facility that draws groups of people here in the winter. An indoor multiuse sports facility would bring tournaments from all over the region for indoor track, basketball, volleyball, pickleball and much more.
The added benefit of an indoor multiuse sports facility is that it will serve our local community. Kidsports, Willamalane and school gyms cannot meet the demand. Local teams need a place to practice and play. And our community desperately needs more emergency response space that is climate-controlled and big enough to help when the need arises.
J.B. oversees the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission, focusing on growing the local sports event economy through excellent sales and services programs and effective target marketing.
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