Heads up, Medford residents: the City Council has a big ticket item on its agenda for this evening. Slated to meet at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, council members are set to dive into discussions about the Creekside Quarter development, a proposed hub for regional conferences and events, a new hotel, and other commercial ventures in the west side of downtown Hawthorne Park. There's also talk of adding a professional baseball stadium to the northern slice of the park, according to the city's news release.
Recently, on November 4, Medford's voters gave the thumbs up to hike the City’s transient lodging tax (TLT) from 11% to 13%. The additional funds are destined to finance the conference and event center component of the Creekside Quarter project. The City Council had already signed off on a letter of intent last month proposing to raise the TLT incrementally: first to 12%, with the climb to 13% contingent on meeting certain unspecified conditions. With the Eugene Emeralds in ongoing talks with the city regarding the nitty-gritty of stadium specs and the team's financial kick-in, the project, if greenlit, promises to be a game-changer for the community.
But that's not all that's cooking in the council's kitchen. There are also plans to scrutinize what could happen to the south half of Hawthorne Park. City officials are itching to get council input on whether to scout for redevelopment opportunities for that area, which would fold into the broader Creekside Quarter conversations and negotiations.
For those feeling FOMO, worry not—you can catch a live stream of the proceedings. Dive deeper into the agenda and staff memo by checking the city’s news release to see for yourself what the future of downtown Medford might look like.
