Medford Council Approves $500K Baseball Stadium Study
The study will compare a proposed Hawthorne Park stadium with the existing Harry & David Field site.
MEDFORD, Ore. — The Medford City Council has approved a contract of up to $500,000 for consulting services tied to early design and cost-estimation work for a proposed baseball stadium.
Council approved the contract at its June 3 meeting by a 5-1 vote, with one abstention, according to the City of Medford.
KNO Construction, working with DLR Group, will develop construction cost estimates for a proposed multi-purpose, professional baseball-compliant stadium at Hawthorne Park. The study will also evaluate the existing Harry & David Field site at Lithia & Driveway Fields for comparison.
According to the city, the scope of work includes site analysis, due diligence, building design, constructability review and budget development.
The work is expected to produce a 10% design for the Hawthorne Park location, along with a cost and viability assessment for the Harry & David Field site. The study is expected to be completed by mid-October 2026.
Once the study is finished, project findings and a staff recommendation will be presented to the City Council for further direction.
The city said its request for proposals received six submissions from qualified architectural teams. KNO Construction submitted the lowest-cost proposal.
Submissions were independently scored by city leaders and Eugene Emeralds owner D.G. Elmore. The top two firms were then interviewed before the recommendation moved forward.
The funding for the early analysis was previously authorized by the Medford Urban Renewal Agency Board on April 15. MURA approved up to $500,000 to support the work, with $250,000 transferred from MURA to the City of Medford and $250,000 contributed by the Eugene Emeralds.
The approval does not finalize construction of a stadium. The current contract is for design, cost-estimation and site comparison work that will help city leaders decide what steps, if any, to take next.
Cover image: Medford city leaders have approved the next step in studying a possible baseball stadium, but the decision does not approve construction. Image from City of Medford.
