UO Athletics plans to break ground in 2024 to construct a new indoor practice field next to Autzen Stadium. They recently released plans for additional development in this area: the relocation of the two outdoor practice fields to the south of their current location. To accommodate this, Leo Harris Parkway would be re-routed to the south and the existing City-owned paved parking lot serving Eugene Science Center, Cuthbert Amphitheater, and Alton Baker Park guests would be relocated to the City-owned parkland/field east of the Eugene Science Center building.
For more information from University of Oregon, visit this website.
Artist rendering of the new indoor practice field, two outdoor practice fields, and the re-route of Leo Harris Parkway.
Proposed Re-Route of Leo Harris Parkway
Proposed Paved Parking Mitigation
Frequently Asked Questions
Tailgating (Updated 2/15/2023)
No, Eugene Science Center will not be displaced by the UO’s football expansion project.
Yes, we expect to continue to offer tailgate parking opportunities, but at a lower capacity. It is likely that the SF1 parking area will become a paved parking lot (replacing the lot that will be removed when Leo Harris Parkway is re-routed) and that lot will not be available for game day tailgate parking. We expect to continue to provide parking in the SF2 and SF3 parking areas. The SF3 parking will likely be on pavement, rather than grass.
Our understanding is that the 2024 season is the earliest this project would impact our tailgating. Parking for the upcoming 2023 season will not be affected. We will keep you updated as we receive updates.
If and when the SF1 parking area becomes unavailable for tailgating, season pass holders will have the opportunity to purchase a season parking pass in the SF2 or SF3 parking areas.
At this time, we believe we will still be able to offer season parking passes for cars/regular vehicles in the area north of the science center at approximately the same capacity, but this parking may be in a new parking lot adjacent to the building rather than on the grass. We will probably not be able to accommodate RV parkers north of the building once these changes take place, but will still offer RV parking in the SF2RV parking area on the south side of the science center.
We do not expect the UO’s project to impact the physical parameters of the SF2 and SF2RV parking areas. However, we do expect to sell more SF2 car and SF2RV season parking passes as parkers displaced from the SF1 and SF3RV parking lots relocate.
Yes, this is highly likely. The proposed rerouting of Leo Harris Parkway and proposed new City parking lot will require changes to our current entry driveway. Plans for exactly what this will look like are still being developed.
If our lots sell out with season passes, we will not offer any single advance or game day parking. If we do not sell out our lots with season parking passes, we will offer single game advance passes; whether we will be able to sell passes on the day of the game will be determined at a later date after entry logistics are known.
Eugene Science Center Operations (Updated 2/15/2023)
Our understanding is that construction will begin sometime in 2024. We will keep you updated as we receive updates.
We thoroughly explored the possibility of relocating to the old EWEB headquarters building, but that was unrelated to UO’s construction projects. Our ambitions for the EWEB property would have changed the occupancy code of the buildings, which would have required a full seismic retrofit. The anticipated costs of the seismic retrofit put this project out of our reach without major philanthropic support in a very short amount of time. In January 2023, the City of Eugene announced plans to purchase the EWEB building for use as a new City Hall.
As of now, we do not anticipate being closed during the UO football expansion construction, but this is still an uncertainty as plans progress.
As of now, the new Outdoor EcoLab will not be affected and will remain on the water’s edge of our north pond. The pond, however, will be enhanced for better water circulation.