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City documents show the team plans to buy the Memorial Building for $302,000, nearly $275,000 less than the listing price. It’s unclear what the team plans to do with the space.
The city of Springfield has agreed to sell the downtown Memorial Building to an owner of the Springfield Drifters baseball club.
A proposed purchase and sale agreement for the property at 765 A St. says the buyer is Olsson Investments and is signed by Ike Olsson, one of the owners of the baseball club.
The agreement says the purchaser “intends to redevelop the property to serve as a central facility for the Springfield Drifters Baseball Club and Springfield Drifters Academy, both for-profit organizations.”
Olsson told Lookout Eugene-Springfield that Olsson Investments plans to close on the property in the next couple of weeks. Knight Jarecki, the Drifters’ director of communications, said he couldn’t comment on how the building would be used until the deal officially closes.
The Springfield Economic Development Agency is selling the building, and its board voted unanimously to approve the proposed sale Oct. 27. The sale agreement lists the purchase price for the property at $302,000.
City documents show the economic development agency purchased the property from Willamalane Park and Recreation District in 2021 for redevelopment under the city’s Downtown Urban Renewal Plan. The agency purchased the property for $785,000. The city has leased it to St. Vincent de Paul as an Egan Warming Center location during previous winter months.
The economic development agency listed the building for sale in May for $575,000. Agency documents show the board wanted to expedite the sale of the building “at a low cost with a specified development outcome.”
The listing by Campbell Commercial Real Estate says the building is about 17,700 square feet on a 0.4-acre corner lot. The split-level building has a gymnasium, offices, open space and a meeting room.
The proposed sale aligns with the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan by assisting in “the revitalization of business and elimination of blight” downtown, according to the economic development agency.
Established in 2021, the Drifters is a collegiate summer wood-bat team that plays at Hamlin Sports Complex, about a mile from the A Street building the team is purchasing. It is part of the West Coast League.
Meanwhile, the future of Eugene’s minor league baseball team is uncertain.
The Eugene Emeralds are exploring a move after the team was unable to secure funding to renovate its home field or build a new stadium. The team currently shares University of Oregon’s PK Park with the Ducks, and the facility does not meet standards Major League Baseball set for minor league teams in 2021.
The team, which is a minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, will continue playing at PK Park through at least the 2027 season. Efforts are underway in Medford to build a new stadium for the Emeralds after the team presented a proposal to the City Council in April to relocate there.
Medford voters are being asked to approve a hotel tax increase in next week’s election. The revenue is intended to help fund the development of a downtown conference center that is meant to be part of a larger revitalization effort, including a baseball stadium for the Emeralds.
