Year-Round Entertainment Venue Coming to the Region
From our partners: Hillsboro Hops and City of Hillsboro:
Hillsboro, OR (March 8, 2023) – The Hillsboro Hops and City of Hillsboro today announced plans to build a new Hillsboro Hops ballpark on the northwest side of the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. The ballpark will be designed as a year-round outdoor entertainment venue that could host more than 300 events per year, including Hops home baseball games, concerts, festivals, community events and amateur baseball games.
The design-build team of Mortenson, SRG and Populous will begin the construction process in late summer 2023, with project completion prior to the 2025 Hops baseball season. The project is anticipated to cost up to $120 million and will be designed to accommodate 6,000 people for baseball and up to 7,000 for concerts and other events.
With the Hillsboro Hops promotion to the High-A level, the Hops must now meet updated Major League Baseball (MLB) facility standards. The City of Hillsboro is partnering with the Hops to support the team in its efforts to meet the new baseball requirements. The ballpark design will address player health and wellness, improve security, elevate the fan experience and enhance home and visiting facilities.
The original intent of the project was to renovate Ron Tonkin Field to meet the new MLB standards. After the completion of preliminary design and analysis, it was determined that it will be more cost effective to design and build a new ballpark.
“The City appreciates the Hops as a partner and recognizes the unique value the organization brings to the community. Creating a more robust regional entertainment destination will provide long term benefits to the City as well as the Hops”, said Hillsboro City Manager Robby Hammond.
Funding for the project will be paid for predominantly through private financing secured by the Hops, with a smaller portion of the funding coming from the City through the Transient Lodging Tax. The Hops will have full operational control over the new ballpark under a licensing agreement with the City and will be responsible for all ballpark expenses, including utilities and maintenance. The City of Hillsboro will retain exclusive ownership and operation of Ron Tonkin Field.
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