In a post on social media, Hillsboro Parks & Recreation asked community members to weigh in on plans to reinvent the space at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex on Thursday, Dec. 7.

A chorus of concerns is growing as the city of Hillsboro explores replacing community fields amid plans to build a new home for the Hops baseball team.

In a post on social media, Hillsboro Parks & Recreation asked community members to weigh in via a survey on plans to reinvent the space at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex on Thursday, Dec. 7. With city sights set on building a new baseball stadium for the Hillsboro Hops, three of six fields used for youth recreation will be displaced.

“The survey will allow community members to weigh in on both Parks & Recreation Commission and staff recommendations, help prioritize features, and allow decision makers to identify additional concerns that should be considered moving forward,” the city of Hillsboro said in a statement. “The survey also asks community members to share their longer-term vision for Gordon Faber Recreation Complex.

“The information collected will be presented to City Council and the Parks & Recreation Commission to help inform decisions and recommendations regarding the lost use mitigation.”

A city project team — including Parks & Rec staff — submitted a “loss of use” report to assess the impact of displacing fields 4, 5 and 6 to current users and programs. Focusing on hours of use, it explores the viability, cost and implementation of options to replace the fields. 

After taking into account report findings, two recommendations were presented to the Hillsboro City Council in October.

The suggestions share many similarities: They recommend recovering use of Ron Tonkin Field, Field 3 and Hillsboro Stadium. They also advocate for constructing a new field in East Gordon Faber, negotiating community hours at the new Hops ballpark and improving Ron Tonkin to accommodate both baseball and softball.

The difference lies in the number of new softball fields proposed in the Northwest end of the recreation complex, with the city recommending one while the Parks & Rec Commission is looking at two. The city’s recommendation meets loss of use requirements; the Parks & Rec Commission’s recommendation exceeds them.

While some community members have shown positive reception to the prospective developments, others have voiced issues with the potential changes.

Among a number of concerns, many have brought up the proposed design having fields scattered across the complex that would be inconvenient for hosting tournaments — which the current fields have been primarily used for.

“The design is all wrong. Why would you want all those fields scattered across the complex?” one Facebook user asked.

Other users showed concern about the new Hops stadium impacting traffic in the area, as the facility includes plans for hosting minor league games alongside concerts and other public events.

“Given the site capacity limits and the continued management of the site, transportation experts have determined that traffic from the new ballpark can be safely accommodated on the existing roadway system,” a city representative said. “The ballpark project is currently in the design phase. Parking and field access are being taken into consideration as part of that process.”

At the heart of much of the apprehension to the proposed changes is city’s choice to move the Hops to Gordon Faber, which the Hillsboro City Council unanimously approved in the spring.

After MLB took over and restructured the minor leagues three years ago, the Hillsboro Hops were promoted from the Short Season-A classification to High-A. The contingency was that the team would need to meet new stadium standards.

While the Hops and city officials considered renovating Ron Tonkin Field — the Hops’ current stadium — building a new ballpark was found to be at least “15% more cost-effective,” according to the team.

In total, the team is looking at a $120 million investment in a new facility. Owners Mike and Laura McMurray committed to $82 million dollars by way of a private bond paid back through ballpark revenues, while the Hillsboro city government pledged $18 million in proceeds from its lodging tax — money generated from hotel stays and allocated for tourism.

The Hops are in need of securing a remaining $20 million funding gap, which the team is looking to help close through a $15 million commitment from the Oregon Legislature during the state’s February 2024 legislative session.

According to the Hops, a $15 million investment is “projected to yield a payback in five to six years within a 40-year lease period.”

The team is also pursuing “other opportunities” for another $5 million to $10 million, including Washington County’s transient lodging tax.

Alongside disapproval of youth fields being torn out, critics have questioned the economic promise of the new stadium and whether it is worth dropping Ron Tonkin Field — which was constructed for Hops play in 2013.

Hops General Manager K.L. Wombacher said it was “always a part of the plan to replace field usage,” adding that Ron Tonkin Field would now be used entirely for the community.

In terms of funding the replacement fields, the city of Hillsboro said loss-of-use funding is part of the current negotiation process between the team and the city.

The city of Hillsboro plans to build the new fields on the same timeline as the new ballpark — or faster — to return to full operation by 2025.

“The ballpark build and new fields are both still in the design phase. We are currently reaching out to the community for feedback on the proposed plans for loss of use mitigation at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex and will continue to do outreach as the project progresses,” a city representative said.

Community members can take the survey at Engage.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/Ballpark.