Hearings official Anne Corcoran Briggs will decide on Nov. 6 whether the University will receive a conditional use permit to begin building its $200 million arena or if it must do more work to meet concerns of neighbors.
The deadline barely gives the University time to begin construction before its intended goal. A letter from Hoffman Construction last spring indicated that delays after Nov. 30 will add about $500,000 a month to construction costs.
But the University could miss the Nov. 30 deadline if Briggs’ decision is appealed to the Eugene City Planning Commission, which would have until Dec. 17 to rule on the University’s conditional use permit application. It could be delayed even further if the commission’s decision is appealed to the State Land Use Board of Appeals.

Such a delay would cause the University to “miss the season” for starting construction: a scenario University President Dave Frohnmayer said he’d “prefer not to talk about.”
“It’s tight. (But) everyone on our team thinks it’s still doable,” said associate athletic director Jim Bartko. “We’ve come this far and we’re going to keep going.”
Jeff Nelson, chair of the Fairmount Neighborhood Association’s arena subcommittee, told the Emerald he’s unsure if the group will appeal Briggs’ upcoming ruling.
“We’re just going to have to wait for the hearings official’s decision,” he said. “If we feel that the conditions meet the interests of the neighborhood, then we’ll make our decision based on that. If we feel like they’re not sufficient then we might make a different decision.”
The deadline was announced at the conditional use permit hearing on Tuesday. More than 100 people attended the session, and more than 20 people spoke, most of whom said they were neutral but spoke only of their worries about the 12,500-seat arena.
“What we’re concerned about is litter and noise from patrons of (non-sporting) events because they will possibly not be from our community,” said Fairmount neighbor Sue Jakabosky, noting that the arena is intended to host nearly 200 events each year.
One man suggested creating a monorail to shuttle passengers between the arena and the Autzen Stadium parking lot, and one woman was concerned the site didn’t include enough permanent bicycle racks. Some thanked the University for its diligence in addressing their concerns. Others criticized the University for not doing enough.
“The UO was on a path, I believe, that would have ignored most of the neighborhood’s concerns,” said city councilor Alan Zelenka, who lives in the Fairmount Neighborhood and spoke in favor of the application. Zelenka added that the University seemed like a “bully” and only worked with the neighborhood because it was forced to by Briggs’ ruling in June that said the University must acquire the conditional use permit.
But regardless of the outcome of the conditional use permit, Fairmount neighbors want the University to sign a legally binding agreement on certain mitigation issues, such as parking, noise and litter control. The form, known as a Memorandum of Agreement, will ensure the neighborhood has its concerns dealt with no matter what Briggs puts in the conditional use permit ruling.
Representatives from the University and the neighborhood are set to meet Friday morning to determine the details of the agreement.
The University did get permission from the Department of Justice to begin excavating the arena site. That process has already begun and has left gaping holes where the 7-11 and Williams’ Bakery once stood.
New plans revealed at the meeting show there might not be enough funds for the two practice courts. The courts have already been relocated from below the arena to the east end of the site. If they are not built, about 20 parking spots will fill the space.
[email protected]