When University President Dave Frohnmayer made an Oct. 4 announcement that Howe Field would be the site of the new University basketball arena, residents of the South University neighborhood responded with mixed opinions.
They did, however, know one thing for sure: The arena would have a significant impact on their homes.
Now, the South University Neighborhood Association is trying to assess the impact a new arena will have on the neighborhood. Howe Field is on the corner of University Street and East 18th Avenue, next to McArthur Court.
Peg Peters, president of the South University Neighborhood Association and long-time resident of the area, explained that parking, traffic congestion and the outer appearance of the arena are the major issues residents have raised.
Every winter, South University residents have had to deal with the traffic and parking issues that re-emerge whenever basketball fever hits McArthur Court, the current home of Oregon basketball.
“Parking is the big challenge,” Peters said. “We’re concerned about the parking structure that is going to be built.”
She added that some residents are afraid of a parking structure “cluttering up open space.”
Peters, who earned a master’s degree in health education from the University and is a retired public health nurse, said she has resided in the neighborhood for about 38 years. She said she and her husband regularly attend University basketball games, but even as Duck fans they have concerns about the proposed arena.
Peters said the members of the neighborhood association think that the University is rushing to build the new arena, and some residents hope officials will take more time to plan and prepare before construction begins.
University officials say that construction will start no later than July 2004, with the arena expected to be operational by fall 2006.
“A lot of people thought, ‘Why the big hurry? This is a long term project, why the rush?’” Peters said.
Mary Ellen Rodgers, a South University resident of five years and a neighborhood association board member, said she is concerned about the impact the arena might have on the historic significance of the surrounding area. Mac Court and Pioneer Cemetery are among the historic sites that would be close to the new arena.
“(The proposed arena) is great, but we’re concerned that the University staff hasn’t thought through the repercussions of having a major sports arena put on that corner,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers, who has a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University, said she is concerned about the arena’s design and whether it will fit in with surrounding buildings and other structures.
“It’s just really a nice area and you’re going to plop something down that might be a monstrosity,” Rodgers said. “I hope that they choose a contextual design approach and consider what’s around (the arena) when they build it so that it just fits in.”
Some South University residents feel the arena will be a welcome addition to campus, however.
“I think that the University is fortunate to be in the position to consider a new arena,” said Jody Miller, a member of University Vice President Dan Williams’ advisory board for the new arena. “The University has done a very good job with its new buildings in the last 10 years, like the science buildings and the law school.”
Miller, who lives about two and a half blocks from where the proposed arena will be built, said her home is “completely affected” by traffic and parking during and after events at Mac Court.
She said the level of traffic and parking in the neighborhood will probably remain the same or decrease after the new arena is built.
“I think that there is a strong possibility that parking (on the street) will be decreased because a (parking) garage would benefit the campus and arena and decrease traffic in the neighborhood,” Miller said.
Peters said she would like to see more communication between the South University neighborhood and the school regarding the arena.
“I realize that it’s no one’s business but the University’s, but we are all part of this community,” she said.