WHO:   The children and people of Hillsboro, Oregon, will forever lose the identity and special place we love & know as the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex (GFRC).  This unique sports complex was envisioned by Hillsboro's own Gordon Faber, a past Mayor and a man beloved by all he touched as a lifelong Hillsboro resident (RIP Gordon).  The complex features the premier combination of baseball, softball, soccer, football, lacrosse, and other sports fields and facilities in the Pacific NW.  The GFRC is also home to the Hillsboro Hops, a minor-league baseball club affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The people of Hillsboro and beyond enjoy this facility immensely and support our local youth, High School, and College teams who compete at the GFRC daily. 8 Fields and 1,550 Parking spaces provide for large crowds, huge tournaments, and community events.

WHAT IS HAPPENING:  The City Council of Hillsboro recently unilaterally decided in a private Executive Session not to remodel the existing Hillsboro Hops Stadium but rather to fund and approve the destruction and removal of beloved Fields 4, 5, and 6 to make way for a new Hillsboro Hops Stadium; a stadium they will also approve for large Concerts and non-sports related events.  These events could require the GFRC to be closed to all other users as many as 32 days a year during the prime weather season.  These actions will:

• Cripple the use of the GFRC as a Regional Sports complex.
• Create harm to the children and adults of Hillsboro and beyond who, for a decade now, have played sports games at the GFRC.  With no agreed-upon plan or money to replace fields 4, 5, and 6, the loss of use will damage our community.
• Tournaments that have relied upon the fields and complex at the GFRC and have significantly benefited our community have already stated they will no longer host them in Hillsboro.  This will turn away hundreds of families and individuals who spend hundreds of thousands annually in our community.
• Alter the intentions of Gordon Faber and the City of Hillsboro by making the GFRC into a sports, non-sports, and Rock Concert Facility.

 

WHAT CAN YOU DO:  This petition is being turned into the City of Hillsboro on or before the Land Use Hearing at the City of Hillsboro, Oregon, on August 16th, 2023.  By Signing this Petition, you are providing specific testimony to the City of Hillsboro for Testimony for Casefile CU-003-23; As Follows:

To:   City of Hillsboro, Planning and Zoning Hearings Board, care of Ruth Kline City Planner. 

For:  Testimony for Casefile CU-003-23

From:  All Signors On this Document

The following requests are made regarding any approval of a new Baseball Stadium / Event Stadium for the Hillsboro Hops in Hillsboro, Oregon, at the Gordon Faber Sports Complex:

1. Complete All Traffic Impact Analyses as required by the Hillsboro, Oregon Municipal Codes before any approvals are granted.  The Applicant has not provided this as per Hillsboro Codes; 12.70.200 Transportation Studies.  The Staff Report states: “The proposed CU addresses the adequacy of transportation systems and public facilities and services that exist or are planned for the area affected by the use.”  This has not been done- the applicant has failed to provide any Traffic information or analysis.  Therefore NO APPROVAL can be legally given nor defended for this proposal.  We object to these facts.
2.  While the City of Hillsboro has proposed a Loss Of Use plan, it has come in at the last minute and has failed to guarantee if or when the Hillsboro Community will have three replacement fields for fields 4, 5, and 6.  Here are sections from the Loss of Use Report presented by the City of Hillsboro.  

   

3. We ask for the Planning And Zoning Hearings Board to mandate a Condition of Approval that no permits may be issued for removing Fields, 4, 5, and 6 at the GFRC until the loss of use plan has been agreed to in writing and made a non-cancellable condition.  In addition, the funding and time frame to replace those fields must be 100% established in writing.  The Fields that replace the lost fields (4,5, and 6) must be completed before any game or event can be held at any new Hillsboro Hops Stadium.
4. The City of Hillsboro, Oregon, has proposed allowing the Hillsboro Hops organization to have 32 events yearly that can exceed 7,000 spectators.  On those days, no other events will likely be allowed on the GFRC property because all parking will be utilized, traffic management and emergency responses can be pushed, etc.   K.L. Wombacher, General Manager of the Hillsboro Hops, stated at the Neighborhood Meeting that the team might need 12-20 days a year in which they would exceed the 7,000 spectator limit.  With no basis for 32 Events being authorized and no track record of handling or managing such events, we ask that the PZHB condition any approval they give to 12 events yearly.  Because this is a Conditional Use, the Hops organization and the City of Hillsboro can always modify this Conditional Use Permit or seek a new one by providing factual reports and data regarding traffic, safety, and other event-related stressors.  They can ask for more days for more Special Events at a future date.

It is important for the PZHB and the City of Hillsboro to proceed legally and cautiously.  We believe this is not the case, and things must change immediately to avoid loss of use, a traffic hazard putting our people in harm's way, and to have a financially fiscal and responsible decision for the people of Hillsboro.

Signed and Presented by everyone on this Petition.