The abrupt reversal was announced Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a Thursday evening study session where a city-commissioned study put the price tag at over $75 million. City staff warned that the figure was likely an underestimate, with the true cost closer to $90 million.

“We believe the best path forward is to focus our efforts on keeping the Emeralds in Eugene,” said Eugene Emeralds owner DG Elmore. “We’re grateful for Medford’s partnership and thoughtful consideration.”

The city said it remains committed to exploring opportunities for economic development.

The proposal would have been a major public investment: the city would have owned the stadium, with the Emeralds leasing it for an undecided amount. Elmore had offered to contribute $10 million toward the ballpark, but only if the project could be completed on a fast timeline and if the team got the Hawthorne Park site. Harry and David Field was included in the study as an alternative location, but Elmore said his team would only be satisfied at Hawthorne Park.

Elmore wanted the stadium to open by April 2029, a schedule that would have likely required the council to move forward at next week’s meeting. The city was first approached by the Emeralds about a potential relocation in spring of last year.

Councilors voiced concerns about the financial burden and the rushed timeline.

“What appears to me is the city of Medford taking a bulk of this, and it’s still a very expensive project,” Mayor Michael Zarosinski said Thursday night. “It’s going to really suck up a lot of resources that could be used in other places.”

Councilor Nick Card said he wanted more time to explore partnerships. “I think we need the opportunity to talk to the state and see if the state is willing to participate in this kind of a project, see if we can find other community partners who want to participate,” he said.

Councilor John Quinn argued the stadium would divert resources from a potential conference center and doubted the study’s parking projections for the 3,000-seat facility. “Those parking spaces are not real,” Quinn said. “They’re already reserved and they’re being used by other people.”

He also warned against taking on debt for a project that would not generate property tax revenue. “You don’t want to start with something that puts you in a hole of debt that will never generate property tax, and hope that it generates revenue in other ways,” Quinn said.

The meeting drew about 40 members of the public, including organizers collecting signatures to protect Hawthorne Park from development.

“We’re here because we don’t want it at Hawthorne Park,” said Miriam Grayer of Citizens for Hawthorne Park. “It’s the only [park] in walking distance of those downtown residents.”

With the proposal shelved, Hawthorne Park appears safe from becoming a stadium site, at least for now.