Eugene forum to debate future of Lane Events Center

The City Club of Eugene will convene a public program on Dec. 12 to focus attention on the future of the Lane Events Center, the county fairgrounds that serves as a regional gathering place for fairs, markets, and community events. The event will be livestreamed for remote viewers and rebroadcast on KLCC, offering residents multiple ways to follow the discussion as county leaders weigh long term options for the site.

Scheduled speakers include the Lane Events Center manager, a longtime neighborhood chair, and the county commissioner who serves as liaison to the fair board. They will review the propertys history and the master planning process, which county officials restarted after a ballot defeat in 2024. Panelists are expected to outline a range of possibilities for the property, from continued use as an events hub to alternative redevelopment or reuse proposals that respond to evolving community needs.

The Lane Events Center sits at the intersection of civic memory and practical land use. For decades it has hosted the county fair and numerous cultural and commercial events, shaping local rhythms and seasonal incomes for vendors and nonprofits. The revived master planning process reflects both the complexity of balancing public expectations and fiscal realities, and the reality that voters rejected a previous measure in 2024 that would have funded or authorized a specific plan.

For Lane County residents the outcome matters in concrete ways. Changes to the fairgrounds could alter event schedules, affect small businesses that rely on fair traffic, and reshape neighborhood parking and traffic patterns. The longtime neighborhood chair on the panel will bring frontline perspective on quality of life and connectivity concerns, while the county commissioner will speak to governance, funding and next steps for the fair board liaison role.

The City Club program will provide the most current briefing available before further action by county officials and planners. Residents interested in the project can watch the livestream or listen to the KLCC rebroadcast to learn how the master planning timeline may proceed, and where public comment opportunities are likely to appear as the process moves forward.