Dick's Considers House of Sport at Valley River Center in Eugene

Documents filed with local planning and permit authorities and reviewed by Eugene Weekly indicated that Dick's Sporting Goods is weighing a DICK'S House of Sport location at Valley River Center. The reporting, published November 20, 2025, described proposed changes to the mall footprint to accommodate a large anchor unit and showed the project is under consideration rather than final. Any move forward would require additional municipal permits, tenant agreements, and further architectural approvals.

The House of Sport concept pairs a large retail floor area with experiential amenities such as rock climbing walls, golf simulators, multi sport cages, and indoor and outdoor programming space. If built, it would be among the first of this format in Oregon and would represent a major national retailer committing a sizable footprint to a local mall. Planning records did not indicate a construction timetable, and the project remains contingent on further negotiation and public review.

Local economic implications are multifaceted. On the positive side, redevelopment could create construction work during buildout and new retail and programming jobs afterward. The format is designed to attract regional visitors who come for experiences as well as merchandise, which could increase foot traffic at Valley River Center and generate spillover sales for other tenants. Because Oregon does not have a statewide sales tax, direct sales tax receipts would not be a local revenue source, but the project could influence property tax valuations and employment related tax flows that support municipal services.

At the same time, community concerns cited in the reporting included the potential for increased traffic around the mall, the change in tenant mix away from smaller local sporting goods retailers, and how large experiential retail reshapes neighborhood access. Local planners will likely evaluate traffic impacts and infrastructure capacity as part of the permitting process, and tenant agreements will determine how the mall balances national anchors with local stores.

The consideration of a House of Sport at Valley River Center fits into a broader shift in retail real estate where experiential offerings are used to reposition malls facing changing consumer behavior. Nationally, some centers have pursued attractions and services to counterbalance declines in pure retail spending. For Lane County, the outcome matters for local employment, small business competitiveness, and daily travel patterns.

The proposal was described as under consideration on November 20, 2025. Residents who want updates should monitor municipal permitting filings and planning commission agendas to track any formal applications as they move through the review process.