The YMCA says no new courts are coming to Patterson Street

Four indoor courts are carrying more than one argument. The Eugene Family YMCA says it will not add tennis or pickleball courts at its Patterson Street campus, disappointing players who hoped the empty space left by the old Y building would expand one of Eugene's scarce indoor racquet-sport facilities.

The existing courts are not scheduled for demolition. The Y has 753 members paying an added tennis-or-pickleball fee, and CEO Brian Steffen said both sports support health and social connection. But he also expects less time for private lessons and reservations as more hours shift toward group lessons, mixers and introductory sessions that can serve more people.

The campus plan itself is not finished, budgeted or approved. One concept is an outdoor covered structure — an "air-nasium" — that could host basketball, volleyball, camps, festivals and perhaps pickleball. The Y hopes to settle on a Patterson design by the end of the year and begin fundraising in early 2027. Players have organized to defend the current court schedule; the Y is framing the same space as a test of how many kinds of community use can fit under one roof.