SLO wants more pickleball, so the council is considering adding courts to a downtown park
Update: The San Luis Obispo approved a proposal to allocate the funding toward the court at Mitchell Park, which will still need to go through a planning and design process. The City Council voted 4-0 on Tuesday in favor of the spending, with Councilmember Carlyn Christianson recusing herself due to her residential proximity to the downtown park.
Original story: The San Luis Obispo City Council will consider a proposal to move forward with plans for new pickleball courts in response to high demand and an assessment that more activities are needed at Mitchell Park.
On Tuesday, the council will consider allocating about $210,000 in funds, much of it from a state grant, to move forward with design and construction of two courts in the downtown park.
Pickleball is a fast-growing sport some describe as a cross between ping-pong, tennis and badminton. It’s played on courts that are similar to tennis but smaller in size, using paddles and a plastic ball with holes.
If approved, the courts would be “installed with minimal impact to the park’s original integrity,” Greg Avakian, SLO’s director of Parks and Recreation, told The Tribune in an email.
Mitchell Park, located just blocks from downtown, is a popular site for rallies, festivals and events and is known for its communal layout with the gazebo and open lawn areas. The park is also home to the SLO Senior Citizens Center and amenities such as a barbecue area, horseshoe pit, kitchen, picnic tables and playground.
“Mitchell Park has a long history within San Luis Obispo since its original days as a school site,” Azakian said. “The identified location (for pickleball) allows for the majority of the lawn area to remain available to be utilized for picnics, lounging, games, and support larger gatherings such as events based around the gazebo.”
Why pickleball courts at Mitchell Park?
During the initial Parks and Recreation Master Plan community feedback workshops in 2018 and 2019, and a city “Needs Assessment Survey,” the community routinely identified Mitchell Park as an area that needed upgrades and more activities, Avakian said.
Some community members have expressed concern about the city’s growing homeless population and groups who have routinely gathered at the park as well, putting kids’ safety at risk if drug paraphernalia and unsanitary items are left around.
At an October meeting, Mayor Heidi Harmon requested that the city conduct outreach and coordinate with county resources to see what could be done to ensure safety and services around the park.
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Meanwhile, Avakian said that over the past couple of years during the community outreach workshops and at regular Parks and Recreation Commission meetings, community members have asked for more pickeball courts.
“Pickleball is a multi-generational and all-skill-level activity that has become a very popular activity within our community,” Avakian said. “...The city’s parks are for all community members to enjoy, and each has it’s own unique feel. It’s important to provide both passive and active recreational opportunities for the community to enjoy.”
The majority of the funding will come from a California parks grant of nearly $178,000 that was sought specifically for Mitchell Park Pickleball Courts.
The city’s staff is recommending the rest of the money, about $32,000, come from the Quimby Parkland-in-lieu fund.
The Quimby Act funds are generated from fees paid through development of subdivisions within the park area and the city’s staff report, in advance of Tuesday’s meeting, notes “there are subdivisions within the Mitchell Park Neighborhood that have recently (within the last five to 10 years) paid parkland-in-lieu fees.”
SLO pickleball court planning
Avakian said a single court is about 20 feet by 44 feet, and a designated area for the facilities near the playgrounds would take up about half the space of a tennis court or two-thirds the area of a basketball court, Avakian said.
“If approved for design by City Council (on Tuesday), then staff would move forward with holding community input (virtual and/or possibly on-site) to obtain more feedback on the initial design,” Avakian said. “With the grant funds contributing to over 80% of the project cost, staff are hoping to move forward with the project as early as this spring.”
SLO has pickleball courts at three other city parks. French Park has the city’s only three permanent pickleball courts, along with four others that share space with tennis. Meadow Park has courts that share space with basketball.
“Pickleball may have had an initial stigma of being a ‘seniors’ activity, however that has quickly changed,” Avakian said. “Kids are playing it as part of recess and PE classes in school (pre-COVID-19), families play together and the Parks and Recreation Department has been offering pickleball clinics to ages 6 to 12 years old since fall with waiting lists.”
SLO Pickleball Club cheers plan for courts
Brian O’Kelly, president of the SLO Pickleball Club, said that “it’s a nice surprise” that the planning for downtown courts appears to be going well.
“There’s so much demand to play pickleball, people will play anywhere there’s a court in town,” O’Kelly said. “I think there’s definitely room for large events, as well as pickleball courts, at the park when the pandemic is over.”
Jean Hyduchak, the club’s USA Pickleball ambassador, said she and a pod of six players have assembled regularly in SLO amid COVID-19, feeling they can play safely.
“We’re really excited about Mitchell Park being a potential new place to play,” Hyduchak said. “People in the neighborhood would be able to walk over easily and enjoy courts downtown.”
O’Kelly said that since COVID-19 hit, the club of 160 dues-paying members and around 300 people who receive communications on the group’s interest list, have continued to play the sport, often in pods.
In addition to the Mitchel Park proposal, the city is planning an additional six courts for the Orcutt-Righetti neighborhood, which the club looks forward to as well, O’Kelly said.
“All seven courts at French Park are full most days of the week except when it’s raining,” O’Kelly said. “When COVID lifts, I look forward to days where we could have big groups of people gathered and all celebrating together. I can’t wait until we’re out of the hole.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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