SLO’s next park will feature 8 pickleball courts and many other features. Here’s a look
The San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Commission has approved the final plans for its newest park, which will feature a wealth of features, from pickleball and tennis courts to soccer fields, bike tracks and a community garden.
The plans for Righetti Park, located along Tiburon Way on the east side of town, came together after the commission weighed noise concerns regarding the proximity of pickleball courts to nearby homes.
The park is made up of three spaces for a range of activities, including a 11.25-acre community park, a 1.16-acre linear park and the .20-acre pocket park.
The Parks and Recreation Commission considered two options each for the community park and linear park and one option for the pocket park.
The final plans for the community park include two basketball courts, two tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and two soccer fields, as well as other amenities such as a playground, two bicycle tracks and group picnic and barbecue areas.
The linear park will include raised garden beds, small and large dog parks, a picnic area and a multi-use path.
The pocket park will include a lawn area and butterfly garden.
“The Righetti Ranch park system was designated for design within the city’s 2021-2023, 2-year budget financial plan,” said Greg Avakian, director of Parks and Recreation. “There was a delay with initiating the planning process due to the impacts of the pandemic over the past few years.”
The city conducted an online survey between April 10 and May 10 to gather feedback from the community. Nearly half of the survey participants were residents of the Righetti Ranch neighborhood or Orcutt area.
In the survey feedback, residents worried about increased noise and traffic that might arise from the installation of eight pickleball courts, suggesting noise mitigation efforts be made. Some respondents feared that nighttime lighting would add to the noise levels by encouraging game play late into the night.
“I am wary of too many pickleball courts. ... The hard ball on a paddle has a much different sound than a tennis ball on a racket, and many neighborhoods have regrets once they are built,” one of the survey respondents said.
Another survey respondent said, “Pickleball is currently popular with an organized following, but please do not ignore other physical activity options at the expense of this single sport.”
In addition to the noise concerns, some survey respondents worried that the large number of pickleball courts would draw excessive traffic to the area.
However, other survey respondents were eager to see the city make a large investment in the country’s fastest-growing sport.
“We really need several pickleball courts. There is an overflow of people who wait at times to play, and the sport is growing all the time. I’m hoping for 12 courts,” one survey respondent said.
Another survey respondent said, “We definitely need more pickleball courts. The French Park courts are usually crowded and there isn’t anywhere else to place pickleball nearby.”
The city reviewed community input from in-person workshops, online survey responses, emails and general communications about how to incorporate the design layout for all three parks, Avakian said.
The city planning team accommodated community feedback in regard to the pickleball court noise concerns, Avakian said. “The pickleball courts will be centrally located away from the neighboring fence lines of the current homes.”
Connie Hanretty Church, president of the SLO Pickleball Club, said that the club is super excited about the eight courts being constructed at Righetti Park.
“Although SLO is the most populated city in the county, we have the fewest dedicated pickleball courts,” Hanretty Church said. “We anticipate designated skill-level courts, destination tournaments to increase economic vitality and space for youth leagues and general play.”
“SLO Parks and Recreation has worked collaboratively with the SLO Pickleball Club since its inception to support a growing pickleball community,” Hanretty Church said.
The club currently has 250 members and will likely peak at 300 by 2024, Hanretty Church said.
Over the next few months, RRM Design will work with city staff to create the construction documents for Righetti Park. Staff, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission will be required to approve the final construction documents.
Upon approval, the city will move forward to secure final funding from the City Council and, if successful, the city will then bid the project out.
The process is expected to take 12 to 16 months with construction expected to begin in late 2024.
This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
