The Need for More Pickleball Courts

2021

Due to a high level of interest from the pickleball community (to learn more about the sport of pickleball, visit www.usapickleball.org), in July of 2021, the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) Board of Directors directed staff to prepare and present an item to create an Ad Hoc Committee to explore potential suitable solutions, locations, and partners to create additional pickleball courts in the District. 

CRPD staff analyzed data from its pickleball classes and determined that:

• The number of registrants is increasing
• The number of first-time participants is increasing
• The number of registrants on wait lists is increasing

The Process

In order to provide a suitable recreational amenity, minimum criteria were established.  A new pickleball facility should include:

• At least (6) dedicated outdoor courts
• Lighting
• Sufficient parking
• Multiple restrooms
• Overall development area resulting in a maximum of 2 acres
• Courts to be located a sufficient distance away from adjacent existing residential development
  • As per the below conceptual site plans, the additional proposed pickleball courts are the following distances to the nearest residential development at:
    • 470' at Rancho Conejo Playfield
    • 330' at Del Prado Playfield
    • 280' at Oakbrook Neighborhood Park
    • 195' at Conejo Creek Northwest
    • 380' at Triunfo Community Park

Generally, in accordance with the CRPD Master Plan, active recreational amenities such as pickleball are located at Community Parks or Playfields; to broaden the pool of potential locations, Neighborhood Parks over 10 acres were also considered.  From these preliminary conditions, 19 parks were initially considered. 

After several meetings, CRPD staff, along with the CRPD Board Ad Hoc Committee (Directors Holt and Huffer), have narrowed the potential locations from 19 parks down to 5 parks:

2022

In July 2022, CRPD staff held ten total (2 at each site) public outreach meetings on-site to gather input from the community.  Soon thereafter, CRPD staff compiled data, met with the CRPD Board Ad Hoc Committee, scored and ranked the potential locations, and made a recommendation to the full CRPD Board on November 17, 2022.  

At the November 17, 2022 Board meeting, the Board prioritized the potential additional pickleball courts in the following order:

• Triunfo Community Park
• Oakbrook Neighborhood Park
• Del Prado Playfield
• Rancho Conejo Playfield
• Conejo Creek Northwest Park (future park site)

2023

In June 2023, the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) Board of Directors approved the Two-Year FY 2023-24 and 2024-25 Budget, which included funded projects in Year 1 and 2 of the 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan and unfunded projects from Years 3-10.

The potential pickleball projects were placed in the CRPD 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan per below:

Year 3

• Triunfo Community Park or
• Oakbrook Neighborhood Park or
• Del Prado Playfield

Year 10

• Rancho Conejo Playfield
• Conejo Creek Northwest Park (future park site)

In November 2023, CRPD staff held six total (2 at each site) public outreach meetings on-site to gather input from the community regarding proposed trial court locations at three (3) park sites with available paved courts. Soon thereafter, CRPD staff met with the CRPD Board Ad Hoc Committee, and made a recommendation to the full CRPD Board on January 18, 2024.

2024

At the January 18, 2024 Board meeting, the Board voted against moving forward with the trials at all three (3) park locations of Triunfo Community, Estella, and Oakbrook Neighborhood Park.

Next Steps

In accordance with the updated 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan, when the projects become more of a reality with funding in place, like other capital improvement projects, CRPD staff will refine project concepts, initial design development, conduct appropriate environmental analyses, and carry out additional public outreach.

If you wish to join our distribution list for future updates, or if you have any questions, please contact:

Andrew Mooney
Parks & Planning Director
amooney@crpd.org
805-495-6471 ext. 1113