Plans For 8 New Redondo Beach Pickleball Courts Spark Design Debate

REDONDO BEACH, CA — A nearly $1.2 million plan to bring eight dedicated pickleball courts to Aviation Park is moving through the design process, but some of the players who have spent years advocating for the facility are urging Redondo Beach officials to rethink how it will work.

The proposed complex would occupy a vacant field beside Aviation Gymnasium, creating a new destination for a sport whose growing popularity has prompted repeated requests for more dedicated playing space.

Yet the city's preliminary layout has raised questions about everything from court access and fencing to lighting and safety, while a separate proposal from a city commissioner suggests making room for a community garden.

According to an Oct. 14 report presented to the Public Amenities Commission, Redondo Beach has allocated $1.195 million toward the project over three fiscal years. That figure represents budgeted funding rather than a finalized construction cost.

Eight Courts, Several Unanswered Questions

The city's conceptual design calls for eight courts oriented north to south to reduce sun glare, with retaining walls proposed along portions of the site to provide a relatively level playing surface.

Individual fencing and entrances would allow the city to manage reservations without assigning an employee to supervise the courts. Lighting, bleacher seating and windscreens are also being considered, although their inclusion would depend on feasibility and available funding.

Those details have prompted concerns from local pickleball advocates.

In an Oct. 11 letter, Susan Higgins, who leads the Redondo Beach Residents Pickleball Players Group, and Teri Carter, a USA Pickleball ambassador, welcomed progress on the project but questioned whether the proposed arrangement would accommodate the way people actually play.

They called for wider walkways, benches and shorter fencing between courts, arguing that a more flexible layout would better support drop-in games, leagues, tournaments and instruction.

The pair also urged the city to reconsider separate electronic access points for individual courts, install additional protection from vehicles in an adjacent parking lot and make lighting a requirement rather than an optional feature.

Their concerns extend to drainage and construction details intended to protect the playing surfaces over time.

Commissioner Galassi offered another possibility: a revised seven-court layout that would leave room for a community garden, with shared access, additional seating and potential shade and drinking-water facilities.

Neither alternative has been established as the city's final design.

Years In The Making

The Aviation Park proposal dates back several years. A feasibility study prepared in November 2021 examined six courts, and the City Council formally identified the vacant field for future dedicated pickleball use in March 2024.

The city subsequently allocated $320,000 in fiscal year 2024-25, $275,000 in 2025-26 and $600,000 in 2026-27.

After surveying and geotechnical work during the summer, officials said they were preparing a design-build request for proposals, which they anticipated issuing in November.

The proposed facility would significantly expand Redondo Beach's dedicated pickleball capacity. Alta Vista Park currently has four dedicated courts converted from a former tennis court, while Perry, Franklin, Anderson and Dale Page parks offer shared or marked playing areas.

For the players pressing for improvements, the debate is not over whether Aviation Park should have pickleball courts, but whether the city can get the design right before construction begins.