Roswell Scraps Proposed 135-Court Tennis Center

ROSWELL, GA — The city of Roswell will not move forward with plans to consider taking out a large segment of Big Creek Park to accommodate a proposed 135-court tennis center. That's according to Mayor Lori Henry and Vernon and Marie Krause, who announced these turn of events early Sunday evening. The Krause family's proposal to build the Angela Krause Tennis, Pickleball and Fitness Center on about 60 acres at Big Creek Park was set to be considered by the Roswell City Council at its Aug. 13 meeting.

Mayor Henry said the Krause Foundation and the city "have jointly decided not to move forward with the memorandum of understanding" between the city and the foundation. That memorandum of understanding has been taken off Monday's City Council agenda for consideration.

"When Mr. Krause approached the mayor’s office with the generous offer of investing upwards of $50 million in a world-class tennis facility for the east side of Roswell, we were very excited about the project," Henry said in a prepared statement." We believed it would have been an economic catalyst for the east side, drawing other investment into that area and being a driver for redevelopment along the Holcomb Bridge Road corridor east of GA-400. We thought the tennis center would have given the east side of Roswell a destination that would draw people from all over the region. We heard a clear message last year from east side residents during the Economic Development Forums that creating a destination place for the east side was a priority and key desire.

"However, the community has let us know over the past several days that they do not support this project for Big Creek Park. We want you to know we hear you again, so we will not be moving forward with it. In the coming months, we will hold a town hall meeting for further input from residents on the possibility and location of a tennis center in Roswell."

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The Krause family wanted to build the center in honor of their daughter, Angela Krause, who passed away at age 29 after battling ALK, a rare form of non-smokers lung cancer. She was diagnosed three days after giving birth to her son and died less than four months later in February 2015. Angela Krause was an avid tennis player and member of UGA's club tennis team.

Mayor Henry added she is grateful for the Krause family's desire to invest millions of dollars into Roswell in honor of their daughter.

"I hope our community will be able to assist him in the future with his dream to build a facility in memory of Angela," she added.

The family said on the Angela Krause Lincoln Facebook page that it was told the land in question was purchased to be an active park, as opposed to its current use as a multi-use trail network popular with mountain bikers, runners and walkers.

"With that information in mind, we felt as though a world class tennis, pickleball and fitness center would be a nice amenity for the citizens of Roswell," it added. "If this facility is not wanted by the majority of its citizens, we will look for another venture which will be a memorial for our daughter, Angela. For all off you that have expressed support, we thank you and hope that a positive resolution can be found in the near future."

The proposed $60 to $70 million tennis center called for more than 80 clay courts when finished, which is more than double the number of clay courts currently available at any location around the country, the city previously said. It would have also featured traditional hard courts and grass courts, as well as a tournament-size, 24-court pickleball facility.

The proposed tennis center drew swift backlash from the community, particularly among those who use the park for mountain biking and other activities. A petition was created to protect Big Creek Park from the development. As of Sunday, more than 24,000 people signed the petition in agreement in keeping the park in place as it stands.

Image via city of Roswell