Mitchell Park Tennis Courts Face Pickleball Conversion

Palo Alto’s next fight over park space is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, when the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission is expected to consider whether more tennis courts at Mitchell Park should be converted to pickleball. Palo Alto Online reported on May 22 that the commission will evaluate an expansion proposal at its next meeting. Mitchell Park is already one of the city’s main racquet-sports hubs. The city’s park page says the 21.4-acre park includes tennis and pickleball courts, and a city notice posted May 15 said pickleball courts No. 1 through No. 15 would close temporarily for cleaning ahead of an event. What is in front of the commission is not a first-time policy question for Palo Alto. (paloaltoonline.com) City records show Mitchell Park courts 5, 6 and 7 have long been shared-use courts, and earlier city actions converted some tennis space at the park into dedicated pickleball courts while adding new pickleball capacity. (paloalto.gov) ### Why is Mitchell Park the center of this dispute? Mitchell Park has become the city’s best-known pickleball site. The Palo Alto Pickleball Club’s public calendar lists regular clinics, ladders and round robins there throughout May, and marks the May 26 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting as “CRITICAL.” The city has also steered pickleball activity there for years. A 2022 staff report said Palo Alto had updated policy in 2018 to allow pickleball on Mitchell Park courts 5, 6 and 7, then moved in 2019 to create designated pickleball courts and shared-use courts at the site. (cityofpaloalto.org) (paloaltopickleballclub.org) ### How many courts are already shared or dedicated to pickleball? City documents show Mitchell Park’s current setup grew out of several earlier decisions. A 2019 city report said the council had approved construction of two new pickleball courts, conversion of one existing tennis court into four dedicated pickleball courts, and striping of two existing tennis courts for shared tennis and pickleball use. (cityofpaloalto.org) The city’s current field and court use policy still singles out Mitchell Park courts 5, 6 and 7 for pickleball reservations during pickleball hours, while older policy documents describe those same courts as multi-striped courts with sport-specific priority times. (cityofpaloalto.org) Outside city documents, Mitchell Park is widely described as a large pickleball venue. The city’s May 15 closure notice referred to pickleball courts No. 1 through No. 15, matching club and court-listing references to 15 pickleball courts at the park. ### Who is pushing for more pickleball space? The Palo Alto Pickleball Club appears to be the most visible organized advocate. (cityofpaloalto.org) The club’s calendar calls attention to the May 26 meeting, and a 2024 presentation filed with the city described Mitchell Park as “the epicenter of Bay Area pickleball” and said the club was helping fund facility improvements. Public reporting also indicates organized support for expansion. (paloalto.gov) Palo Alto Online reported that pickleball players favor additional conversion, while a separate local report summarized opposition from tennis players and others who say the park has already given too much space to pickleball. ### What are tennis players and other opponents worried about? (paloaltopickleballclub.org) Tennis players’ main concern is court allocation. Palo Alto Tennis Club’s site describes Mitchell Park as having seven lighted tennis courts, underscoring how any additional conversion would reduce traditional tennis capacity at one of south Palo Alto’s key public sites. Opponents have also raised broader park-use concerns. The Daily Post summary indexed online said critics include park visitors and Magical Bridge Foundation founder and chief executive Olenka Villarreal, who objected to additional pickleball expansion near the inclusive playground. (paloaltoonline.com) ### What happens on May 26? The May 26 step is a commission review, not the end of the process. Palo Alto Online said the Parks and Recreation Commission will evaluate whether to convert additional Mitchell Park tennis courts at that meeting. (patc.wildapricot.org) Public participation is built into the city’s commission process. A standard Parks and Recreation Commission agenda notice says written comments can be emailed to ParkRec.commission@cityofpaloalto.org in advance, and the commission’s role is to advise the City Council on parks and recreation policy matters. (issuu.com) (paloaltoonline.com) Tuesday’s meeting will give commissioners their next public record on the proposal. Whether the item advances or is revised, the next concrete milestone is the May 26 Parks and Recreation Commission session in Palo Alto, where supporters and opponents are expected to press their case. (paloaltoonline.com) (cityofpaloalto.org)