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Home My WebLink About2025-08-26 Parks & Recreation Commission Summary MinutesMINUTES 1 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 2 Regular Meeting 3 August 26, 2025 4 In-Person & Virtual Conference 5 Palo Alto, California 6 7 Commissioners Present In Person: Chair Nellis Freeman, Vice Chair Jeff Greenfield; Commissioners 8 Amanda Brown, Anne Warner Cribbs, Yudy Deng, Shani Kleinhaus, 9 and Bing Wei 10 Commissioners Present Virtually: None 11 Commissioners Absent: None 12 Others Present: Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims 13 Staff Present: Kristen O’Kane, Ben Heistein, Sarah Robustelli, Adam Howard 14 CALL TO ORDER 15 Chair Freeman called the meeting to order at 7:07 PM. 16 PUBLIC COMMENT 17 Over the weekend, Roger S. noticed 4 RVs in the Mitchell Park parking lot for the third or fourth 18 time. Roger S. was concerned about kids being in a park with RVs in the parking lot. 19 AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS 20 None 21 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 22 1. Approval of Minutes from May 27, 2025, June 24, 2025, and July 22, 2025 23 MOTION: Commissioner Greenfield moved, seconded by Commissioner Kleinhaus, to approve the Parks 24 and Recreation Commission meeting draft summary minutes of May 27, 2025. 25 MOTION CARRIED: 7-0 26 MOTION: Commissioner Greenfield moved, seconded by Commissioner Brown, to approve the Parks and 27 Recreation Commission meeting draft summary minutes of June 24, 2025. 28 MOTION CARRIED: 6-0-1 (Commissioner Kleinhaus abstained) 29 MOTION: Commissioner Brown moved, seconded by Commissioner Cribbs, to approve the Parks and 30 Recreation Commission meeting draft summary minutes of July 22, 2025. 31 MOTION CARRIED: 6-0-1 (Commissioner Wei abstained) 32 CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 33 1. Council Liaison Report 34 Councilmember Lythcott-Haims wanted the community to know there will be additional follow-up 35 on last night’s Policy & Services Committee’s meeting devoted to the question of how to address the 36 impacts of RVs parked in various places throughout the city and how to better support our unhoused 37 community. The process has begun to put a Cubberley Bond Measure on the ballot for next year. The 38 City Council and staff are garnering input from the community and the PRC on what a revitalized 39 Cubberley might look like. The Council’s recent meeting included proposed housing projects and a 40 discussion on how to more efficiently use their time to avoid unnecessarily lengthy meetings. 41 2. Department Report 42 Kristen O’Kane, Community Services Director, introduced Ben Heistein, new Assistant Director of 43 Open Space, Parks, and Golf in the Community Services Department. 44 Sarah Robustelli, Division Manager of Open Space, Parks, and Golf, displayed a slide on upcoming 45 special events. Pre-registration is required to attend Pancakes in the Park where free pancakes will 46 be served by the City of Palo Alto’s Fire and Police Department with fun activities for kids and an 47 opportunity to see emergency vehicles up close at Rinconada Park on Saturday, September 20, from 48 9 AM to 11 AM. Well-behaved pets are invited to a pet parade, pet-related activities, and costume 49 contest at the Cal Ave pedestrian walkway for the free Pet Palooza Parade taking place on Saturday, 50 October 11, from 10 AM to 12 noon; preregistration of pets is required. Registration is currently 51 open for the Moonlight Run & Walk scheduled for Friday, October 3. 52 Ms. Robustelli reported that many Commissioners and City Council Members attended the recent 53 MSC Open House at the Municipal Service Center. Last Friday, the Recreation team held a cornhole 54 tournament on Cal Ave to promote the business district and it was a huge success. The cornhole 55 tournament had 15 teams competing for first, second, and third place. Staff is looking forward to 56 planning next year’s event. 57 Ms. Robustelli provided a staffing update. George Cheng was recently promoted to Park Ranger at 58 Baylands. Erik Larsen is a Program Assistant at Lucie Stern. Current recruitments include a Public 59 Works Coordinator and a Park Ranger at Baylands. 60 September 24 is the deadline to apply for 3 Commission Member positions available on the Human 61 Relations Commission, Public Art Commission, and the Parks & Recreation Commission. More 62 information can be found by visiting www.paloalto.gov/BCrecruit. 63 A Cubberley update will be provided at the PRC’s September meeting. The project webpage is 64 www.paloalto.gov/CubberleyProject. The third Cubberley community meeting will be held on 65 September 17. Community feedback is currently being solicited. 66 Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) provided a termination notice to end the Field and Court 67 Maintenance and Brokering Agreement effective November 11, 2025. PAUSD seeks to improve field 68 quality and pursue alternative maintenance options. PAUSD will honor existing user group schedules. 69 Staff is working with PAUSD to transfer reservation information and close out the agreement. 70 In June of 2025, the turf study project was launched. The project webpage is 71 www.paloalto.gov/TurfStudy. Focus groups including the PRC Playing Field Ad Hoc, field users, and 72 Sierra Club were held in July of 2025. The draft report was released on August 13. The draft turf 73 study is currently open to the public for comment through September 3. The full report and 74 presentation will be delivered to Council on October 20. 75 On August 21, Valley Water held a public meeting about the Palo Alto flood basin tide gate seismic 76 retrofit project. Valley Water delivered a presentation on the project and addressed community 77 members’ questions. 78 Trail wayfinding signage was installed in Arastradero Preserve. The Greer Park basketball courts were 79 expanded, had acrylic resurfacing, and are now open. 80 The Stanford/Palo Alto Community Playing Fields (Mayfield) turf replacement is underway and 81 scheduled to be completed in December of 2025. A tree buffer is being created to protect trees 82 during this field replacement. A picture was shown of black tarps being used in order to shoot grades 83 because the lasers were having difficulty due to autonomous vehicles driving by. 84 Asphalt resurfacing of Ventura Park has taken place in preparation for acrylic resurfacing. Work 85 started today on new basketball courts. The design for the traffic garden project has been completed 86 and work will begin once the basketball portion is phased. 87 Vice Chair Greenfield inquired if stakeholders were notified of PAUSD terminating the Field and 88 Court Maintenance and Brokering Agreement. Vice Chair Greenfield asked when the traffic garden 89 will open. 90 Ms. O’Kane replied that stakeholders have not been directly notified of PAUSD ending the Field and 91 Court Maintenance and Brokering Agreement. City staff transferred the information to PAUSD for the 92 District to reach out. City staff will make direct contact this week. 93 Ms. Robustelli stated that staff was waiting for a formalized schedule for the traffic garden. The 94 schedule will hopefully be completed in September. Once Ms. Robustelli has the formalized 95 scheduled, she will notify stakeholders and PRC will be made aware. The traffic garden is expected to 96 open in fall of this year. 97 Commissioner Cribbs inquired if there was an update on First Tee. Many elected officials were in 98 attendance at the celebration of First Tee’s 25 years in San Jose, including the State Speaker of the 99 Legislature. 100 Ms. Robustelli replied that staff has been meeting with First Tee weekly and a lot of progress has 101 been made. An agreement is expected to be ready in October, which will go the PRC at an upcoming 102 meeting and then to City Council. 103 Commissioner Wei was looking forward to the upcoming pancake event and noted it was similar to 104 Menlo Park’s event. Commissioner Wei was in Europe over the summer and saw people participating 105 in a park run at 9 AM. Commissioner Wei learned that the park run started in Austria where people 106 run from one park to another park every Saturday. Liverpool, England also has a park run. 107 Commissioner Wei thought a park run could be considered in Palo Alto as a good way for people to 108 know their park. Commissioner Wei was unsure whether Cities were involved in the park run or if it 109 was volunteer-based. Commissioner Wei liked the bright blue color for the Greer Park basketball 110 court. 111 Ms. O’Kane knew of a weekly or monthly park run at Byxbee Park on Saturday mornings. The City 112 issues a permit for the park run but it was not a City program, so more information can be found on 113 the parkrun website. 114 Commissioner Deng supported the Sunnyvale pet parade last year and she commended staff for Palo 115 Alto having its own pet parade this year. Commissioner Deng asked for further explanation about the 116 problem with autonomous vehicles and the Mayfield turf project. 117 Ms. Robustelli remarked that screening was placed on the Mayfield fencing because it is in an area 118 with very high traffic and a lot of autonomous vehicles. When the contractor used a laser to shoot 119 grades for slopes, the laser had to be reset each time because of interference from autonomous 120 vehicles. 121 Commissioner Brown commented that her child loved the Municipal Service Center Open House. 122 Commissioner Brown talked to friends in Menlo Park and Mountain View who saw the MSC Open 123 House from 101 and thought it looked like a great event. 124 Chair Freeman wondered what feedback was received from the public regarding events. 125 Ms. Robustelli spoke to a lot of community members during the MSC Open House and all the 126 feedback was positive. The Recreation staff had a lot of positive feedback for the cornhole 127 tournament. Ms. Robustelli looked up the Byxbee parkrun and it is every Saturday at 8 AM. 128 3. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates 129 The PRC was in consensus to move this item to Item 7 on the agenda. 130 BUSINESS ITEMS 131 4. Field and Court Use Policy: Proposed Updates on Tennis Court Usage 132 Adam Howard, Senior Community Services Manager with the Recreation Department, delivered 133 a slide presentation. Staff had not received notification of the PAUSD contract termination 134 before this presentation was created, so Mr. Howard will point out the changes and unknowns 135 during his presentation. 136 Staff sought the Commission’s feedback on the following proposed updates to the City’s Field 137 and Court Use Policy of City-owned tennis courts: Establish a minimum residency requirement 138 for USTA team reservations. Explore measures to improve enforcement of the prohibition of 139 private instructors. Formalize court access for Palo Alto-based youth organizations during off-140 peak hours. These proposed updates were in response to staff noticing an increase in complaints 141 regarding tennis courts, which included residents having difficulty finding open courts because of 142 the many USTA teams, resident USTA captains who were finding it difficult to get court space 143 because of use by nonresident USTA teams, and private instructors not following City rules and 144 utilizing courts for long periods of time. 145 On April 8, 2025, staff and the ad hoc held a community meeting to hear concerns and discuss 146 possible solutions. Approximately 40 participants attended the meeting. Staff produced possible 147 recommendations based on the community meeting, communications from court users, and 148 court data collected. 149 Currently, staff is unaware what the community access policy will be for the 24 PAUSD-owned 150 tennis courts after the PAUSD contract terminates. A list was shown of the City-owned 27 tennis 151 courts, 10 of which have lights. The 3 main usage of tennis courts are: (1) Drop-in play when 152 courts are available. There is a 1 hour and 15 minute time restriction when people are waiting. 153 (2) United States Tennis Association (USTA) match play are sanctioned matches that are given 154 permits for exclusive use of the space. (3) City-approved and operated classes and lessons on 155 Mitchell Park Courts 1 and 2 and Rinconada Courts 5 and 6. 156 The current City policy is to issue permits for USTA teams to reserve up to 50 percent of courts in 157 any one location for match play only. Most USTA requests are for 3 courts at Rinconada or 158 Cubberley. USTA rules require access to a public restroom. In the spring of 2025, 93 USTA teams 159 used Palo Alto courts. There are around 45 USTA teams in the fall. Drop-in players find it hard to 160 find space at Rinconada and Cubberley when half the courts are used by USTA teams and 161 because USTA teams have no residency requirements. There were 59 USTA teams that booked 162 courts in Palo Alto but had less than 25 percent Palo Alto residents. 163 Staff’s recommendation was to establish a 25 percent minimum Palo Alto residency requirement 164 for USTA teams to reserve courts. Teams with higher Palo Alto residency will have priority to 165 select match dates and times. Staff considered allowing any USTA team that had a Palo Alto 166 resident as a captain but felt that may not increase local participation on courts. Staff considered 167 increasing the hourly rate for rentals but thought that would not reduce nonresident teams and 168 could create a financial barrier. 169 No other cities have a residency percentage requirement but Palo Alto may be more convenient 170 for USTA because of groupings of courts, so Palo Alto’s policy may need to be different than 171 other cities. Redwood City has 14 courts with their biggest grouping being 1 site with 4 courts, 172 and recently changed their policy to drop-in access only. Menlo Park has 13 courts with their 173 largest site having 4 courts, and their policy is to reserve 50 percent of any one location. 174 Mountain View has 35 courts, 12 of which are operated by Mountain View Tennis, and City 175 policy is to restrict USTA matches to Monday through Friday 9 AM-2 PM and Saturday/Sunday 4 176 PM or 6 PM. There is a USTA coordinator for courts operated by Mountain View Tennis. 177 Sunnyvale Tennis Center has 16 courts operated by Lifetime Activities that have a 2-hour 178 maximum, residents can book 8 days in advance, nonresidents can book 7 days in advance. In 179 addition, Sunnyvale has 11 parks with 2 courts for a total of 22 public courts with no 180 reservations. 181 The current City policy is that no person shall provide or offer tennis lessons for compensation 182 on City-owned tennis courts. Enforcement of this policy can be difficult as compensation needs 183 to be proven. Despite time limits, the community has expressed concern about instructors 184 staying on courts for long periods of time, and instructors often target neighborhood parks with 185 less available courts. 186 Staff offered the following policy suggestions: Change the policy to state “no private lessons” but 187 community members felt this was too restrictive and would impact a parent teaching their kids 188 or a friend teaching a friend. Changing the policy to provide a ball limit on courts would make 189 lessons much harder to perform and was easy for staff and the community to enforce but the 190 community felt it would restrict residents’ normal use. Not allowing ball machines on the courts 191 would make it harder to perform lessons and easy for staff and the community to enforce but 192 the community felt it was too restrictive to the normal use of residents. Adding court clocks to 193 enforce the 1 hour and 15 minute rule does not require a policy update but staff has to 194 investigate the required financial resources. 195 The current practice is to allow local youth groups to book courts during off-peak hours, defined 196 as Monday-Friday before 5:30 PM and Saturday/Sunday 1-5 PM. This applies to local private 197 schools with tennis teams and youth-serving programs offering tennis activities. In the past, staff 198 required groups to register with the USTA. Staff recommended allowing Palo Alto-based youth 199 groups to reserve up to 50 percent of courts during off-peak hours. 200 Public Comment: 201 1. Wenxin H., USTA player and multi-team captain, stated the Mixed Doubles 7.0 team has more 202 than 12 players living in Palo Alto. Wenxin H. thought one reason outside players book the courts 203 was because the City’s reservations fees are very low at $8/hour for residents and $10/hour for 204 nonresidents. Sunnyvale charges $16 for residents and $19 for nonresidents. Wenxin H. 205 suggested Palo Alto increase the nonresident fee to $30/hour to deter outside teams, which 206 would help local players have more matches. If teams include local residents on their roster who 207 do not play, Wenxin H. recommended banning them from using the court for 1 year. Wenxin H. 208 found it difficult to find available courts after work because players come from as far as Morgan 209 Hill to play on Palo Alto’s good-quality courts. Wenxin H. felt that local residents should have a 210 higher priority. 211 2. Leslyn L. and her husband are tennis players and Palo Alto residents. Leslyn L. said school courts 212 were not public courts. Leslyn L. was kicked out from PAUSD tennis courts because the Gunn 213 court was locked and she climbed in. Leslyn L. remarked that “true” tennis players play at 214 Mitchell Park and Rinconada. Mitchell Park Courts 1 and 2 are generally used by City instructors 215 for lessons, leaving Courts 3 and 4 for tennis players. In the last year, Leslyn L. has noticed private 216 instructors spending hours on the courts. Leslyn L. opined the 25 percent residency requirement 217 was not high enough. Nonresidents play tennis in Palo Alto because the City maintains the courts 218 with local taxpayers’ dollars. 219 3. Jennifer T. is a USTA team captain for junior team tennis with 100 percent Palo Alto residents 220 who live in the neighborhood near Rinconada Park. Jennifer T. asked if her team counted as a 221 youth program or a USTA team for the purposes of reservation priority. 222 4. Ryan Wang thought the main problem was the high demand for tennis and not enough tennis 223 courts, so adding more tennis courts would solve many of the current issues. Mr. Wang said 224 there was a lot of demand for tennis lessons. To address the issue of private instructors using the 225 City’s courts, Mr. Wang suggested Palo Alto consider improving the tennis offering as in other 226 cities, such as Mountain View Tennis and Sunnyvale Tennis Center where they have high-quality 227 tennis programming. Mr. Wang agreed with the previous comment that school courts are not 228 public courts because there is a lot of restriction. Palo Alto High School often holds events such 229 as football games that prevent people from using the tennis courts, and oftentimes the courts 230 are locked in the summer or randomly on the weekends. The middle school courts are blacktops 231 with basketball hoops and basketball lines. The JLS courts are poorly maintained, slope one way, 232 and have weeds on the sides. 233 5. Mike Alcheck is a Palo Alto resident who captains 3 teams a year in leagues playing January-April, 234 April-June, and August-November. Mr. Alcheck served as a Palo Alto Planning Commissioner for 235 10 years. Mr. Alcheck spoke of the benefits of organized team tennis and hoped the City’s 236 decision will ensure residents can continue to participate. Mr. Alcheck thought there were not 237 enough tennis courts to meet demand as a consequence of reducing the supply of good-quality 238 tennis courts to accommodate pickleball. Mr. Alcheck believed it was wise to have a 25 percent 239 residency requirement, which would improve access for residents and local teams. Mr. Alcheck 240 suggested nonresident captains pay triple to run a team out of Palo Alto’s courts because they 241 were making it more difficult for residents in the neighborhood to access those courts and Palo 242 Alto residents contribute a lot in taxes. Opening up middle school courts on the weekends would 243 be helpful. 244 Chair Freeman expressed his support for staff’s recommendation. Implementing a 25 percent 245 minimum Palo Alto residency requirement for USTA match reservations was reasonable and 246 strategic. Prioritizing teams with higher Palo Alto residency would help incentivize local 247 participation while supporting regional play. Chair Freeman noted that 6 of the 9 Rinconada 248 courts had lights, which made them more popular; however, Cubberley does not have lights. 249 Chair Freeman asked if the use of clocks would be self-regulated, what was the cost, and if clocks 250 were being used elsewhere. 251 Mr. Howard replied that clocks would allow for community enforcement because people can see 252 how much time somebody has left on the courts, decide if they want to wait, and hold people 253 accountable to the time limit. Palo Alto does not have a staffed tennis center. Mr. Howard has 254 not seen clocks specific to this, so the financial impact is unknown but staff is looking into it. 255 Commissioner Wei thought the policy recommendations were excellent possibilities while 256 keeping in mind inclusivity and equity. Commissioner Wei wondered if the City worked with Palo 257 Alto Tennis Club, maybe volunteers could monitor the usage of courts. 258 Mr. Howard replied that the City did not have an agreement in place with Palo Alto Tennis Club 259 but assumed they would be open to helping the City boost the use of tennis courts in Palo Alto. 260 If it is not known how long somebody was using the court, it is difficult to have a volunteer tell 261 people they have been there too long. 262 Vice Chair Greenfield generally agreed with staff’s assumptions and options. Vice Chair 263 Greenfield asked if the policy changes under consideration were a staff decision or required 264 Council approval. Vice Chair Greenfield wanted to better understand the USTA team structure 265 and if captains typically played on the team. Vice Chair Greenfield was concerned about teams 266 meeting the residency minimum requirement by having Palo Alto residents on the roster who do 267 not play. Vice Chair Greenfield inquired how staff arrived at the 25 percent residency 268 requirement, which seemed low. Soccer youth clubs have a 50 percent requirement and adult 269 clubs have a 35 percent requirement. Having teams with higher residency percentage receive 270 priority in court selection sounded complicated to Vice Chair Greenfield. Vice Chair Greenfield 271 thought having clocks was a great idea and wondered if the clock would be stagnant or 272 electronic, could the clock be reset, and if the Friends of the Palo Alto Parks could have a page 273 for donations. Vice Chair Greenfield questioned if there was a way to write down the name of 274 who was next in line for the court. Vice Chair Greenfield would like to revisit fees because Palo 275 Alto’s court fees were low compared to other cities. Vice Chair Greenfield asked if there was a 276 City policy on the difference between resident and nonresident fees. Vice Chair Greenfield 277 supported staff’s recommendation for youth group bookings but suggested adding a Monday-278 Friday start time for clarity and if holidays were treated the same as weekends. 279 Given the overall support, Mr. Howard thought the policy changes would be made at the staff 280 level. Mr. Howard does not know the USTA team structure. Staff can check rosters on the USTA 281 site. People on the roster have to pay a fee to register with USTA. Staff would have to check on a 282 regular basis to make sure the roster was not changed after it was put in. Mr. Howard chose to 283 start with a 25 percent minimum residency requirement after looking at the USTA roster 284 percentages and in recognition of the value of organized sports, to set an attainable minimum to 285 allow teams to participate but high enough to be effective. Currently, court reservations are first 286 come, first served. Staff recommendation was to allow all teams meeting the 25 percent 287 requirement to reserve courts, and teams with the highest percentages would be placed in 288 priority order to boost more residents on the teams. Mr. Howard wanted an electronic clock that 289 counted down from 1 hour and 15 minutes once the players started it. Stagnant clocks were 290 faded out over time because people were not using them. Players can line up using their 291 racquets to designate who is next. 292 Mr. Howard has not performed a comprehensive comparison of court fees in other cities. Palo 293 Alto is at the low end and an increase could be discussed in the future. Other cities charge $5 or 294 $6 more per hour, although tennis centers provide a different level of service. Typically, 295 nonresidents pay a set percentage above the resident fee. Monday-Friday, tennis courts open at 296 sunrise but Mr. Howard will specify a 10 AM start time for youth group bookings. Currently, 297 holiday hours are the same as weekends. Once there is a plan for clocks, staff can look at 298 resources to help offset the cost. 299 Commissioner Kleinhaus questioned how and who manages the reservations, who will enforce 300 the policy, and how many private tennis clubs and tennis courts are available in Palo Alto. 301 Mr. Howard replied that the Community Services Manager oversees an hourly staff individual 302 who does the reservations. The staff that provide permits are responsible to verify and spot 303 check on the courts that policy requirements are met. Mr. Howard did not know how many 304 private tennis courts were available but he can look it up. 305 Commissioner Deng asked if the soccer and tennis court reservation systems were similar and if 306 there had been consideration of upgrading to an online system, which would be easier to 307 manage and see usage data. Commissioner Deng wondered why the soccer team residency 308 requirement was 50 percent but for tennis it was 25 percent. 309 Mr. Howard explained the current tennis court reservation policy is first come, first served, with 310 no residency requirements, which differed from the field reservation policy. It was preferable to 311 have an online reservation system without staff oversight but it was difficult to find a system to 312 follow the 50 percent rule, confirm it is USTA who was booking, and other policy requirements. 313 The proposed residency requirement for tennis and the current requirement for adult soccer is 314 lower than youth soccer to make it more attainable because it is more difficult to get together 315 groups of adults. Mr. Howard was open to start at 25 percent and increase it in 2 or 3 years. 316 Commissioner Brown agreed with the suggested percentage of Palo Alto residents and 317 modifications could be made after evaluating and revisiting. Commissioner Brown believed fees 318 warranted further evaluation but was not in favor of nonresident fees being 10x or more. Tennis 319 is a regional sport and provided benefits from sales tax and people from other jurisdictions 320 visiting Palo Alto parks. Commissioner Brown suggested having a definition of private lessons in 321 the municipal code. Commissioner Brown thought having a clock was a great idea and she 322 invited additional suggestions from the community. 323 Mr. Howard will return to the Court Ad Hoc and then the PRC with the proposed policy language 324 changes. 325 Vice Chair Greenfield was in support of starting the residency requirement at 25 percent and 326 reevaluating to potentially increase it. 327 NO ACTION 328 5. Discussion of Pickleball Court Usage, and Possible Alternatives to Address Demand 329 Adam Howard, Senior Community Services Manager in the Recreation Department, delivered a 330 presentation. There are 15 lighted pickleball courts in Mitchell Park, 8 of which are dedicated 331 pickleball courts and 7 dual-use courts with 24/7 pickleball priority. The Pickleball Club could 332 provide $100,000 toward additional pickleball courts. Staff performed 37 random spot checks on 333 12 days over a 2-week period, which revealed pickleball courts were frequently at or above 334 capacity with the highest demand on weekday evenings after 6 PM and weekend mornings. The 335 largest crowds observed were on a Thursday at 8 PM with 52 people playing and 61 people 336 waiting, at which time all the tennis courts were full; and on a Saturday at 6 PM there were 52 337 people playing and 68 people waiting. The current policy allows 2 people to play on a pickleball 338 court. 339 Foster City has 6 dedicated courts. Mountain View has 3 dedicated courts and 6 dual-use courts 340 with specific pickleball priority hours. Mountain View is discussing locations to build dedicated 341 pickleball courts. Sunnyvale has 12 dedicated courts in the Tennis Center, which charges entry 342 fees. Sunnyvale approved $200,000 for pickleball lining to provide free public access but the 343 location has not been selected. Menlo Park has 8 dedicated courts (4 courts in 2 locations). 344 Redwood City has 4 mixed-used courts with dedicated priority times for pickleball. Los Altos has 345 6 dual-use courts with designated priority times for pickleball. 346 Staff provided the following options to address pickleball demand: 347 1. Convert Mitchell Park Tennis Courts 3 and 4 into pickleball courts, which will add 348 capacity for up to 32 players. This idea received the most pushback from the community 349 because it reduced the number of lighted tennis courts, increased demand for the 350 remaining tennis courts, made Mitchell Park carry the pickleball load for the region, as 351 well as increased parking needs, traffic, and noise concerns. This report was released 352 today around 10 AM and staff thus far has received 27 emails, 25 of which were against 353 this option. The 2 emails in support were from the President of the Stevenson House 354 Board of Directors and from AbilityPath, the school behind the pickleball courts that is in 355 an agreement with the Palo Alto Pickleball Club to allow the use of their parking lot after 356 5 PM and on weekends. 357 2. Additional dual-stripe courts for tennis and pickleball use. This is a flexible, low-cost 358 solution; however, staff felt this option would increase conflicts between tennis and 359 pickleball, required use and storage of portable equipment, and concern for noise. 360 3. Limit nonresident use by implementing a key or registration system for residents. This 361 option would reduce crowding without new construction or space and increased access 362 for residents. The negatives of this option were higher administrative cost, inconsistency 363 with the City’s open-access tradition, and it reduced the community atmosphere. 364 4. New construction to build pickleball-specific facilities. This option preserved the current 365 tennis inventory. The downsides were difficulty in identifying sites, potential loss of open 366 space or site amenities, significant financial investment, and a longer-term 367 implementation process. 368 5. Reconfiguration by adding lighting at Cubberley and converting all Mitchell Park courts 369 to pickleball. Fully separating tennis and pickleball was a long-term solution. This was a 370 high-cost option, adding lights was an extensive project requiring a lot of reviews and 371 approvals, had lengthy implementation timelines, and potential parking/noise impacts. 372 Staff requested the Commission’s feedback on whether to pursue additional pickleball resources, 373 and if so, which option(s) should be prioritized for further analysis. Staff will return to the 374 Commission with a proposal based on feedback received as well as more information on PAUSD 375 courts. 376 Commissioner Kleinhaus was told by the Mountain View Community Director that the City of 377 Mountain View was pursuing a public-private partnership to use non-park areas for pickleball. 378 Private pickleball was available in Sunnyvale and San Jose. Commissioner Kleinhaus wondered if 379 the City of Palo Alto had considered a public-private partnership, and if staff explored areas near 380 101 on Fabian or if potentially a parking lot could be used afterhours. 381 Mr. Howard replied that staff had not looked into a public-private partnership and it was a 382 worthwhile suggestion to explore. Mr. Howard will speak to City of Mountain View staff for 383 further details. 384 Public Comment: 385 1. David S., a resident of Palo Alto and President of the Palo Alto Pickleball Club, spoke on behalf of 386 over 1000 club members, 58 percent of which were Palo Alto residents. David S. commented on 387 the mental and physical benefits, such as addressing the loneliness epidemic as well as helping 388 the City achieve Council’s objective of improving health, wellness, and belonging. The Palo Alto 389 Pickleball Club believed the best alternative for pickleball expansion in Palo Alto was the 390 conversion of 2 tennis courts at Mitchell Park into 8 pickleball courts at no cost to the City 391 because the Club and its benefactors will pay the cost; however, the offer may not be on the 392 table forever. The Cubberley courts were recently resurfaced, providing improved conditions for 393 tennis players. The proposed changes to tennis court policies on reservations and league play 394 will significantly improve access to tennis courts for Palo Alto residents. David S. thought tennis 395 courts were underutilized and waits were short or nonexistent whereas pickleball waits occur 396 daily, most severely during evenings and weekend mornings, and sometimes people play one 15-397 minute game and wait 30 minutes to play again. Expansion will achieve better wait time balance 398 between tennis and pickleball. 399 Davis S. addressed the following issues mentioned in a recent email and petition campaign 400 against pickleball expansion. Mitchell Park parking is crowded at times because of popular 401 activities including pickleball, Ada’s Cafe, library, Magical Bridge, soccer games, Zumba classes, 402 musical events, and movies. The Palo Alto Pickleball Club secured 35 additional parking spots for 403 pickleball players during evenings and weekends. David S. said it was false that neighbors can 404 hear noise with their windows closed because Mitchell Park was far from the nearest residents 405 with trees and buildings in between. The closest residents live at Stevenson House. The 406 President of the Stevenson House Board of Directors wrote a letter asserting there had been no 407 noise complaints and pickleball was an asset to their residents. Complaints about trash in the 408 park generated by pickleball were untrue because the Club installed trash containers on every 409 court at its own expense and was cleaner than anywhere else in Mitchell Park. The petition 410 falsely claimed other cities were not building courts and Mitchell Park was carrying the load for 411 the region. There is activity to expand public pickleball courts in Mountain View, Cupertino, 412 Sunnyvale, Fremont, Milpitas, and San Jose. 58 percent of Club members are Palo Alto residents. 413 Nonresidents provide an opportunity to make friends with a wider variety of players. Many 414 nonresidents work in Palo Alto, supporting and boosting the City’s tax base and our local 415 economy through their consumer spending. David S. offered to meet with Commission members 416 to answer any questions. 417 2. Alan K. plays tennis and his neighbor introduced him to pickleball. Alan K. opined that hearing 418 noise from pickleball games did not feel like being in a park, whereas tennis had a nice sound. 419 Mitchell Park was meant to be a community park, not a regional sports hub. Alan K.’s neighbor’s 420 petition as gathered about 240 signatures in the neighborhood. At peak times, 60 people are 421 playing while over 100 are waiting, which created increased traffic, constant noise, and a full 422 parking lot. Alan K. urged the City to not convert Mitchell Park Tennis Courts 3 and 4 into 423 pickleball courts. The petition was submitted to staff. 424 3. Debra C. is a Palo Alto resident and beginner pickleball player at the YMCA, where only members 425 can play. Debra C. said the question we should ask ourselves is if Palo Alto should be responsible 426 for expanding facilities for residents to play pickleball or for nonresidents as well. 427 4. Nina H., a Palo Alto resident, believed that expanding pickleball courts at Mitchell Park would 428 result in more crowded parking. Nina H. has played sports in different cities and noticed a fee 429 difference between residents and nonresidents. Nina H. hoped the City would increase tennis 430 and pickleball fees the same as other cities. Nina H. wanted the City to check if the noise level 431 was above the standard of 45 decibels. Nina H. urged the City to preserve balance in recreational 432 space between pickleball, tennis, the Magical Bridge, and other organizations, as well as explore 433 policy that protects the neighborhood’s quality of life and prioritizes pickleball and tennis access 434 for Palo Alto residents instead of being the Bay Area default pickleball center. 435 5. Peter L. played pickleball once and thought it was fun. Peter L. used the practice court for tennis 436 almost every day and noticed the tennis court was always busy. Peter L. stated that Palo Alto had 437 a shortage of tennis courts; therefore, it was a bad idea to convert tennis courts to pickleball. 438 6. Mingxia Z. is a Palo Alto resident, lives close to Mitchell Park, and has enjoyed playing pickleball 439 before. Mitchell Park is a community park, so Mingxia Z. did not want it to be a regional sport 440 center. People coming from other cities every day to the pickleball courts has made Mitchell Park 441 too crowded. Mingxia Z. commented that Los Altos residents rejected to build new pickleball 442 courts because they felt there was no need since Palo Alto had enough pickleball courts and it 443 was similar for Mountain View. Sunnyvale had a petition for no more pickleball courts. 444 7. James F., a Palo Alto resident and tennis player, used to have a USTA team that played on the 445 back 3 courts at either Mitchell or Cubberley but now those courts have been lost to pickleball. 446 Mitchell Park Courts 3 and 4 were the only ones with bleachers, so converting those to pickleball 447 would eliminate the one place at Mitchell where people could watch a USTA match. James F. 448 lives less than half a mile from Mitchell Park and can hear pickleball noise when sitting in his 449 backyard. The existing Mitchell Park paddleball courts were being used for pickleball across from 450 Tennis Courts 1, 2, 3, and 4, so James F. suggested putting down some more concrete to expand 451 the paddleball court area and use it for pickleball courts. James F. asked the Commission to not 452 take away any more tennis courts because there were other options to accommodate pickleball. 453 8. Wenxin H. believed that other cities around Palo Alto knew the drawbacks and did not want to 454 build more pickleball courts because Palo Alto had enough courts for outside residents to play. 455 Wenxin H. practices at night and there were very few lighted courts in Palo Alto, so taking away 2 456 more lighted courts would make access extremely difficult. Wenxin H. urged the City to not take 457 away tennis courts because they are very precious and, as discussed in Agenda Item 4, we are 458 already short tennis courts and taking away more was not right. Wenxin H. thought pickleball 459 players were being greedy by taking away the tennis courts. 460 9. Robert C. noted the only option proposed that did not sacrifice other facilities was to prioritize 461 usage for Palo Alto residents, which seemed reasonable and draws a parallel to the previously 462 discussed topic about prioritizing tennis courts for Palo Alto residents. 463 10. Leslyn L. plays tennis 4 to 5 times a week and pickleball once a week at Mitchell Park, so she was 464 familiar with the people playing there and the impact. Leslyn L. emphasized that the only courts 465 decent to play tennis on were Mitchell Park and Rinconada; however, the back tennis courts at 466 Mitchell Park were taken and the front 2 were used for City instructors or the junior league. 467 Leslyn L. said the President of the Pickleball Club’s statement was incorrect because the tennis 468 courts were not underutilized. Leslyn L. believed that getting rid of nonresidents would provide a 469 lot more space. Leslyn L. will follow up with more solutions in an email. 470 11. Randall S. is a Palo Alto resident and represented a group called Racquet Science who have been 471 playing tennis at Mitchell Park for over 20 years. Pickleball is a high-density sport and it was easy 472 for them to organize and represent themselves. Tennis does not have the same representation 473 and ability to fundraise as pickleball players; therefore, Randall S. said the City needed to 474 represent tennis players because they are local citizens. Mitchell Park is a beautiful resource to 475 play tennis, it has restrooms, tall trees provide shade, has stands for spectators, nighttime 476 lighting, and is steps away from Ada’s Cafe. Mitchell Park went from 7 tennis courts down to 4, 477 and is now proposed to go down to 2 that are being used for private lessons, which will increase 478 demand and create issues. Cubberley is a vast asphalt resource with dumpsters behind the 479 buildings. Therefore, not all facilities provide the high quality of life as Mitchell Park provides to 480 the tennis players Randall S. represents. 481 12. Lisa S. had to leave but left her public comment for the record. 482 13. Bing expressed her deep concern about tennis being gradually taken over by pickleball in the 483 past 7 years, despite community survey data from June of 2025, according to Palo Alto Online, 484 showing that pickleball was a low priority for Palo Alto residents, 9 percent deemed it as an 485 important amenity, while 53 percent said it was not too important. The Mountain View Voice 486 found 7 percent of their residents want pickleball courts. Taking courts away from tennis to give 487 to pickleball was the cause of tennis court shortage. It did not make sense to Bing that the 488 previous agenda item included discussion on limiting USTA play by enforcing a residency 489 percentage or limiting private tennis instruction due to court shortage, while the following 490 pickleball court discussion proposed reallocating more tennis courts to pickleball. Bing thought 491 the Pickleball Club should work with the City to find a new dedicated space to build their own 492 courts instead of taking over tennis courts. Bing asked the Commission to preserve the existing 493 tennis courts. 494 14. Juan Z., Palo Alto resident, was against the City converting more tennis courts to pickleball courts 495 for the following reasons: (1) Overcrowding and parking issues. Since the courts were converted 496 to pickleball a couple years ago, Juan Z. observed a large number of nonresidents traveling from 497 surrounding towns to use the courts, which has created parking congestion, safety concerns, and 498 limited residents’ access to local facilities. (2) Loss of recreational space for students and young 499 players who rely on these courts for practice, recreation, and school-related activities. The loss 500 of tennis courts undermines opportunities for student athletes to play and train locally. (3) 501 Existing park congestion. (4) Parking challenges for local residents. (5) Preserving balance in 502 recreational use by tennis and pickleball players. Juan Z. urged the City to reject staff’s 503 recommendation and instead work with residents to find a solution to support both sports. 504 15. Jennie C. is a Palo Alto resident who opposed converting Courts 3 and 4 at Mitchell Park. Jennie 505 C. believed there was a huge demand for tennis and not enough tennis courts at Mitchell Park. 506 The Pickleball Club President mentioned tennis courts at Mitchell Park were often underutilized, 507 which Jennie C. stated was not true. Mr. Howard’s report showed Courts 3 and 4 were often full. 508 Per Mr. Howard’s report, there were about 100 pickleball players at a given time, meaning 100 509 parking spaces taken. Jennie C. often goes to the Mitchell Park Library but cannot find parking. 510 The Pickleball Club has about 50 percent nonresidents and they are attempting to buy their way 511 in by suggesting that converting Courts 3 and 4 would not cost the City any money. Jennie C. said 512 the Council should consider the rights of Palo Alto residents to enjoy their own amenities and 513 parking spaces instead of being influenced by money. 514 16. Jingluu is a Palo Alto resident who is against the extension of pickleball. Frequently when walking 515 in Mitchell Park in the evenings along the pickleball courts, Jingluu noted most players were 516 nonresidents and the parking lot was always full. Jingluu supported the suggestion made by a 517 previous commenter about controlling access, maybe installing a lock to allow citizens to play or 518 register. When Jingluu’s kids were young, more than half of the Mitchell Park parking lot was 519 available. Kids need the Magical Bridge Playground and space for afterschool activities. 520 17. Roger S. is a Palo Alto resident who used to play tennis and is a founder of Magical Bridge. Roger 521 S. believed that noise and the Magical Bridge should outweigh anything else under discussion. 522 The report mentioned dual courts but they are never used for tennis, so they were not truly 523 dual. Roger S. paid for the porta potties and did not receive any help in that endeavor. Roger S. 524 has talked to people from San Francisco to San Jose who come to play in Palo Alto because it is 525 free and a great place to play. It was unfair that Santa Clara has 4 pickleball courts for 127,000 526 people compared to 52,000 in Palo Alto. 527 18. Joe D.’s San Jose Pickleball Club was founded in 2020 with a single park and the funding of 528 overlay lines. Since then, pickleball has expanded in San Jose at a highly accelerated rate and 529 now have about a dozen permanent courts installed. Two new courts were put in this year with 530 lights in one of them. In collaboration with San Jose City Council, a $300,000 budget was passed 531 for next year’s renovations of their primary courts. Joe D. stated that San Jose residents were not 532 traveling outside of San Jose to play. The Club has a committee that is an adopt-a-park partner 533 and collaborates with the City and tennis players. 534 19. Mitch P. is a Mountain View Pickleball Club Board Member. Because many people were waiting 535 for courts, the Club recently influenced the Mountain View Parks and Recreation Commission to 536 change the hours to allow more pickleball players, which was done in conjunction with the 537 Mountain View Tennis Club to reach an amicable solution. Mitch P. said that some statements 538 made earlier tonight were incorrect. The City of Mountain View is very committed to building 539 more courts in Mountain View and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees 540 to review potential pickleball sites. At tomorrow night ’s meeting, those consultants will provide 541 an update, seek community input on solutions, and discuss the possibility of using private land. 542 Mountain View’s intention is to finish the design in 2025 and finish the multimillion dollar build 543 in 2026. The Club is committed to help the City of Mountain View and work amicably with 544 everyone. Mitch P. hoped that Mountain View can get more pickleball courts and take some of 545 the pressure off Mitchell Park. 546 20. Jennifer L. is a Palo Alto resident who cares deeply about the neighborhood. Jennifer L. does not 547 play tennis or pickleball. Jennifer L. has difficulty finding a parking space when she goes to the 548 Mitchell Park Library. Jennifer L. wanted the City to make decisions for the best interest of Palo 549 Alto residents so they can enjoy our parks, community center, and all the facilities better. People 550 living in the neighborhood do not need to suffer from issues with parking, overcrowding, and 551 noise caused by many pickleball players coming from all over the Bay Area to play in Palo Alto. 552 Jennifer L. strongly urged the City to consider charging fees to nonresidents. Jennifer L. thought 553 there were many simple high-tech ways to make the administrative work easier, such as by 554 swiping a card that would make it free for residents and charge a fee to nonresidents. Jennifer L. 555 encouraged the City to reject the idea of converting the tennis courts to more pickleball courts. 556 21. Emilie D. leads the current efforts for pickleball in Sunnyvale. Emilie D. rejected the claim that 557 neighboring cities were doing nothing to expand pickleball access. Sunnyvale has 12 dedicated 558 pickleball courts operated by Lifetime Activities on land leased by the City. Over the past couple 559 years, those courts were converted from tennis to make them dedicated pickleball courts. The 560 City of Sunnyvale conducted an extensive community outreach in 2024 and 2025 about sports 561 needs in the city and residents identified pickleball as the top request for expansion. As a result, 562 the City of Sunnyvale allocated $200,000 in this year’s fiscal budget to paint pickleball lines on up 563 to 3 tennis courts, yielding an estimated 6 to 9 additional pickleball courts in the next 10 564 months. Sunnyvale is in the early stage of exploring options to build new pickleball courts, which 565 shows that the City is considering not only short term but also long-term expansion of pickleball 566 access. 567 22. Andy C. is the tennis coach at Palo Alto High School and a racquet sport professional who 568 promotes all racquet sports, including pickleball. Andy C. wanted to see a win-win solution 569 proposed at this meeting. Andy C. hoped the voices and resources could be consolidated to 570 convert some of the underused PAUSD blacktop basketball courts to well-lit multiuse courts with 571 basketball hoops on the side and pickleball and tennis court lines drawn, which would help 572 everybody present. Paly was in a great position to build additional courts as a long-term solution 573 because it is far away from residences and has a large, empty parking lot in the evenings and 574 weekends. Gunn, Greene, and JLS schools do not have lights because they are close to 575 residences. Andy C. raised his suggestion to the school administration and PAUSD; however, his 576 voice was not enough, so he hoped somebody could speak to the school administration and 577 PAUSD. Andy C. wanted to save 2 hours per day for his team’s practice and allow use of the 578 courts after 6 PM and on weekends by whoever wants to play pickleball or tennis. 579 23. Ted F.’s family enjoys playing tennis and pickleball. Ted F. was playing tennis with his son a few 580 weeks ago when he saw David S. (Palo Alto Pickleball Club President) and his associate walking 581 around with a clipboard and surveying the courts. Out of curiosity, Ted F. asked David S. what 582 they were planning. Ted F. reported that David S. did not acknowledge him and also told his 583 associate to ignore Ted F. The City can come up with a solution to serve the whole community 584 well. Ted F. supported Coach Andy C.’s idea of converting blacktops to multiuse courts because 585 they are not used afterschool, are in the middle of the campus and not near residents, so sound 586 and parking will not be a problem. 587 24. John W. is a Palo Alto resident, community volunteer, and pickleball player. John W. spoke as the 588 President of the Board of Stevenson House, a nonprofit that houses 160 low-income seniors 589 directly adjacent to Mitchell Park. John W. recently asked their staff whether any residents had 590 complained about noise from the courts and the answer was no. John W. was informed by his 591 staff that a few residents had been playing pickleball at Mitchell Park and others were eager to 592 learn how to get started. Many of their residents do not drive. The proximity to the courts and 593 lack of expensive equipment have made pickleball at Mitchell Park an accessible activity for their 594 elderly residents. 595 25. Yue Z. has played tennis for about 13 years, is a former Gunn High School student, tennis team 596 captain for 2 years, and on the varsity team for 4 years. Yue Z. spoke on behalf of the JV and 597 varsity Gunn and Paly tennis teams. To improve their tennis skills, players organize their own 598 practices during the offseason and on weekends. Yue Z. said Mitchell Park has the only playable 599 courts, although players can easily get injured because the courts are dirty. Cubberley is almost 600 always taken up for USTA adult competitions. Yue Z. had concerns about traffic and he saw about 601 5 accidents in front of Mitchell Park Library from January to May. Yue Z. has seen more pickleball 602 players crashing out on live television than in tennis, meaning players who throw their racquets 603 at their opponents, smack opponents’ racquets out of their hands, kick opponents in the face, 604 and complain about the ball being flat. 605 26. Curt Kinsky acknowledged the need to expand pickleball in Palo Alto to address the growing 606 demand but staff and the Commission need to find another solution because the absorption of 607 additional tennis courts in Mitchell Park is not the answer. If you stand next to the Mitchell Park 608 tennis courts, you hear children laughing, families celebrating a birthday at the nearby tables, 609 and the occasional roar of a soccer goal being scored. If you were to convert those tennis courts 610 to pickleball and add about 50 people waiting in line plus another 50 people playing, the noise of 611 the pickleball games would ruin the atmosphere of Mitchell Park. The best solution Mr. Kinsky 612 has heard was a private-partnership to use empty parking lots. 613 Commissioner Cribbs cited the benefits of pickleball in fostering community and getting rid of 614 the sense of isolation. Commissioner Cribbs supported the conversion of Tennis Courts 3 and 4 615 to pickleball courts. In the short term, Commissioner Cribbs was in support of further 616 investigation and discussion on multiuse courts, although it caused a lot of conflict when it was 617 done a couple years ago. In the long term, Commissioner Cribbs thought it was important to look 618 for other places in Palo Alto to provide more pickleball courts and tennis courts, including vacant 619 buildings and blacktops in schoolyards. For a long time, the ad hoc has talked about the 620 possibility for temporary lighting at Cubberley but it is expensive. Commissioner Cribbs wanted 621 the tennis and pickleball communities to have regular meetings to collaborate on a long-term 622 solution. Other communities in Mountain View, San Jose, and Sunnyvale are working together to 623 discuss what to do about tennis versus pickleball. 624 Commissioner Wei echoed Commissioner Cribbs’ comments. Commissioner Wei plays pickleball 625 and tennis, and believed the community needed both sports. Commissioner Wei felt it was 626 important for the Palo Alto Pickleball Club and Palo Alto Tennis Club to coordinate and share the 627 usage of courts. Commissioner Wei thought multiuse hubs should be looked into for a long-term 628 solution. Maybe in the Rinconada remodeling, consider whether the tennis court can be used for 629 pickleball as well. As a fast, temporary solution with not much capital, Commissioner Wei was in 630 support of converting the tennis courts to pickleball courts because of limited courts, capital 631 concern, noise concern and constraints at other sites, and to balance the demand between Palo 632 Alto residents and equity access for both sports. Staff can look into Coach Andy C.’s solution to 633 use underused school facilities, which presents a challenge because PAUSD will have their own 634 vendor. Swimming pools are managed with cards for residents and nonresidents, which can 635 probably be imposed on tennis courts to allow Palo Alto residents to use the courts more. 636 Chair Freeman wanted the tennis and pickleball communities to work together and help the City 637 come up with solutions that are a win-win for everyone. Chair Freeman has played pickleball and 638 his family plays tennis. Pickleball is a source of physical activity, outdoor engagement, and social 639 connections for residents of all ages. Other sports such as tennis, jogging, or basketball are more 640 demanding. Pickleball is accessible to a wider range of people, regardless of age, skill level, or 641 physical limitations. Pickleball is a vital part of the City’s inclusive Parks and Recreation mission. 642 Chair Freeman thought it was a good thing to have people coming in from other cities to use our 643 recreational activities and shopping. Palo Alto has a population of around 50,000 and the City’s 644 infrastructure was built for more than 100,000. Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Menlo Park are 645 working hard to expand their pickleball access. 646 Commissioner Kleinhaus disclosed she met with David S. at his invitation to see and discuss the 647 pickleball courts. Commissioner Kleinhaus stated pickleball and tennis cannot be judged one 648 versus the other. Pickleball and tennis were equally important, meaningful, and healthy, and 649 provided a sense of community, a feeling of belonging, and social and physical health benefits. 650 Commissioner Kleinhaus thought that the number of people in a court at one time was not the 651 best way to determine how to use the facilities. Instead, Commissioner Kleinhaus believed it was 652 necessary to look at the diversity of uses and amenities the City provides in different parts of the 653 city. Some parts of the city do not have access to certain park amenities but we are discussing 654 potentially evicting a group from an important facility to them. The clustering of more pickleball 655 at Mitchell creates high conflict where there are winners and losers whereas considering 656 different parts of the city for courts was better and more equitable. Commissioner Kleinhaus 657 wanted the community to speak about their own feelings and found it upsetting to hear some of 658 the comments discounting other people’s feelings, sports, and enjoyment. 659 Commissioner Kleinhaus does not live immediately close by but she can hear the noise from her 660 house when sitting outside. Noise impacts residents, park users, and the Magical Bridge, so it 661 cannot be ignored. Expanding the noise sphere will result in people enjoying the park less and 662 some may not come anymore. Commissioner Kleinhaus emphasized the need to know more 663 about the noise impact on the Magical Bridge. Commissioner Kleinhaus spoke to one parent who 664 cannot take their child to the Magical Bridge because the noise is too difficult for their child on 665 the spectrum. Initially, that park was supposed to be for children with disabilities but if they 666 cannot go there, then maybe the City needs to reevaluate how to address pickleball. At a 667 community picnic held last weekend at Ramos Park, one person asked what could be done about 668 the noise because they cannot be outside their home, and others nodded in agreement. If the 669 City expands pickleball availability, it needs to be known whether the noise will remain the same 670 and in which direction the noise travels because maybe noise does not travel to the Stevenson 671 House and instead travels elsewhere. 672 Commissioner Kleinhaus noted that whenever there was a lot of demand for a limited resource, 673 the City tries to manage it. While options are being evaluated elsewhere, Commissioner 674 Kleinhaus believed that reservations at Mitchell Park was an important first step. Commissioner 675 Kleinhaus suggested doing a pilot with some courts for drop-in and others by reservation only to 676 see if it decreased some of the congestion. Palo Alto cannot provide for a hundred people 677 waiting in line unless the City buys another facility. Neighboring Cities are working on this, which 678 may eventually alleviate some of Palo Alto’s issues. Commissioner Kleinhaus thought there was 679 value in having a diverse community, so she did not know if Palo Alto residents needed to be 680 prioritized. 681 Commissioner Kleinhaus was not supportive of Option 1, expansion in Mitchell Park. 682 Commissioner Kleinhaus did not feel it was right to evict one use with so many people who came 683 to tell the Commission this was important to them. Commissioner Kleinhaus was against Option 684 2, dual striping additional tennis courts, unless you can do reservations and make sure the court 685 is shared instead of one sport taking it all. Commissioner Kleinhaus thought Option 3, limiting 686 nonresidential use, needed to be studied further. Comments about too many nonresidents 687 playing and residents not having an opportunity to play could be better solved with a reservation 688 system rather than limiting nonresidential use but Commissioner Kleinhaus was not completely 689 opposed to it. Regarding Option 4, new construction is very difficult. Commissioner Kleinhaus did 690 not know where pickleball can be put on blacktops at schools afterhours. Commissioner 691 Kleinhaus was vehemently opposed to using open space for pickleball. Option 5, reconfiguration 692 at Cubberley, Commissioner Kleinhaus needed to find out what this option meant for pickleball 693 and tennis players. 694 Commissioner Kleinhaus reiterated the need to look at other places in the city and not 695 concentrate all the pickleball in South Palo Alto if possible. A public-private partnership or with 696 schools would solve almost everybody’s issues because it accommodates additional indoor or 697 outdoor pickleball while preserving the tennis courts and amenities that people currently use. 698 Pickleball is a hugely growing sport. In Sunnyvale, San Jose, and other locations, private facilities 699 provide pickleball. In Palo Alto, the City has a pool and tennis courts, and schools and private 700 facilities have pools and tennis courts. Maybe the Chamber of Commerce has some ideas on 701 public-private partnerships and potential business opportunities for private facilities to provide 702 pickleball. 703 Commissioner Brown expressed her disappointment with hearing combative comments tonight. 704 Commissioner Brown reminded everyone we are part of the same community; tennis players 705 become pickleball players and vice versa. Commissioner Brown had an all-racquet-sport 706 mentality. When commissioners ask for more information or to investigate alternatives, it is 707 frustrating for the user who expects a resolution. Commissioner Brown’s opinions were based on 708 the information presented tonight, having witnessed pickleball activity at Mitchell Park, meeting 709 with David S. upon invitation, and she grew up playing tennis at Mitchell Park. Drawing 710 conclusions based on discussions with one parent was not representative of how this 711 Commission should solicit community feedback. The City of Palo Alto has done a lot for 712 pickleball in a short amount of time but pickleball has also done a lot for our city. Commissioner 713 Brown saw that pickleball at Mitchell Park was similar to tennis at Rinconada in being a 714 destination, a single use, and creating a community atmosphere. Because the noise of pickleball 715 is not as pleasing as the tennis pop sound was not a reason to disallow it in our parks. Some 716 dogs have horrible growls and barks but are still allowed in our parks. Regarding parking, 717 Commissioner Brown has never seen so much outreach and mitigation of impacts as has been 718 done by the Pickleball Club in coordination with neighbors. Commissioner Brown conducted 719 court counts when she served on the ad hoc a few years ago and never had trouble finding 720 parking. 721 Palo Alto Pickleball had a good system to monitor and make sure the courts were used in an 722 efficient manner. Timers and self-policing could be used to manage utilization of City tennis 723 courts as discussed in the previous agenda item. Commissioner Brown agreed that regular 724 meetings between tennis and pickleball stakeholders will yield better solutions moving forward. 725 Commissioner Brown was in favor of evaluating alternative court options in the future or 726 exploring a reservation system but was concerned about the impacts on staff, so the process 727 should be as self-sufficient as possible. Commissioner Brown is supportive of Cubberley lighting, 728 maybe as a partnership opportunity with pickleball and tennis. Commissioner Brown thought 729 Options 1 and 2, restriping or full conversion of Courts 3 and 4, were similar in their probable 730 impact but she saw the demand for making the conversion at this time based on the information 731 presented; however, Commissioner Brown was open to other options and more information as it 732 is presented. 733 Commissioner Deng has enjoyed playing and making wonderful friends through both sports, so 734 she recognized the importance of these activities not just for exercise but for connection and 735 belonging. Commissioner Deng acknowledged the passion and frustration on both sides but she 736 did not see it as one sport against another. This topic was about how the City can balance limited 737 spaces so everyone can benefit. Commissioner Deng needed more information to make a 738 decision, especially about parking. Before adding or shifting court capacity, Commissioner Deng 739 encouraged staff to include a parking impact analysis in any feasibility studies to make sure we 740 are not creating traffic or safety problems for the nearby neighborhood. Commissioner Deng 741 said that expanding or reconfiguring facilities should be explored for the long term. This 742 morning, Commissioner Deng spoke with a Council Member who suggested consideration of the 743 underutilized parkland near the golf course which was supposed to be baseball fields. The City 744 can learn from the JCC ’s conversion of their indoor basketball court and gym for dual use with 745 pickleball. Commissioner Deng heard that the JCC had great feedback. A flexible design approach 746 could be possible if we have a new indoor multisport gym at Cubberley. Commissioner Deng 747 thought our guiding principles should remain clear; first is safety for residents, then equity of 748 access and community spirit. Commissioner Deng encouraged all to work together peacefully 749 and give constructive feedback. 750 Vice Chair Greenfield commented on the importance of balancing the community and regional 751 use of our resources as well as balancing the needs of the tennis and pickleball communities. 752 Vice Chair Greenfield used to play tennis and looks forward to playing more pickleball in the 753 future. Vice Chair Greenfield appreciated pickleball’s collaboration with the City. Vice Chair 754 Greenfield recognized the need for pursuing additional pickleball courts because he often passes 755 by the courts at various times of the day on various days of the week and it is regularly bustling, 756 so he thought the counts were higher than reported. The parking lot at Mitchell Park is full. Vice 757 Chair Greenfield echoed Commissioner Brown’s comment about the need for collaboration 758 within the community. Vice Chair Greenfield was dismayed by the tone of a lot of the rhetoric 759 this evening. Vice Chair Greenfield pointed out we are one community, and there was a lot of 760 crossover between pickleball and tennis. Vice Chair Greenfield was concerned about pickleball 761 expansion impacting the infrastructure at Mitchell Park. Vice Chair Greenfield was not convinced 762 that adding a dozen or more new courts was a solution because if you build them, they will 763 come. Vice Chair Greenfield believed that participation from neighboring communities was 764 important and enriching to our community, and it was the fair and right thing to do. Palo Alto 765 had a disproportionate regional burden for pickleball resources. Vice Chair Greenfield was 766 encouraged to hear about plans in neighboring communities. 767 The tennis community has been flexible and given up a lot at Mitchell Park; however, Vice Chair 768 Greenfield believed the request for expansion of pickleball on Courts 3 and 4 was unreasonable 769 given the impact it would have on tennis. Mitchell Park has 4 courts but often 2 of the courts 770 were reserved for lessons or something else, so there was not much availability. Vice Chair 771 Greenfield does not support Options 1 and 2, which were essentially the same. Vice Chair 772 Greenfield opined Option 3, limiting nonresident use, was not the best solution or the most 773 productive. Vice Chair Greenfield thought new construction and reconfiguration should be 774 pursued as medium to long-term solutions. Vice Chair Greenfield stated the best midterm to 775 long-term solution was to better distribute pickleball within the community. It would be great to 776 have another pickleball hub within Palo Alto but it is challenging to find another site for ideally a 777 minimum of a dozen courts to create a feeling of community. Vice Chair Greenfield suggested 778 having at least 6 clean, nice, desirable, lighted tennis courts at Cubberley, and have pickleball at 779 Mitchell Park. Hopefully the environment at Cubberley in the medium-range future will be as 780 similarly inviting as Mitchell Park. 781 Vice Chair Greenfield thought it was important to consider other options. Vice Chair Greenfield 782 said the coach’s idea should be pursued, although it becomes more complicated with the 783 termination of the relationship between the City and PAUSD. Vice Chair Greenfield suggested 784 that staff look into the green strip across the street from Greer Park at the Utility Substation 785 across Colorado at West Bayshore where there is space for 12 to 18 courts, parking is available 786 on West Bayshore, and noise should not be an issue next to Bayshore Freeway. A private 787 partnership such as a parking lot can be a near-term temporary solution to create new pickleball 788 opportunities while we develop a more complete and mature midterm solution and wait to see 789 what happens at Cubberley and Mitchell Park. 790 Chair Freeman mentioned that our broader mission was to promote health, foster community, 791 and ensure equity and access to outdoor spaces and programs. Pickleball is part of the mission, 792 it serves a uniquely broad population, and reflects the evolving needs of our community. Chair 793 Freeman supported Options 1 and 2 as possible short-term solutions to alleviate some of the 794 issues. Chair Freeman noted the pickleball community had done a good job of being organized 795 and come up with ways to eliminate or reduce the parking issue. The City benefits from having 796 people coming into Palo Alto and spending money. 797 Vice Chair Greenfield questioned if the 2 dual-use courts at Mitchell Park were ever used for 798 tennis and if the pickleball nets were permanent. Vice Chair Greenfield advocated for making 799 them permanent pickleball courts unless there was a reason not to. Vice Chair Greenfield asked 800 if any policy decision was ultimately a City Council decision. 801 Mr. Howard included the 2 dual-use courts as pickleball courts in the final count because that is 802 how they are used. The nets were not built-in but they never move. Staff will present the 803 Commission’s recommendation to City Council. The timeline will depend on when staff has an 804 understanding of how the changes to PAUSD courts will affect City court usage or at least know 805 PAUSD’s policies for the availability of courts to the tennis community. Mr. Howard will continue 806 to work with the tennis and pickleball communities, and pursue the idea of private partnerships. 807 Mr. Howard will look into the Utilities space suggested by Vice Chair Greenfield. 808 Commissioner Cribbs advised staff on the importance of including PAUSD’s policy in the next 809 report. Commissioner Cribbs was in favor of the creation of a tennis and pickleball joint 810 community leadership group as soon as possible. 811 NO ACTION 812 The PRC took a break and returned at 10:52 PM. 813 6. Review and Provide Feedback on Draft Turf Study 814 Chair Freeman invited public comment tonight. Due to the late hour, a special meeting will be 815 held at a later date to hear the presentation and additional public comment. 816 Public Comment: 817 1. Manny D., former Planning Commissioner, City Councilperson, and State Legislator in San Jose, 818 spoke as a consultant for TenCate Grass, the largest manufacturer of artificial turf in the U.S. 819 TenCate Grass has its headquarters in the Netherlands and is the leading artificial turf company 820 in the world in innovations, improving turf, making sure it is the safest product available, and 821 having a recyclable product. Manny D. sent a letter to staff. Manny D. highlighted the importance 822 of obtaining accurate information because there were a lot of old studies on this topic. In the 823 last 5 to 10 years, many changes have occurred in artificial turf. In the Netherlands, 95 percent of 824 turf fields are recyclable. TenCate Grass has a recycling facility in the U.S. TenCate Grass has a 825 PFAS-free product called Pivot that has been available for a few years, and other companies have 826 PFAS-free products. Artificial turf reduces the City’s overall operating cost of playing fields, and 827 creates more playing time for sport clubs. Manny D. provided Cal EPA’s draft study to staff. 828 2. Sue believed the Lloyd consultant study was carefully structured to support their artificial turf 829 recommendation to the City. The report was biased because it did not include organic 830 management approaches to natural grass fields, which was comparable to artificial turf’s 831 playable hours and weather resilience especially when fields are thoughtfully built or 832 rehabilitated for optimum soil health, drainage, and maintenance routines. Resilience is 833 increased by resolving compaction and drainage issues and creating robust turf. Sue cited the 834 benefits of switching to organic practices at a park in Pennsylvania. Denison University’s organic 835 grass soccer field has experienced no cancellations due to rain, providing playability after heavy 836 rainfall. The organically managed field at Veterans Middle School in Marblehead, Massachusetts, 837 reported 1180 scheduled hours including informal recreation in 2018, and now reached 1360 838 hours per year. Some fields in the Marblehead District reached over 2000 hours per year for 839 scheduled activities with an estimated total of 2210 hours for all use. 840 3. Sherry Listgarten wondered why Cubberley’s grass and plastic fields were not studied in the turf 841 report. Plastic fields require a lot of raking. Ms. Listgarten lives behind Cubberley and saw 842 gardeners rake about 10 large bundles of green plastic strands a few weeks ago. You have to get 843 rid of the dangerous tufts of plastic grass that stick up. The last plastic field lasted 6 years. The 844 plastic fields shed pellets that spread all over the place, mix in with the leaves and soil, and are 845 not recyclable. After this morning ’s exercise class on the plastic field, Ms. Listgarten came home 846 and tracked pellets on her floor. Ms. Listgarten did not understand the 7:1 ratio mentioned in the 847 report. The grass and plastic fields were well used. The grass fields are closed for a few months 848 in the winter but the plastic field is not well used for much of that time. The plastic field is hot 849 and scratchy for players and spectators. Trees can grow in the grass and provide shade. Grass 850 smells good and supports a variety of activities. Dogs play on the grass and sometimes you see 851 rabbits. You can stick a volleyball net in the grass. Ms. Listgarten urged the Commission to think 852 carefully about using plastic. Ms. Listgarten is a parent of a soccer player but she felt it was not 853 good for kids to have year-round soccer. Plastic is not good for the environment. Ms. Listgarten 854 believed that if people were given a choice, they would choose grass. 855 4. Susan H. is a retired aeronautics software manager and software engineer. Susan H. believed 856 that staff needed to reanalyze a few things. Susan H. noted the analysis was flawed in several 857 places. For example, El Camino Field was reported as 3 fields but it is 1 big field. Sometimes the 858 field is split into 2 and each half is scheduled and played on. The hours played on the two half-859 fields should not be fully added to the other hours. Based on the data from El Camino Park for 860 4.625 years (2021-2024 plus 7½ months in 2025), Susan H. calculated an average of 2050 861 playable hours per year. The Sierra Club provided information to the City about 4 grass fields in 862 Arizona having playable hours between 2172 and 2458 per year. The peak playing hours at El 863 Camino Park are in June and July when there is no rain. The report mentioned it cost 864 $40,000/year to take care of a conventionally managed grass field but a reference was not cited 865 as to where that number came from. 866 5. Cynthia Fan noted the turf study did not include examples of grass fields built and managed in 867 less traditional ways that have been proven to safely support much more use than typical grass 868 fields. The Toxics Use Reduction Institute has published multiple case studies demonstrating that 869 grass fields built and managed organically can support high carrying capacities much greater 870 than conventional fields. The Sierra Club provided case studies of several grass fields with high 871 carrying capacity. Ms. Fan sent the City a case study by a soil scientist where the grass field 872 supported over 2000 hours per year, which is 4x the use of Palo Alto’s grass fields and can be 873 used year-round including the rainy season. The turf study was supposed to be comprehensive, 874 so Ms. Fan was surprised it did not analyze alternative approaches to grass fields. We all knew 875 typical grass fields cannot support the number of hours of play needed at El Camino, so the City 876 did not need to spend money on this expensive turf study to tell us that. A much more valuable 877 use of this consultant is to have them talk directly to professionals who build and manage grass 878 fields with high carrying capacity and translate that into what is possible with Palo Alto’s climate 879 and soils. Ms. Fan urged the City to have this study further developed to include a quantitative 880 analysis of how much carrying capacity a grass field could achieve with alternative field 881 construction and field management methods. 882 NO ACTION 883 7. Ad Hoc Committees and Liaison Updates 884 Vice Chair Greenfield attended the first meeting of the San Antonio Corridor Community Group 885 composed of 15 people, of which about 2/3 were in attendance in addition to 20 or 30 members 886 of the public and staff. There are 5 phases and 6 meetings planned over the course of about 3 887 years. 888 Commissioner Brown reported that Middle School Athletics met to confirm direction. 889 Commissioner Brown is the Aquatics liaison and announced that the weekend open swim and 890 play pool will continue through September and maybe October if the weather stays warm. 891 Commissioner Cribbs mentioned that the funding partners of the Palo Alto Recreation 892 Foundation will hold a meeting at noon on Thursday at Mitchell Park. 893 COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS 894 Sarah Robustelli, Division Manager of Open Space, Parks, and Golf, stated that staff will poll the 895 commissioners in order to schedule a special meeting to hear the turf study presentation that 896 was postponed from this evening. The agenda for the regular September meeting will include a 897 turf study action item, Cubberley update, and possibly an Open Space annual update. Based on 898 tonight’s meeting, Ms. Robustelli does not think pickleball will be ready by the September 899 meeting. The October agenda will include the nature preserve access policy, nature preserve 900 improvement project, and BCCP. 901 Vice Chair Greenfield wondered if staff wanted to move one of the September agenda items to 902 the special meeting agenda unless the turf study was anticipated to be a lengthy item. Ms. 903 Robustelli explained that staff needed to do calendar polling, post the agenda, determine the 904 sequencing of getting back to Council, and the options. 905 ADJOURNMENT 906 The meeting was adjourned at 11:14 PM. 907