Planning for the Future of Pickleball in Goleta

Source: City of Goleta

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America and has become increasingly popular in Goleta. Due to the increased interest in the sport and demand for more courts, the City is considering a proposal to renovate existing tennis courts located behind the Goleta Community Center (GCC) into permanent pickleball courts. The Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the Goleta Valley Community Center’s proposal at a special meeting on November 18 at 6:00 p.m. All interested community members are invited to attend the virtual meeting and/or provide input on this matter.

The proposal includes the resurfacing and renovation of the existing tennis courts into four permanent pickleball courts and a fifth court that will be striped to accommodate both basketball and temporary pickleball, serving two recreational uses. 

Goleta Valley Community Center (GVCC) temporarily converted one of the courts at the GCC to a temporary pickleball court in the fall of 2019. In late Spring of 2020, the popularity increased and the one court in high demand, was expanded to four additional temporary courts in the existing tennis courts. This has been extremely popular, and the temporary pickleball courts are in near constant use. 

The meeting will be held virtually and broadcast live on the City’s website at www.cityofgoleta.org/goletameetings and on Goleta TV Channel 19. Written comments may be submitted via email to sdawson@cityofgoleta.org at least 24 hours prior to the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.

The meeting agenda, including participation instructions and the staff report with more details of the proposed project, is available here on the City’s website. For questions about the project, contact the Goleta Valley Community Center at 805-967-1237. For questions related to the meeting, contact JoAnne Plummer, Parks and Recreation Manager, at 805-562-5505 or jplummer@cityofgoleta.org.

The community is encouraged to take advantage of the additional pickleball courts available in the Goleta area:

• Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park (permanent court, first-come, first-served)
• Evergreen Park (lined for pickleball games, but currently requires users to bring their own portable net)
• Kellogg Tennis Courts (recently renovated by the Santa Barbara County Parks Department to include the installation of three tennis and four pickleball courts in place of the previous four tennis courts)