- April 18, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
The city of Palm Coast’s Parks and Recreation Department will host three public meetings in January to gather input on the Regional Racquet Center proposal at the site of the Palm Coast Tennis Center.
Due to COVID-19 and to best ensure staff collects feedback from all stakeholders, the meetings have been organized into three dates at the Community Center located at 305 Palm Coast Parkway. We ask that residents attend the meeting in which the desired feedback is outlined below. Visitors and employees entering the Community Center must be medically screened through temperature checks and a brief medical questionnaire. They must also wear a mask/face-covering in all common areas and where six feet of distance cannot be maintained between people.
Located at 1290 Belle Terre Pkwy, the existing Tennis Center opened for public play in November 2007, with 10 lighted HydroGrid clay courts and what was intended to be a temporary Welcome Center. Open play, league tournaments, lessons and summer camps have remained popular for 13 years.
More recently, growing numbers of residents have been engaging in the trending game of pickleball. Parks & Recreation set up temporary courts at Holland Park and Belle Terre Parks. Hundreds of dedicated pickleball players have given the city input expressing the desire for more permanent options in the community.
To best meet the needs and recommendations from not only tennis and pickleball players, but also from families who are looking for newer outdoor recreation alternatives, the city council is reviewing the proposed architectural, approval and construction plans of the new center.
The location for the Regional Racquet Center would include several high-quality, dedicated pickleball courts constructed alongside the current 10 clay tennis courts. Plans for the state-of-the-art facility would include locker rooms, showers and common areas. Additional parking is planned along the Lehigh Trailhead on Belle Terre Parkway spreading eastward towards the new center.
The Regional Racquet Center would also attract even larger, more lucrative United States Tennis Association events, boosting Palm Coast’s local economy by filling restaurants and hotels with visitors.
The Regional Racquet Center, if approved, would be constructed in phases, with funds already available to the city council, combining a capital projects fund, park impact fees and sales tax dollars obtained from the City’s Be Local Buy Local initiative.
If you are unable to attend one of the public meetings, you can provide feedback by submitting a case by Jan. 20 through Palm Coast Connect at palmcoastconnect.com.
