Pickleball players rejoice: A Berkeley park is adding 6 courts

"Crews are expected to break ground early next year on a $6.5 million project at the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex that will give the popular waterfront park its first set of permanent restrooms and add six new pickleball courts, more than doubling the city's inventory. The project also calls for adding a smaller-scale soccer pitch aimed at young children and a new field house with a community room the kind of space you might rent out for a birthday party to the park at the west end of Gilman Street."

"Pickleball players have long lobbied for more courts in Berkeley. The city has just five permanent courts for the game today four at Cedar Rose Park and one at James Kenney Park, plus some tennis courts at Willard Park that can be used for pickleball during morning hours even though the parks division estimates there are thousands of players in the city. They're just looking for as many courts as possible, Ferris said. Our courts at Cedar Rose are absolutely packed."

A $6.5 million project will begin early next year at the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex to add permanent restrooms and six new pickleball courts, more than doubling Berkeley's current permanent court inventory. The plan includes a smaller-scale soccer pitch for young children and a new field house with a community room suitable for rentals. The new facilities will occupy an undeveloped area just south of the complex parking lot at the west end of Gilman Street. The Tom Bates Complex serves as a regional soccer hub, and added courts should relieve heavy demand and minimize neighborhood conflicts given nearby nonresidential land uses.

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