Pickleball players in Larkspur are getting their own dedicated court at Piper Park for the first time.
The City Council voted unanimously on July 1 to split the park's four courts between the two sports and end a dispute that has festered since 2024.
The new layout: two courts reserved for tennis, one dedicated to pickleball, and one flex court that accommodates both. The flex court keeps a permanent tennis net that doubles as a divider for four pickleball courts when portable nets are rolled out.
The plan overrode two earlier proposals. In May, the Planning Commission recommended three tennis courts and one court split into four pickleball courts. City Manager Dan Schwarz then formed a working group with equal numbers of tennis and pickleball players. After three meetings totaling about five hours, Schwarz recommended keeping the status quo and managing conflicts through scheduling.
The council chose neither path. Councilmember Scot Candell pushed colleagues toward the compromise, saying at the July 1 meeting that it was time to recognize pickleball players as equal to tennis players.
The plan the council adopted was originally submitted by Nicole Crncich, a pickleball player and working group member. Crncich told the council she had repeatedly urged the city manager to dedicate at least one court to pickleball, calling it the equitable solution.
"We knew we needed eight pickleball courts to support the number of players in open play at Piper Park," Crncich said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "We felt this was a fair solution that gave both sports the space they needed."
Not everyone left satisfied. Tennis player Laura McDermott acknowledged the compromise but asked the city to explore fundraising for dedicated pickleball courts elsewhere, so tennis wouldn't keep losing availability. Jennifer Malone, a recreation tennis player and working group member, said the adopted plan removes flexibility that general tennis players valued.
Tennis players had argued they need at least three courts for United States Tennis Association matches. A teaching professional contracted by the city uses three courts for lessons and league play on weekdays, leaving only one open-use court during those hours.
The pickleball community, which numbers about 300 members, had countered that they needed two courts' worth of space to maintain their open-play rotation system.
What's next
The four courts will be resurfaced to reflect the new layout, with work planned for this fall, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The city will put the resurfacing project out to bid; no cost estimate has been released. Larkspur also has two additional public tennis courts at Centennial Park.
The council's next two regular meetings, on July 15 and August 5, have been canceled. The next regular Larkspur City Council meeting is Wednesday, August 19, at 6:30 p.m.
