Saanich’s parks committee has a plan to accommodate heavy demand for pickleball courts in the region. It’s proposing to create six purpose-built pickleball courts, a tennis court and other amenities at Fowler Park near Cordova Bay Golf Course.
The plan is expected to be considered at Saanich council’s Monday night meeting.
Coun. Judy Brownoff, chair of the district’s natural areas, parks and trails committee, notes that the popularity of the sport is surging, and with enough courts, Saanich might be able to land large tournaments that draw people to the region.
“I think they they have [pickleball] at the 55-plus games — it’s really up and coming,” she said. “I really think it could be part of sports tourism and growing the sport, because our weather’s perfect for it year-round.”
Fowler Park, bordered by Fowler Road, Hunt Road and the Lochside Trail to the west of Cordova Bay Golf Course, is a green space where Saanich has established temporary dog parks.
The court complex would include a washroom, bike hub with parking, a children’s play area, pathways and new trees. Sound reduction would be built into the project, since pickleball can be noisy.
Brownoff said the park is ideal for the project, since the courts are not up against anyone’s home, and the park sits beside a regional trail and has lots of tree cover and natural sound dampening.
Pickleball was banned from Todd Park in James Bay in early 2022 due to noise complaints from nearby residents.
The players who used that park — the city had more than 1,000 hours of block bookings for pickleball at Todd last year — were relocated to tennis courts at Central Park.
Victoria has plans to build at least six pickleball courts in the next phase of improvements at Topaz Park.
There is no budget estimate yet for the Fowler Park project. Brownoff said district staff will put together a full report with costs that will be debated during the 2024 budget process.
Saanich has a total of 15 indoor pickleball courts at Saanich Commonwealth Place, Pearkes Recreation Centre and Cedar Hill Recreation Centre and another 13 outdoor courts, though two of those at Tolmie Park would be phased out when Fowler is established.
The Tolmie courts, like Todd Park in James Bay, have attracted noise complaints since they were established.
A regional study of pickleball future use funded by Victoria, Esquimalt and Saanich has been completed, and Saanich staff are preparing a report that Brownoff expects to see in the new year.
