Park City voters rejected a $30 million bond in November that would have allocated funding for new recreational facilities including pickleball courts.
But demand for courts remains as pickleball ranks as the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., according to 2024 data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
To find more places to play, Park City Manager Matt Dias said the council is exploring a public-private partnership to build indoor courts on undeveloped city-owned property.
“We’ve heard by and large through proponents of the pickleball community that there’s a lot of private sector interest,” Dias said. “These partnerships are popping up throughout North America where there’s enough interest in a recreational amenity that there’s actually a private sector entity that will bring that to bear if they have some type of a subsidy or some type of an incentive. In this case, it would be our land, and then maybe the opportunity to transfer a lot of the risks, the financial risk, the facilities, the maintenance that go along with it.”
A staff report outlined three potential parcels in the Quinn’s Junction area.
The report also noted the Park City School District is considering adding outdoor tennis and pickleball courts behind Treasure Mountain Junior High.
So far, Basin Recreation has not shown interest in partnering with Park City on an indoor pickleball facility, according to the staff report.
The Park City Council will discuss a potential public-private pickleball partnership in a study session Thursday. No final action will be taken.
Also Thursday, the council could vote whether to waive $800,000 in fees for Mountainlands Community Housing Trust’s redevelopment of the Holiday Village and Parkside apartments.
The meeting at City Hall opens to the public at 3:50 p.m. following a closed session. The agenda and a link to attend virtually can be found here.
