Planning for renovation nears completion
Planning for the renovation of Golden Gate Park Tennis Center has truly been a community effort. More than a decade in the making, the project successfully hit critical milestones in recent months, gaining approval from the SF Board of Supervisors in late May, and reaching 80% of funds raised this summer.
Since 2016 the lead project partners—SF Rec & Park, Tennis Coalition SF, and the SF Parks Alliance—have engaged in an inclusive community planning process, hosting a series of public meetings soliciting ideas and suggestions from hundreds of interested people. Says project architect Emily Bello from EHDD: “The input has truly shaped the design and I think we are better for it.”
In addition to the clubhouse and court improvements, planning is underway for the programming that will take place at the new facility. In late August, RPD hosted an open meeting to talk with potential operators about the day-to-day operations of the renovated GGPTC. Seasoned public court facility operators from California and beyond, as well as private operators, attended. RPD will solicit business plans later this year and the selected operator will be onboarded in the months following the groundbreaking (anticipated date in Spring 2019). The construction phase is expected to last approximately 16 to 18 months with a grand re-opening in 2020—Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary.