ROSEVILLE, Calif — A parking lot and grass area near the Galleria will soon be turned into nine new pickleball courts in Roseville.
The pickleball courts will be located at Roseville Parkway and Gibson Drive. Tara Gee, Roseville's Park Planning and Development Manager, says they're looking at groundbreaking sometime in April.
This is the first phase of the Courts at Gibson Park Project, which is a 13.75-acre complex that when completed will include 12 lighted pickleball courts, 10 lighted tennis courts, three lighted full courts for basketball and more amenities.
Pickleball courts were chosen as the first phase because the city had a limited budget and it's the fastest-growing sport, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
"All of these citywide park sites are overall in the multiple millions of dollars to develop which is why we do them in phases," Gee said.
Right now, the city has eight pickleball courts spread among several parks in Roseville.
"By building these nine courts we basically double our inventory for pickleball courts," Gee said.
Also, tournaments require a minimum of nine courts, according to Gee.
Gee said the first phase costs about $4 million and the project is estimated to take about nine months to a year to complete.
Two shaded gathering areas, two restrooms, informal turf areas and a looped, walking path and exercise pods will also be part of the finished project.
With Electric Pickle, gyms that have converted tennis courts and this new project, there will be several ways for people to play pickleball in Roseville.
"We're serving the entire population with different options for pickleball," Gee said.
Gee says she is not sure when the next phase will begin since they would need to get funding for another phase.
The courts complex comes as the city is preparing to break ground on the Regional Sports Complex this summer. It is comprised of 10 artificial turf fields and an accessible playground in West Roseville, and is expected to be an economic boost for the area.
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