In June, the Fairfax County Park Authority unveiled a proposal to reconfigure the tennis and pickleball court area to enhance the dedicated courts for both sports and opened a public comment period to receive community input. In response to that call, more than 150 comments were received with general support favoring the realignment of the court configuration and included several consideration items for the Park Authority to evaluate.
Park Authority staff have worked creatively and within the available project budget and geographic footprint of the site to revise the court realignment in response to public input received. The project design includes converting tennis court 11, currently in need of repair, into four dedicated pickleball courts, returning the two dual-use courts (courts 9 and 10) to tennis only. A second phase of the project will replace one-half of a walled practice court with two additional dedicated pickleball courts. The new design includes increased court margins and a north-south orientation for all pickleball courts. As the result of the project, Wakefield Park will have 10 dedicated tennis courts and eight dedicated pickleball courts. The revised layout will increase the net amount of pickleball courts and alleviate competition over the use of dual-use courts for either tennis or pickleball.
The Park Authority anticipates work to begin on Phase I of the project in spring 2025. The start date of Phase II will be dependent upon the permitting process, but once work begins it is expected that Phase II will take approximately three months to complete. All times are subject to change based on project approvals, permitting and weather conditions during the project window. In total, the project cost is estimated at $300,000, with funding provided by the Board of Supervisors in a joint FY 2024 Third Quarter Budget Consideration Item from Chairman Jeff McKay and Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw.
Supervisor Walkinshaw commended the Park Authority for their diligent work to redesign this proposal in response to community input. “Wakefield Park presents a great opportunity to help meet the growing demand for dedicated pickleball courts. The Park Authority went above and beyond in thinking creatively to develop a solution to address the community’s needs and concerns. I am proud to have been able to work with the Chairman and Park Authority on this project. It represents a win-win for both the pickleball and tennis communities.”
The Fairfax County Park Authority remains committed to providing accessible playing surfaces to support the popularity of racket sports countywide. With this project, the Park Authority will have a total of 90 pickleball courts and 193 tennis courts at parks throughout the county. To locate athletic courts and other park amenities near you, please visit the Park Amenity Locator website.
Additional details will be provided as the construction plan for the project is defined. For more information, please contact the Public Information Office at Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.