The Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club is moving forward on exploring a potential expansion that would add two new courts and a new viewing area for spectators. On Nov. 2, the Rancho Santa Fe Association board approved the use of $60,000 in tennis club funds to prepare design and engineering documents for the project.
Located on the golf club campus on Via de la Cumbre, the club’s courts abut the golf club and the community trail system. Currently, the main viewing area for events like the recent RSF Open tournament is the clubhouse patio.
The addition of two courts would get the club back to 12 tennis courts, with four more courts dedicated to pickleball, for a total of eight. The extra courts would help meet some of the court demand that occurs at this time of year when it gets darker earlier and people are trying to fit in matches before 5 p.m. since the facility is not lit, Manager John Chanfreau said.
“We would be able to grow our programming, grow our membership and just offer a more exclusive facility for the community,” Chanfreau said.
The board’s action that day was just the first step in the process, for the club to look into its options, President Courtney LeBeau said. She noted the project will include landscaping, an effort toward community buy-in and Art Jury review. The board has discussed staking the project so surrounding neighbors know what is being proposed and to ensure that an expansion would be set far back enough from the trails.
Part of the expansion plans for the RSF Tennis Club is a new viewing area.
(Jon Clark)
The total project scope is estimated to be about $450,000.
During public comment, tennis club member Rick Sapp said that as the club site is landlocked and pickleball continues to increase in popularity, the board might consider possibly putting pickelball facilities as a new recreational opportunity on the Osuna Ranch property.
He also suggested that the board consider lighting some courts at the club, possibly on a temporary basis at first.
“I know there’s a lot of passion here about lights,” said Sapp who lives right behind the club. “I encourage lighting this as a community facility. I think lighting a community facility is different from lighting a private home.”
Related to Sapp’s comment about exploring potential new uses of the Osuna Ranch, at the meeting that day the board gave direction to set up a site tour of the property. Osuna Committee member Anthony Alario had suggested that the board visit as they seek to help bring the facility into compliance as well as move forward on the plan to dedicate seven of 25 acres to a community park built around the adobe, as well as a multi-use community barn for events.
In the past year, the board has discussed maintenance of aging housekeeping facilities, property enhancements such as those envisioned by the 2018 master plan and even a potential sale. Director Lorraine Kent said the board should take the tour keeping their minds open to all possibilities.
Director Scott Thurman said that the committee hopes to make the Osuna more of a central location for all residents, not just the horses. “The way to do that is to make some sort of investment in it, so we have to go evaluate whether it’s something that makes sense… so it does benefit more of the community,”