More courts are set to pop up in the pickleball-predisposed District of West Vancouver.
On Monday, council unanimously approved work to design and estimate the cost of replacing the current skatepark and bike terrain course near Gleneagles Community Centre with four pickleball courts and a multi-use pump track.
Working with a pickleball advisory round table made up of local enthusiasts for the growing sport, the district has been adding more facilities, including four in Normanby Park and, more recently, another four in Ambleside Park.
Putting courts in the Gleneagles neighbourhood would allow more locals to walk and bike to play pickleball, rather than travelling to more centralized locations, said Jill Lawlor, West Van’s senior manager of parks.
Following a review of the existing Gleneagles Adventure Park, staff concluded that the bike terrain park and skatepark are underused.
“The bike terrain park struggles with erosion, weed growth, and is limited to BMX and mountain bikes, reducing its accessibility,” Lawlor said. “The skateboard bowl features steep [ramps] that cater primarily to advanced riders and limit the broader community use, as well as attracting some graffiti.”
But the proposed changes would change the space into a vibrant recreational hub, she said.
“The combination of pickleball and a pump track would create that multi-generational space that parents, grandparents, youth and children can all gather and benefit from,” Lawlor said. “Pump tracks have been successfully integrated into the park systems across the region. Nearby examples include Moodyville and Inter River in North Vancouver, and demonstrate their success as well-loved community amenities.”
Pump track would cater to large group of users, councillor says
Per staff's recommendation, council approved $28,000 in unspent sport court funds to undertake a detailed design of the new space, and to estimate the project’s cost.
Coun. Scott Snider said the pump track would serve a large group of users.
“The thing that I love about the pump track is it serves such an incredibly large group of people,” he said. “You could be brand new with four-wheeled scooters. You could have two-year-olds to the highly skilled skateboarders out there.”
Coun. Nora Gambioli suggested that the park could be designed to have the fenced-off pickleball courts beside the road, and the pump track on the other side of the courts to improve safety for young riders.
“It would make sense to me to consider putting them on the road side of the site because there’s a fence around them, as opposed to having the pump track close to the road if you’ve got little kids on bikes,” she said.
Both Mayor Mark Sager and Coun. Linda Watt said they liked the idea of the pump track because it could possibly get more skateboarders off of roads.
With the successful vote, staff are to report back to council in May, aiming for a possible project completion date as early as spring 2026.
Lawlor added that more pickleball courts could be coming to Ambleside in future years, after the creation of a park master plan, as well as at the incoming Cypress Village development.
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