Upgrades in the works for pickleball and tennis courts at Wakefield Park
The Fairfax County Park Authority plans to renovate the tennis and pickleball courts at Wakefield Park in Annandale and expand the number of dedicated pickleball courts. Construction is expected to begin in early April.
The project will be completed in two phases. Phase 1 will include converting tennis court 11 into four dedicated pickleball courts, renovating tennis courts 7 and 8, restoring courts 9 and 10 to tennis-only use, and repairing tennis courts 1 and 2.
The basketball courts will also undergo repairs, with completion expected by late June. Phase 1 is anticipated to be completed by mid-July, weather permitting.
During Phase 2, half of the walled practice court will be replaced with two additional dedicated pickleball courts. The tennis practice wall and courts closest to courts 9 and 10 will be preserved.
This phase will require additional site work, including modifying an existing trail and relocating picnic tables. Phase 2 is expected to be completed by fall 2025.
During construction, tennis courts 3, 4, 5, and 6, as well as pickleball courts 12 and 13, will remain open for public use.
There will be occasional construction traffic entering and exiting near court 11 via the park access road. Construction hours will be 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends.
After the project is completed, Wakefield Park will have 10 dedicated tennis courts and eight dedicated pickleball courts, reducing competition for dual-use courts and better accommodating the county’s growing demand for racket sports.
The $300,000 project is funded through a FY 2024 third-quarter budget consideration item, sponsored by Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay and Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw.
Related story: Pickleball court planned for Mason District Park
6 responses to “Upgrades in the works for pickleball and tennis courts at Wakefield Park”
Leave a Reply to Stephen Callahan Cancel reply
I thought this was not yet a done deal as the FCPA was accepting public comments through today. As suggested previously to the Park Authority, the original design plan and necessary management of a pickleball court are flawed and do not respect the legitimate concerns of the neighbors residing near Mason District Park. It is unclear if the published here addresses those concerns.
Previously, when a pickleball ball court design was discussed, the nearby Wynfield Association offered an alternate plan which included the placement of the court in an area further from its neighbors, and most importantly, asked for assurances that the noise created by a court be properly managed.
The noise level from a pickleball court, both in other areas of Fairfax County and the country, are high and unfair to nearby neighbors if not managed properly. Noise levels and cut off times from the shelter near the current tennis courts are not respected and the Park Authority has done little to improve the situation. Noise from a new pickleball ball court will only add to this problem.
Please assure the interests of the families of the neighboring community are respected and the design and placement of a pickleball court, as well as the issue of noise abatement, are considered before any final decisions are made.
As the article states, this project is in Wakefield Park, not Mason District Park.
Agree. There are no houses anywhere near the Wakefield pickleball courts.
My comments were meant for the Mason District park. I erroneously commented on this site and not the “related story” Pickleball Court planned for Mason District park. My error.
Is there a way to petition this change? Converting Court 11 to pickleball courts leaves tennis players no non-shared court while pickleball players have Court 12 and and Court 13 for non-shared play. Instead Court 11 should be repaired for proper tennis play. And Court 9 and Court 10 should be converted for sole pickleball play. This makes more sense and caters to all parties as pickleball is growing in numbers more than tennis anyway. Where can we get this petition/suggestion heard? We need to inform the unknowing players (pickleball and tennis) of this proposed change!
The courts are very poorly managed by the desk at AM. They allow leagues and classes to completely take over the courts, run a 3rd world paper based reservation system… generating frequent conflict among normally friendly players of a very friendly and social sport. Just let players stack. Limit league and classes to early early weekend hours… or build a dedicated indoor/outdoor pb court dedicated to classes and leagues. Hopefully DTL will be reasonably priced and all the instructors and classes will move there.