Kelly Courts Is Back, and Its Pickleball Rules Are on a 90-Day Trial

The Kelly Courts at Clark Field were scheduled to fully reopen on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with a 9 a.m. ribbon cutting at 861 Valley Drive. The renovated site has four pickleball courts, one tennis court and two basketball courts. That brings back the two pickleball courts the City closed in 2020. The courts doubled, but the rules that govern them are temporary. When City Council set this fall's hours and booking system, it also asked staff to report back within 90 days of reopening on complaints, community feedback and court usage. This fall's play is the data the City will use for that report.

Twice the courts, next to the same neighbors

Kelly Courts has been squeezed for years. Council first turned one Kelly tennis court into four dedicated pickleball courts in 2017, after community requests. In 2020 the City closed two of those four over safety, site constraints and deferred maintenance. Neighbors raised concerns about pickleball's popping noise, which led to a stakeholder process and a schedule compromise in 2021. City staff later recorded ongoing frustration from players about limited hours and hard-to-get reservations. The two courts still open were booked about 98% of the available time.

A facility already booked at 98% will fill new courts quickly, and those courts sit next to the same houses that raised the noise issue in the first place. The hours, the booking rules and the review clock all trace back to that pairing.

The planned scope was large. The project called for resurfacing and restriping the courts, replacing a wall and fencing, and adding new windscreens, court lighting, basketball equipment and an ADA-compliant walkway from the parking lot. In September 2025 Council awarded the construction contract at $825,999, with a $124,000 contingency and a construction cap of $949,999. The broader capital project was budgeted at $1,175,149, paid for with Tyco, Park and Recreation Facility Tax, and Capital Improvement funds.

It also took longer than first projected. The Daily Breeze reported in November 2025 that construction would start November 17, with completion expected around late February. The City's reopening date came about seven months after that.

The rulebook on the fence

Council's March 24, 2026 meeting set the framework now in place: hours of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, updated rules on allowed equipment, and reservations on all four courts every day except Friday. The City's posted use policy puts it this way:

"Courts 1 through 4 are available by reservation only on all days except Fridays. On Fridays, all courts are designated for walk-on play only and are not available for reservations."

In practice, booking works like this under the City's current policy and event notice:

1. Get the membership. Only Hermosa Beach residents can reserve, and they need proof of residency and an annual pickleball membership. The membership is $25 a year.
2. Set up a Rec.us account. The City's reopening notice told residents to create a City of Hermosa Beach Rec account and keep their membership current before booking. An older ActiveCommunities reservation page is still online. Rec.us is the platform the City named for the reopening.
3. Book at 7 a.m. Reservations open up to 14 days ahead, with a maximum of two hours per member. The online system opens at 7 a.m. on the earliest day you're allowed to book.
4. Pay the hourly rate. Court time costs $12 an hour.
5. Or come on a Friday. Friday play is walk-on only. When people are waiting, the courts use a 4-on, 4-off rotation: all four players leave after each game, and the next four in line take the court. Hermosa Review has described the Friday sessions as free open play.

The tennis court works differently. It's first-come, first-served walk-on play, free of charge, with a one-hour limit when others are waiting. The City's facility directory lists the tennis and basketball courts as open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., two hours later than pickleball. The posted rules also bar classes, tournaments, coaching and organized activities unless Parks and Recreation has approved a permit. City-sponsored activities take priority over both reservations and drop-in play.

The $15 vote that didn't stick

The fees above are the second set Council approved this year. At the March 24 meeting, Council supported raising the resident reservation fee to $15 an hour, as Hermosa Review reported at the time. Members of the public then sent written demands to cure and correct under the state's open-meeting law. On April 14, Council rescinded the fee action and directed staff to do a fee study.

Staff brought the study back on May 12. Council approved raising the annual membership from $19 to $25 and the hourly reservation fee from $9 to $12.

The schedule was disputed as well. At that May meeting, councilmembers questioned whether the posted policy matched what they had decided in March about reservations and walk-on play. Staff had read the March direction to mean reservations get priority on non-Friday days, with walk-on play still allowed when a court is unreserved. The posted policy says reservation-only. The item went back to Council in June for clarification. The Friday rule is settled. Whether you can walk onto an empty court on a Tuesday is the kind of question to confirm with Parks and Recreation before you rely on it.

What the 90-day clock is counting

From the October 1 reopening, Council's 90-day window runs to about December 30. The report due by then covers three things: complaints, community feedback and court usage. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission had asked for a report within 120 days and recommended keeping the earlier hours. Council chose the longer daily schedule and the shorter review timeline.

So the first three months of four-court play will produce the record. Reservation data measures how much of the new capacity gets used, Friday crowds test walk-on demand with twice the courts, and the complaint log speaks to whether a 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. window suits the homes around Clark Field. That record reaches Council around the turn of the year. Anyone with a view on hours, booking or noise has until about then for it to count in the review. The City's posted policy and Parks and Recreation have the current details. Fees and rules can change at any council meeting, so check them before you buy a membership.

The rest of the block is changing too

The courts aren't the only renovated piece of the Clark Field site. The Clark Building, at the same 861 Valley Drive address, was renovated in 2025 and now takes rental applications. It's a 5,119-square-foot space that seats up to 200.

A short walk up Valley Drive, the Valley Park playground is part of the City's CIP 504 equipment replacement, along with Seaview Parkette and South Park. The work replaces play equipment and the rubberized safety surfacing. An August construction notice set the work for August 24 through September 25, 2026. The City's project page gives a later closure window, from late August through mid-October. As of this writing, the City hasn't posted that the playground has reopened.

The next big date on the town calendar falls inside the review window. Hermosa for the Holidays, the City's fifth annual winter event downtown, runs November 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It includes artisan and retail shopping, local food and drink, a Ferris wheel, a concert and a tree lighting. The Kelly Courts rules may be up for a vote again at about the time the decorations come down.

At The Zebrowski Group, we follow how projects like the Clark Field renovation change daily life on specific Hermosa blocks, from Valley Drive to the Strand. If you own near the courts and want to know how the neighborhood's recent improvements affect what your home is worth, request a private market valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.