A San Francisco-based athletic club decided to go back to the drawing board after residents pushed back on proposed plans to renovate Westlake Park in Daly City.
The Olympic Club proposed to the Daly City Council in June to renovate the Westlake Park field, add a clubhouse and rebuild the Doelger Senior Center. The club started community outreach and had a scheduled meeting for Thursday. After hearing residents’ concerns, the club sent a letter to council on Wednesday saying it would pause its plans to “sharpen” its proposal.
“This decision reflects our desire to proceed respectfully and transparently. We believe that pausing to listen and to refine our proposal will result in a stronger, more constructive presentation when we return to the city and the community,” the letter said.
The club planned to replace the field’s grass with artificial turf and add lines for baseball, softball, rugby, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey, Nick Lusson, the club’s athletic director, said June 22. It also proposed adding new scoreboards, lighting, fencing and additional seating.
The renovations would limit when residents could use the field. The club would use the field for up to 30 hours per week, including Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and all day Saturday, Lusson said.
Existing events that take place on the field, such as Junior Giants, will be prioritized, he said.
Lusson said the club planned to repave the tennis courts and convert two of them into courts that could be used for both tennis and pickleball. The proposal also called for removing several parking spaces to add four new pickleball courts reserved for club members.
The planned clubhouse, which would include locker rooms, a social space, restrooms and offices, would be accessible only to club members, Lusson said.
“We didn’t want to be the 800-pound gorilla of sports that comes in and takes a field away from a smaller local community group,” Lusson said June 22.
If the club replaces the grass with artificial turf, dogs would not be allowed on the field, Lusson said. Dog owners would instead be redirected to a small area that has not yet been determined, he said.
The club proposed a 15-year term with three five-year extensions, under which the city would receive $50,000 annually, Lusson said. The city would not have to pay a dime for the project or maintenance, he said.
Although the club canceled its Thursday meeting, more than 30 residents still met at Pacelli Event Center to voice opposition to the proposal. Councilwomen Teresa Proaño and Pamela DiGiovanni attended the meeting and voiced their opposition.
Proaño said she opposes the proposal and will represent the people who elected her.
“I think it’s very important that we maintain public use at the park. This is a bad deal for Daly City citizens. It’s a community resource that needs to stay for the community,” resident Tatum King said.
Residents should have access to all the park’s amenities, King said. Adding a clubhouse or exclusive pickleball courts would go against that, he said. Daly City already does not have enough parks, he said.
King compared the renovations to the one Marchbank Park underwent.
Daly City residents have limited access to Marchbank Park under a partnership between the city and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, a San Francisco Catholic high school. The school funded the field renovation and has reserved use of the field for three hours every day after school, some Saturdays and during the summer for some sports camps. The field remains available for public use outside those reserved times, according to the city.
Resident Andrew Sielen said Westlake Park is important to him because he takes his two children there three days a week, but he also travels to other cities because Daly City doesn’t have that many public parks.
“We are at a massive deficit here,” Sielen said. “I’ve never seen such a low amount of parks for people.”
Daly City has 23 parks, five open spaces and 36 playgrounds, according to the city. The city lists its population as 102,593 residents, making it the largest city in San Mateo County, according to its website.
The club did not respond to the Peninsula Buzz’s request for comment on when it plans to resubmit new plans.
Council agreed to have negotiations with the athletic club last year, allowing it to discuss improvement plans for the park. The club has been seeking a place to host its field sports for over 100 years and restarted its search for a location two years ago, Lusson said.