Wesley Chapel District Park will get nine pickleball-only courts in a $700,000 county project, the first dedicated pickleball facility in Pasco County's parks system.

Brian Taylor, recreation manager for Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, told the Tampa Bay Beacons that no dedicated pickleball courts exist anywhere in the county's parks. The Wesley Chapel complex will be the first. Taylor said the project responds to growing demand he traces back to a spike in interest during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The courts will go on the north end of the park, northwest of the existing tennis courts and across the service road from the recreation center. Nine courts will be arranged in pods of three, with 35-by-15-foot shade structures between them. Bleacher seating underneath will give players and spectators a place to sit between games.

A 10-foot perimeter fence will surround the complex. Shorter 42-inch fences will separate individual courts to keep stray balls contained. Additional parking will be added nearby, and players can use restrooms at the recreation center across the road.

Access will cost $10 annually, or holders of an existing county membership card can play at no extra charge. The park will also test a new mobile reservation system that lets players book courts by phone.

Taylor said the lighted facility will host tournaments and organized programming beyond open play.

Until now, Pasco County has offered pickleball mainly by painting lines onto existing tennis courts. Wesley Chapel District Park itself has two pickleball courts painted over tennis courts, and each of the county's four recreation centers can set up six temporary courts in their gymnasiums.

Taylor said the county is not looking to convert tennis courts to pickleball, a path some neighboring counties have taken. Hillsborough County's Northlakes Sports Complex converted its remaining tennis courts to pickleball.

"We are still getting tennis players," Taylor said. "Particularly in the central part of the county… For us, there's no thought of getting rid of tennis courts at this time anyway."

The project is in the design phase. Taylor said the county hopes to break ground in December 2026 and finish by early summer 2027.

Taylor said future county parks will also include dedicated pickleball courts. Plans for the Village of Pasadena Hills park call for four tennis courts and eight pickleball courts, and facilities like Two Rivers will likely include them as well.

What's ahead: Construction at Wesley Chapel District Park is targeted for December 2026. The mobile court reservation system will launch with the new facility.