Mill Valley council approves sand volleyball courts

The Mill Valley City Council has unanimously approved a plan to install two sand volleyball courts at Bayfront Park.

The courts will run north to south in the northwest corner of the park. The plan calls for a 10-foot-tall fence on three sides of the courts; on the other side, a 4-foot-tall fence will connect to the Bayfront Field fence.

The location, one of three staff considered, was picked because it would not add hazards to the multi-use path and is entirely within the city’s jurisdiction, said Jay Ingram, the city’s deputy director of arts and recreation.

Ingram said sand volleyball is a fast growing recreational sport, with more than 5.5 million playing in the United States, and that hundreds of youths in the city play the sport. There are only eight courts in Marin County.

A new volleyball court was the first recommendation made in the 2004 Bayfront Park master plan. In 2022, the city was awarded a state Department of Parks and Recreation grant of $177,952 for the courts. Ingram said the total cost estimate is $350,000, and the local volleyball community pledged to raise $175,000 to install the courts.

“That’s ambitious,” said Councilmember Caroline Joachim.

Staff recommended hourly fees of $20 per court for nonprofits, $28 for Mill Valley residents, $37 for nonresidents and $42 for commercial users. The annual revenue estimate from the courts is $5,000 to $10,000, based on other courts in the county.

Vice Mayor Stephen Burke asked how staff planned to govern people paying to use an open space. Ingram said it will be mostly an honor system.

“If we see a group of people out there playing, we can approach them and say, hey, have you reserved the court?” said Ingram.

Councilmember Jim Wickham said there should be flexibility to allow people to use the courts on a drop-in basis, as long as no one else has the space reserved.

The Parks and Recreation Commission endorsed the project at its meeting on Sept. 4. It received more than 80 public comments in favor of the plan.

“There’s a lot of community support,” Ingram said.

Rick Ronald of Mill Valley spoke in support of the courts. He said they will help build community and will become a “little jewel” in the city.

“There’s a lot of demand, volleyball players of all ages, so it’s going to be well received, well used, well loved,” Ronald said.

Stephen Boatright, a founder of a local beach volleyball club called Bodhi Beach Volleyball, said the limited number of courts is stressful, especially when local residents also want to use the space.

“So many people want to use this,” Boatright said. “There’s so many people who play this game, so the courts are needed.”

Ingram said a California Environmental Quality Act review found the project would have no significant impact.

The local volleyball community will be raising funds this fall and winter, and city staff hope to put the project to bid in March with construction completed by next summer.

Joachim said she played volleyball in college and learned the game on the beach.

“This sport is really important to me,” she said. “It’s where I found my voice, so when you talk about mentoring and creating a space for youth, and in particular girls, I’m right there with you.”