Foley is moving forward with plans to open at least nine public pickleball courts and 10 sand volleyball courts by the end of 2024.

The courts will be located north of the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermens Market.

Work is now underway on the road leading to the site. David Thompson, Foley executive director of leisure services, said initial costs on the project could allow the city to expand the number of pickleball courts from nine to 12.

“We’ve already gone out to bid on the base work and road work,” Thompson said. “It came back very much in our favor, so we actually saved some money.”

He said the savings could allow the city to add the extra courts. The Foley City Council approved the design of the additional courts as an alternative addition to the bid specifications.

“We do feel very confident that there will be demand for three additional courts and if we get them to mobilize one time instead of two, I think it’s going to be in our best interest for saving money,” Thompson told council members.

He said the site has enough space for 12 courts without removing trees on the property.

“On the footprint that we have, there are some more trees that we would not want to take out so I don’t see us expanding any more to the north, but I think 12 for that site is perfect and 12 is a great number,” Thompson said. 

On Monday, July 15, the council also approved a plan to build 10 sand volleyball courts near the pickleball site. Thompson said the city had previously bought nets and other equipment for the volleyball courts and had been considering locations for the courts.

Thompson said work on the pickleball courts can begin as soon as the road leading to the location is completed. 

“It would be kind of a shared recreational site with the pickleball courts that we're going to be building as well,” Thompson said. “We're hoping to put a bathroom there that would be an amenity for both of those properties.”

He said the roads and pickleball courts should be completed by December 2024. The contract for the road has been awarded and work is beginning.

The road will connect Stabler Lane with the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermens Market.

The pickleball and volleyball courts will be built using money from impact fees paid to the city by developers. The road work and construction of the court parking lot will be paid for with other city funds.