It’s a Silicon Valley battle for the ages — pickleball versus housing.
The Campbell Planning Commission unanimously directed city staff Tuesday to explore a five-year conditional use permit on a pickleball facility expansion at The HUB Silicon Valley. But commissioners also questioned Campbell’s intent to impose this requirement on the entire facility, when the property owners could terminate their lease with The Hub at any time, contingent upon developing the site. The proposed expansion would add nine courts to the existing 20 in former warehouse space.
@sanjosespotlight It’s a Silicon Valley battle for the ages — pickleball versus housing. The Campbell Planning Commission unanimously directed city staff Tuesday to explore a five-year conditional use permit on a pickleball facility expansion at The HUB Silicon Valley. But commissioners also questioned Campbell’s intent to impose this requirement on the entire facility, when the property owners could terminate their lease with The Hub at any time, contingent upon developing the site. The proposed expansion would add nine courts to the existing 20 in former warehouse space. The city wants a housing development on the 7.1-acre site. The property owner and The HUB Silicon Valley are not on board with the five-year permit because the existing lease has no end date. The location once housed a 156,600-square-foot Fry’s Electronics store at the intersection of East Hamilton and Salmar avenues, but now serves as a sports facility with badminton and pickleball courts. The site also houses Bingtang Badminton, which doesn’t have a permit limit. “This feels really awkward and uncomfortable,” Commissioner Adam Buchbinder said at the meeting. “To the extent to which we can… arbitrarily try and shut down the business because we hope that housing will become feasible in five years and we’ll try and push them to shut down then — I’m just not comfortable with doing that.” Read more at SanJoseSpotlight.com. #pickleball #housing #bayareahousing #siliconvalley #campbell #localnews
The city wants a housing development on the 7.1-acre site. The property owner and The HUB Silicon Valley are not on board with the five-year permit because the existing lease has no end date. The location once housed a 156,600-square-foot Fry’s Electronics store at the intersection of East Hamilton and Salmar avenues, but now serves as a sports facility with badminton and pickleball courts. The site also houses Bingtang Badminton, which doesn’t have a permit limit.
“This feels really awkward and uncomfortable,” Commissioner Adam Buchbinder said at the meeting. “To the extent to which we can… arbitrarily try and shut down the business because we hope that housing will become feasible in five years and we’ll try and push them to shut down then — I’m just not comfortable with doing that.”
Commissioners will review the expansion again in about a month.
Brett Feuerstein, partner at Mira Mesa Shopping Centers which owns the land leased by The HUB Silicon Valley, said they want the site to eventually become housing. He added the property owner doesn’t want the five-year term limit on the whole facility because it’s uncertain if the market will bounce back by then.
“(Housing is) the highest and best use. There’s no question about that,” Feuerstein said at the meeting. “We want to do good for the city, what’s good economically, so it is definitely a long-term vision. It’s just that we have to be realists, and it’s not there today.”
Community Development Director Rob Eastwood said the city is in a difficult position balancing the site’s popularity while pushing for more housing. The location could accommodate about 400 homes, or 14% of the 2,977 the city must build by 2031 to comply with state mandates.
Eastwood said that’s a significant amount of housing, especially when Campbell’s only predicted to construct 687 homes by 2031 at its current building speed. He said if the housing market doesn’t improve in five years and there’s no development interest, the city could extend the permit. He also said the city is willing to work with The HUB Silicon Valley to find an alternate location or incorporate it into a future housing development.
“How do you balance keeping the site activated (while) not shutting down the ability for it to redevelop in the future?” Eastwood told San José Spotlight. “It’s just kind of emblematic of (what) I’m assuming (is) happening across the valley.”
The HUB Silicon Valley is popular, with hundreds of members playing every week since its 2023 opening. The club initially wanted to add 20 more courts with a cafe to meet demand, but that would have required significant renovations to the 1970s-era building.
Ted Angelo, co-founder and CEO of The HUB Pickleball Clubs, understands the Bay Area’s need for housing, but said the termination clause on the existing lease should suffice without the proposed five-year permit.
He also said the facility needs more courts to accommodate its die-hard pickleballers.
“It creates healthiness, community, a sense of giving back,” Angelo told San José Spotlight. “Everyone’s generally happier (and) they are a little healthier.”
The HUB Silicon Valley’s regular players are torn about the site’s potential for housing, regardless of when it’s built.
Ivy Nguyen, who plays at The HUB Silicon Valley twice a week, has made countless friends through pickleball. She understands the demand for housing, but said the courts add more value to Campbell beyond recreation.
“Not only do we come here for community, but we also inject our money into the economy around here,” she told San José Spotlight. “We’ll play all day until closing and then a lot of our friends will invite each other out for dinner.”
Brendan Tydingco is an even more avid player. He drives from Fremont to play at The HUB Silicon Valley four times a week and said it’d be a big loss if the facility were torn down for housing.
“I’d be pretty devastated,” he told San José Spotlight. “This is pretty much one of two locations in the Bay Area… where the pickleball community can really come and play at courts that are reliable year round.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
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