The City wants to pave over parts of Cuesta Park and the Cuesta Park Annex for pickleball courts - but at the expense of valuable green, Open Space.
Mountain View's own community survey shows only 7% of residents want pickleball courts, while the vast majority prioritized trails, trees, and natural open spaces - exactly what Cuesta Park and the Annex provides today.
Why eliminate what most residents actually value? The Cuesta Park Annex isn't just green space - it's our community gathering place, a refuge for local wildlife, and one of the few natural areas left in our city…and for our children. Once it's paved over, it's gone forever.
The good news? Better alternatives exist. Join your neighbors in advocating for smart planning that builds recreational facilities where they belong, while preserving the irreplaceable natural spaces our community treasures.
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Why Save Cuesta Park and the Annex?
Cuesta Park is a vital green space that not only enhances our community's beauty but also serves as a sanctuary for countless plants and wildlife.
For the past 40 years, residents across Mountain View have worked hard to preserve Cuesta Park and the Cuesta Park Annex, defending it from multiple attempts by local government entities to pave over the park, convert it to a flood management system or building within the Cuesta Annex.
Green spaces like Cuesta Park and the Annex are essential for our mental and physical well-being, providing a peaceful respite from urban life. It is our responsibility to safeguard this treasure, so children and families in the years to come can enjoy the same joys and memories we cherish today.
7 reasons
to Not Pave over Cuesta Park and the Annex
1. The City's Own Rules: Pickleball Courts Are NOT Open Space
The City’s very own Open Space Plans explicitly states that tennis courts and sports facilities do NOT qualify as "Open Space" (Page 4). This isn't an opinion - it's the city's own definition.
What this means: Building pickleball courts on Open Space creates a NET LOSS of Open Space - exactly what city planning documents are designed to prevent. The city cannot ignore its own rules when convenient.
The contradiction: Mountain View regularly purchases land to CREATE Open Space, but now wants to ELIMINATE existing Open Space for facilities that don't even qualify as Open Space.
In 2022, the city spent $20 million to acquire 2.4 acres at San Rafael Avenue specifically for Open Space. Now they're considering paving over existing Open Space instead of using the land they already bought FOR THIS PURPOSE.
The city's "logic":
Buy expensive land for Open Space ✓
Destroy existing Open Space for pickleball courts ✓
Ignore the land you bought for recreation ✗
Here's the key difference: San Rafael isn't Open Space yet - it's just land purchased for future development. Building pickleball courts there wouldn't eliminate existing Open Space. But paving over Cuesta Park or the Annex would represent a NET LOSS of actual, functioning Open Space that residents currently use and value.
This makes no financial or environmental sense. If the city will spend $20M to acquire land for recreation, why destroy the Open Space we already have instead?
2. The $20 Million Double Standard
By opting to pave over land that was purchased with the promise of conservation, the city risks losing not just green space but also the community spirit that comes from having accessible parks and natural areas.
It’s essential to advocate for the preservation of these areas and hold city officials accountable for their commitments to maintaining open spaces that benefit all residents.
The community deserves transparency and assurance that the investments made will align with the values of sustainability, recreation, and environmental stewardship.
3. Mountain View has Acres of Parking Lots
The city claims there's "no space" for pickleball courts, but Mountain View has vast areas of underutilized parking throughout the city. Why not use existing paved areas instead of destroying natural Open Space?
Available Parking Areas:
Shoreline Park alone has 45 acres of parking lots
City facilities throughout Mountain View have additional parking areas
Underutilized lots that could accommodate courts without eliminating essential parking
Creative solutions like building platforms above existing parking
Smart Alternatives:
Use parking areas that are empty during peak pickleball hours
Build courts on platforms above existing lots (preserves parking below)
Partner with businesses or facilities with excess parking capacity
Explore temporary or shared-use arrangements
The Logic: Why pave over irreplaceable natural habitat when we already have acres of paved parking areas? Courts built on existing pavement don't eliminate Open Space, don't destroy wildlife habitat, and don't take away the natural areas that residents actually prioritize
The Real Question: If the city can spend $20 million on land and consider $8-14 million for private facilities, why won't they explore using the paved areas we already have instead of destroying the natural spaces residents value most?
Check out all the Parking Lots outlined in Red, just in Shoreline Park. The numbers represent the number of acres within the shaded area.
LISTENING TO CITIZENS
4. Their Own Survey: 69% of Residents Don't Need More Pickleball Courts
The City's own Statistically Significant 2024 survey data reveals a stunning disconnect between what officials want and what residents actually need:
The Numbers:
53% of residents said they have NO NEED for pickleball courts
Another 16% said their pickleball needs are already fully or mostly met
Total: 69% don't need more pickleball facilities
In contrast, 93% of residents value open grass areas
What This Means: More than two-thirds of Mountain View residents don't need more pickleball courts. Meanwhile, nearly everyone values the open grass spaces the city wants to pave over.
The Simple Question: Why destroy what 93% of residents value to build what 69% don't need?
Programs Tell the Same Story: When asked about recreation programs, only 6% of residents prioritized pickleball lessons and leagues. The other 94% wanted fitness programs, youth activities, and swimming.
Bottom Line: Whether you ask about facilities or programs, the message is clear - pickleball isn't a community priority. The city is pushing ahead with plans that serve a small minority while eliminating the natural spaces that nearly everyone values.
Source: City of Mountain View’s statistically significant survey conducted by an independent 3rd party in 2024 (Download results obtained through a Public Records Act request)
Cuesta Park Annex
5. Cuesta Park Annex: The Last Open Space for Miles
Look around Mountain View - where else can you find undeveloped, natural open space? The Cuesta Park Annex represents one of the few remaining areas of untouched land in our densely developed city.
The scarcity reality:
Open Land in Mountain View sells for $10-20 million per acre - because it's extremely rare
The city just spent $20 million to acquire 2.4 acres for future park space
Most of Mountain View has been developed, with little natural habitat remaining
Once this space is paved, that natural ecosystem is gone forever
Why this matters:
Native wildlife needs undisturbed habitat to survive
Children need natural spaces to explore and connect with nature
The community benefits from passive recreation areas
Natural spaces provide environmental benefits that pavement cannot
The "just a sliver" deception: Supporters downplay the impact by calling it "just a sliver" of the Annex. But when natural open space is this rare and valuable, every piece matters. Death by a thousand cuts - a sliver here, a sliver there, until nothing natural remains.
The question: In a city where land costs $12 million per acre, should we pave over rare natural space for courts that only 7% of residents prioritized?
How You Can Help
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Host a Lawn Sign
Each Lawn sign helps grow awareness. We’ll deliver right to your doorstep. Get 1 more for a neighbor!
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Email a City Councilmember
Email them one-by-one. Ask for a reply!
-
Visit City Council
City council members hear from a lot of voices, but none are stronger than an in-person statement.
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Donate
$50 helps us get the word out
6. Better Alternatives Exist - Why Focus on Destroying Open Space?
The city has multiple viable options that don't require eliminating existing Open Space, yet they seem most focused on the locations that destroy what residents already use and value:
Indoor Facilities:
Cost: The city considered spending $8-14 million on land purchases
Benefits: Weather-independent, noise-free, year-round use
Status: City admits they're "open to collaborating" with private developers
San Rafael Site:
Cost: Already purchased for $20 million
Benefits: Doesn't eliminate existing Open Space - it's undeveloped land bought for recreation
Status: Finally added to study after community pressure
Key advantage: Using San Rafael creates new recreation without destroying what we already have
Shoreline and other Creative Solutions:
Give Live Nation alternative parking options in lieu of using more of the paved parking space
Platform/deck construction over select parking areas such the Shoreline Recreation center. The city is already spending $7million to build a gun range for the Police Department ON TOP of their new police garage.
Build on top of the downtown garage.
Use underutilized Public Works land both in Shoreline Park and elsewhere.
Buy 975 Terra Bella (.5 acres)
The question: With San Rafael available and other creative solutions possible, why does the city's primary focus remain on paving over the existing Open Space that residents currently use and value?
7. Noise
Pickleball generates 85 decibels of noise - as loud as a lawn mower - according to the city's own analysis. The city has tried to mitigate this with berms, but for much of Cuesta Park, the noise will still be too loud for families to enjoy picnic areas, walking paths, or quiet recreation near the proposed courts. This isn't just about losing green space - it's about losing the peaceful character that makes Cuesta Park a refuge from urban noise, replacing tranquility with the constant sound of paddles hitting balls.
Seven Reasons we shouldn’t pave over Cuesta Park/Annex.
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Buy Open Space..to Pave it Over
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75 Acres of Parking Lots..but no space?
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Pickleball Courts Aren't Open Space
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Noise
It’s Loud
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Cuesta Park Annex - The last Open Space for Miles
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The City has other options
FAQs
Important Documents
Parks and Recreation Memo
City FAQ on Pickleball
Aren't you just being anti-pickleball?
The city is only seriously considering locations that require destroying existing Open Space:
Cuesta Park "dog bowl": Eliminates walking paths and natural areas that residents actually prioritized
Cuesta Park Annex: Paves over rare undeveloped natural habitat
San Rafael site: This one actually makes sense - it's land they bought for Open Space
Why not focus on appropriate locations instead of forcing courts into natural areas?
How much will this cost taxpayers?
A: The city estimates $5 million for the Cuesta Park location, largely due to extensive grading work - proving it's an inappropriate location. Meanwhile, they considered spending $8-14 million to buy or lease land for pickleball courts. If they'll spend $8-14 million, why not invest in solutions that don't destroy Open Space?
Won't pickleball courts bring more activity to the park?
A: Cuesta Park already has plenty of activity - that's why residents ranked "walking paths in parks" as a 21% priority and "large community parks" as 18%. The "dog bowl" area provides peaceful walking paths that families use daily. Pickleball generates 85 decibels (lawn mower level noise) that will eliminate the quiet recreation residents actually want and use.
Q: What alternatives do you support?
A: Several better options exist:
San Rafael site: 2.4 acres the city bought for recreation - perfect for courts
Indoor facilities: Weather-independent, noise-free, year-round use
Private partnership: The city admits they're open to working with developers
Creative Shoreline solutions: Find truly underutilized areas, put a deck over a parking lot.
Build courts where they belong, not where they destroy what residents prioritized.
How can I help save Cuesta Park?
Contact City Council (they want to hear from constituents):
Sign up for the city's project interest list to stay informed
Spread the word:
Share this information with neighbors
Post on social media
Stay informed:
Follow our website for updates
Attend the upcoming community meeting
Join neighborhood discussions
Remember: City Council represents YOU. When 93% of residents didn't prioritize pickleball courts, but the city wants to destroy what residents actually wanted (trails, trees, open space), your voice matters.