Owyhee Park Master Plan Update & Court Conversion Proposal

The department maintains 75 tennis courts across 30 of Boise’s parks.

The department maintains 14 dedicated pickleball courts (two at Eagle Rock Park and 12 at Hobble Creek Park). There are also 10 dual use courts and 12 bring-your-own-net courts across Boise’s parks.

In late 2025, Boise Parks and Recreation developed a five-year pickleball court management plan to increase opportunities for play within city parks. This was in response to growing demand for the sport and the need to provide additional places to play following the closure of 12 dedicated courts at Willow Lane and Manitou Parks following a legal settlement related to noise issues. Those courts were converted back to six tennis-only courts.

Owyhee Park is a five-acre neighborhood park on the Bench near Vista Avenue and I-84. The Owyhee Park courts have been identified as a possibility for court conversation due to proximity to neighbors and the ambient noise from the nearby interstate and airport traffic. The nearest residential parcel is nearly 300 feet away on the other side of the park. The current courts are situated on the south end of the park, across from commercial properties.

The closest tennis courts are located less than one mile away (a 2-minute drive) at Shoshone Park. There are no dedicated pickleball courts within the area.

The five-acre park is served by a dedicated parking lot with 18 regular spaces and one ADA parking space located on the south side of the park. There is plenty of additional on-street parking along W. Elder Street and S. Owyhee Street. We will, as we do at all park locations, encourage all park visitors to be respectful of neighbors and surrounding businesses and to follow all posted signs.  

There is a restroom at Owyhee Park, and a portable unit is placed on-site during the wintertime.

The decibels of pickleball are about 20-25 decibels louder than tennis because of the most common materials used to make the paddles and the ball. Our team will work to mitigate any noise concerns should a conversion to pickleball courts take place at Owyhee Park.

The Parks and Recreation design team estimates it will cost approximately $150,000 to convert the courts to pickleball, and the investment is included in the city’s FY 2027 Proposed Budget to complete the conversion, should it move forward.

Boise Parks and Recreation staff are engaging with the Idaho Tennis Association, the Hillcrest Neighborhood Association, the Vista Neighborhood Association, the South Cole Neighborhood Association, and other stakeholders to share information about the court conversion proposal at Owyhee Park.

The proposed Owyhee Park master plan update and court conversion will be considered as part of the September Boise Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, where staff will present two court conversion options to the commissioners, followed by an opportunity for public comment on two days – scheduled for September 16 and 17, 2026. The Parks and Recreation Commission will then provide a recommendation to Boise City Council. If approved, a court conversion could take place within the next year. Timing will not be determined until after the public process is completed and commissioners decide whether or not to approve the park master plan update and which court conversion option is adopted.