The pickleball installation slated to fill the empty space at 1318 4th Street took its first tentative steps toward realization recently as work finally started on resurfacing the area that will contain the courts.
During the most recent Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) board meeting, Martin Ronzio-Garcia, Business & Community Development Manager, gave an update of the situation.
According to Ronzio-Garcia, on March 11, Santa Monica Pickleball and Padel, LLC (SMPP) received their Architecture Review Board approval from the Planning Department. On March 24, SMPP had to apply “for a modification for their portable restroom” because it’s a long-term outdoor setup, temporary bathrooms would not have been permitted, which was approved with seldom seen efficiency.
Ronzio-Garcia said that power washing of the site had been completed and on March 25, the asphalt was laid and smoothed, adding the first layer of primer for the pickleball courts.
“So, that is really the groundwork for what will eventually be pickleball courts on the site,” he said, adding that on March 27 their permit was ready to issue from the building department and a provisional opening date of April 14 had been set.
“I's going to take about eight to 10 business days for the portable restroom to be delivered and once that gets there, we have to call for building inspections and just make sure that goes smoothly,” Ronzio-Garcia said.
The lot at 1318 4th Street has sat empty since Parking Structure 3 was demolished in 2022, despite plans for temporary activation while the city’s long-delayed affordable housing project remains in limbo. After a failed immersive dome proposal from Haibu, a new bidding process in late 2024 saw City staff initially recommend CityPickle, an established East Coast operator that operates 34 courts across seven venues in New York City and Philadelphia. However, DTSM reversed course and handed the project to Pickle Padel Paw, a newly formed group of local pickleball and padel business owners.
Renamed Santa Monica Pickleball and Padel, LLC, the group pitched a lively mix of courts, food vendors, beer garden seating, and a premium dog park. However, the rollout stalled and internal disputes led to a lawsuit, permitting documents changed and no work began. By early 2025, the dog park and food concepts had vanished from the plans, no rent was being collected and the lot remained untouched.
While there is now action on the lot, a new design review notice appeared on the site for a proposed six-story affordable housing project, echoing the lot’s original purpose.
