Mill Valley beach volleyball project advances

Mill Valley will soon build two beach volleyball courts at the northern end of Bayfront Park next to other sports fields.

The City Council approved the project’s plans and authorized the city manager to seek construction bids on March 24.

The volleyball courts had been requested by residents for years, according to city officials, who noted they were first envisioned in master plans drafted for Bayfront Park in 2004. The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed the project.

“This has been a community priority. It’s a project which we’ve been working on for quite some time,” Mayor Urban Carmel said. “We’re super happy that the funding is in place now, the approvals are in place and we can implement this vital community asset.”

The courts are being funded by $178,000 in state and city recreation grants and an additional $117,000 in donations from the volleyball community and Mill Valley Friends of Parks and Recreation. The city donated staff time for its design and permitting.

The Mill Valley Parks and Recreation Commission endorsed the project last September. Since then, city officials cleared the project with several county and state regulatory agencies.

“This has been an idea that’s been going on for many many years and there’s been stops and starts to it. And some of that is because this is a pretty major construction project,” said Vanessa Justice, whose term on the Mill Valley Parks and Recreation Commission recently ended.

In Mill Valley, hundreds of youths play the sport in clubs and programs. For years, enthusiasts have set up makeshift nets and courts on the city’s hockey fields on Sunday, when those fields are closed to organized sports, Justice said.

The city will build two beach volleyball courts that “will be oriented North-South within the approximate 105-foot by 85-foot sand area,” a staff report said. The grounds around the courts will be sloped and covered with grass from a 10-foor high fence that surrounds the perimeter to the sand pit’s edge. An entrance for people with disabilities and picnic tables will be on one side.

Carmel and Justice praised the volleyball community and other residents for their patience and financial support.

“There were quite a few community members who had worked very hard on this over the years,” Justice said.

Other beach volleyball sites in Marin County include College of Marin, Piper Park in Larkspur, Dunphy Park in Sausalito and San Clemente Park in Corte Madera.

“It will really improve Bayfront Park,” Justice said. “It’ll be really nice.”