Palm Springs tennis club to be forced off property

Kurt Haggstrom and his wife Ana have run the Plaza Racquet Club in Palm Springs since 2002. Members say it is a pillar in the community.

After over 40 years of business, the nets may be coming down at the tennis club.

The Haggstrom’s say were notified last October that a development group from Orange County was interested in purchasing the land for $8.5 million from Palm Springs Unified School District to create condominiums.

The city leases the land from the school district and subleases it to the club.

“We’re the busiest tennis club in the desert. We’ve been sold out with a waiting list, and to my knowledge that’s never happened. Losing this place would be a tremendous loss,” says owner Kurt Haggstrom.

The Haggstrom’s requested a month to month lease from the school district while waiting for the escrow on the land to close later this year. That request was denied.

We reached out to the school district for a statement, but they did not tell us why the request was denied.

The Haggstrom’s are currently working with the city to see if relocating the club is an option. Ruth Hardy Park is a possible option, but we’re told by Director of Community and Economic Development, Lauri Aylaian, construction could take up to two years if approved.

She says a decision on relocation should be announced before the budget is approved for the new fiscal year on July 1.

We’re told by the city there was an attempt to designate the Plaza Racquet Club as a historical site, but PSUSD threatened legal action for interfering with the district’s ability to sell the land. The city ceased these considerations.