End of Plaza Racquet Club?

The Valley’s only public tennis club is going to be turned into a housing development.

The sale of the land that houses the Plaza Racquet Club is going through after the Palm Springs City Council said no to making it a historic site.

However, we’ve learned this may not be the end for the club that’s been a fixture in the Valley for over 40 years. There are plans in the works to build a new facility.

It will be an end of a era, but Mayor Robert Moon and Councilman Chris Mills are working on what they hope will be the beginning of a new one in a more permanent location.

“Most of the friends that I have here are from the tennis club,” said member Kurt Buchholz.

Since 1975, the Plaza Racquet Club has played host to anyone willing to pick up a racket.

“The great things about this place anyone came come anywhere in the world, pay and play they will arrange matches for you, access your level, fix you up with some good fun people,” said Seth Forrest. Forrest just flew in from England to play at the club and spend a few days in Palm Springs.

“This club is my access to my community, that’s how I got to know people. You take a way the club, you take away the community,” said snowbird member Jeremy Kinsman.

The land it’s on, the Palm Springs Unified School District owns and no longer needs.

The city of Palm Springs declined to buy it two years ago, so the district sold it to a developer for $8.5 million.

The club still could be saved if it became a historic site, but a threat of a lawsuit was enough for the city to abandon the idea.

“I wish we could save it, but we just can’t. We don’t own it, we just leased it,” said Mayor Robert Moon.

“It’s a very sad day for me and everyone here at the Plaza,” said Buchholz.

“I’m devastated,” said Forrest.

“We’ve put our heart and soul into this place,” said Tennis Director Kurt Haggstrom.

Many members said they moved here because of the club.

“We are all trying to pick up and figure out where do we go from here,” said Buchholz.

“Probably sell my house,” said Kinsman.

“They are asking me every day, ‘What are our options?’ and I don’t know what to tell them, there are no other tennis clubs to move to,” said Haggstrom.

The city’s lease runs through June. In the meantime, plans are in the works to move the club and its 320 members to a new facility. One option is at Ruth Hardy Park. The city would build new courts and a club house.

“That’s one option we are looking at, we are looking at every possible option throughout the city,” said Moon.

The city council will go over all the options for a location for the Plaza Racquet Club at it’s next meeting.