Sunnyvale staff report rising demand for fields and rentals; commissioners ask about subsidies and peak-time use

Tracy Gott, recreation services manager for Sunnyvale’s Sports, Aquatics and Facilities unit, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on April 15 that use of the city’s park buildings, picnic sites, gyms and athletic fields increased in 2024, with thousands of reservations and tens of thousands of hours of use.

Gott said the city operates 12 park buildings, 10 of which are available for public rental, and that in 2024 the department recorded “over 3,000 reservations and over 16,000 hours of use,” split among public nonprofit groups, private rentals and city programs. She told commissioners the department also manages 40 reservable picnic areas across 14 parks and 11 lighted athletic fields, and that field reservations totaled more than 7,400 last year.

The presentation prompted commissioners to press staff for clearer financial and access data. Commissioner Mason asked whether the city offers subsidies or lower rental costs for residents who cannot afford fees for birthday parties or other private events; Gott said the city’s current scholarship program focuses on youth under 18 and that there is not a general residency subsidy in place, but she offered to “take that back and look at it.”

Veronica Torres, a parks and recreation staff member who answered several rate questions during the discussion, described the city’s three-tiered field rates and lighting fees: turf at Fair Oaks is charged at $45 per hour for residents and $90 for nonresidents, lighting is $35 per hour, and grass fields are $28 per hour for residents and $43 for nonresidents.

Commissioners also asked staff to provide missing financial context. Chair Kesting and others requested the share of city revenue that comes from park rentals and the relative cost of maintaining park assets; Gott said the department tracks park revenue but must calculate what portion it is of overall city revenue and the full maintenance costs and that staff would follow up with those figures. Gott said staff would also run a refined report showing peak-use times for lighted and non-lighted fields to help analyze demand for additional lighting.

Commissioner Geary queried low utilization rates for specific park buildings and whether condition or program mix explained the difference; Gott said building use varies by neighborhood programming and building size and that she could include photos and additional context in future reports.

The presentation included additional usage numbers that staff said they corrected for prior reporting errors: Baylands recorded about 1,200 reservations and about 31% of reservable areas were used in 2024, the Senior Center had thousands of reservations (4,966) largely tied to daytime senior programs, and the community theater was reserved about 90% of available time. Gott said staff had re-run reports for calendar-year comparisons covering the past three years and replaced some figures previously reported to the commission.

Staff and commissioners agreed to follow up with clearer, itemized figures on: (1) park rental revenue as a share of relevant departmental and city budgets, (2) maintenance costs tied to park upkeep, and (3) peak-time use and a breakdown of lighted vs. non-lighted field hours so the commission can assess whether adding lights or converting surfaces would address demand.

Gott closed by saying the department would provide the requested follow-up reports and that staff try to accommodate reservation requests for leagues and groups whenever scheduling allows.

The commission did not take formal action on the field-and-facility report; the item was presented for study and discussion and staff said it would return with follow-up data and reports.