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Residents, coaches press Sunnyvale council for more athletic fields, warn against turning neighborhood parks into sports complex
Summary
Dozens of parents, coaches and nearby residents urged the Sunnyvale Town Council to accelerate a parks plan that would add athletic fields and turf, while some residents near Jobson/Tavener opposed concentrating multiple fields in a neighborhood park because of traffic, noise and lighting concerns.
Dozens of parents, coaches and residents pressed the Sunnyvale Town Council on March 10 for faster action on a long‑planned parks and recreation upgrade, emphasizing demand for turf fields and lights for youth sports while neighbors warned that packing multiple fields into a small neighborhood park would bring traffic, noise and safety concerns.
The call for action came during the public‑comment portion of the council meeting, where coaches and volunteers said weather and poor field conditions have forced cancellations and driven teams to play in neighboring cities. “We had to cancel 11 games, and eight of those were specifically for our brand‑new girls teams,” Chelsea McClune, Girls Sunnyvale lacrosse coach, told the council. “This problem is truly stunting the growth of sports across the board in our community.”
Why it matters: Residents described rapid growth in youth sports — one speaker said Sunnyvale Soccer Association registered 271 players this season, representing about 196 families — and said limited, weather‑sensitive grass fields are preventing local teams from practicing and hosting games. Supporters argued that additional turf fields, lighting and parking would allow local leagues to play inside Sunnyvale rather than travel to Rockwall, Mesquite or Garland.
Supporters’ details and requests: Multiple speakers — including Braxton Adamson (parent and youth coach), Mike Giordano (volunteer coach), Nick Talbot (resident), Buddy Finney and Rusty Shellhorn (coaches/parents) — urged the town to turf fields such as Vineyard Park and develop additional multiuse fields so youth sports do not rely on school district facilities. Adamson told the council the community needs “lights in the fields, turfing the fields” and said the town is behind on facilities compared with its affluence and growth. Several speakers asked for the town to place an update on the parks plan on the next agenda; staff and council indicated an update is expected at an upcoming meeting.
Neighbors’ concerns: Residents living adjacent to Jobson/Tavener raised objections to the idea of a large, multi‑field sports complex at a site the council has discussed. Caitlin Quigley and other nearby residents said the parcel had been presented to them as a neighborhood park and that converting it into a sports complex would increase night lighting, traffic overflow and parking on local streets. “Some fields here does make sense. But completely filling it out, this space, and turning it into a sports complex does not,” Quigley said. Dawn Gerocco and others submitted photos of cars parked along Tavener and said drivers already park in traffic lanes during practices.
Numbers and examples cited at the meeting: speakers reported 271 recreational soccer players this season (Karen Pierce); more than 1,000 registrations across local youth sports programs (Lana Crick, SRSAA board member); lacrosse growth that outpaced available fields (Giordano and Chelsea McClune); and multiple canceled or relocated games because fields were unplayable after rain.
Council and staff response: Council members repeatedly thanked staff for their work and said they expect to provide a parks update soon. Town staff said the parks plan has been in active development with vendors and school partners and that results may be presented on an upcoming agenda. Several council members emphasized the need for both urgency and a plan that balances athletic needs and neighborhood impacts.
What’s next: Council members and several speakers requested the parks plan and any specific proposals appear on a near‑term agenda so elected officials can state their positions publicly and neighbors can hear proposed mitigation measures for parking, lighting and noise.
Ending: The discussion framed a clear divide: volunteers and sports organizers pressing for fields and turf to retain teams and reduce travel, and adjacent residents asking the council to avoid concentrating large sports facilities where they say the impacts will fall on nearby homes.
