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Council adopts field‑house fee structure after weeks of debate; badminton groups pressed for lower reservation rates
Summary
The council approved a new fee schedule for the Irvine Field House, including private reservation rates and a requirement that staff benchmark Field House fees against market rates and return in eight months for review. Badminton players and youth coaches testified that private reservation rates would make access unaffordable; the council approved the package 4–3.
Irvine — After months of outreach and a late‑evening debate, the City Council adopted a new fee schedule for the coming Irvine Field House and directed staff to benchmark fees against regional market rates and return with a review eight months after opening.
Staff made the case that fee changes were needed for cost recovery while protecting resident access. "These fees that we're discussing tonight are private reservation fees," said Chris Lamont, director of Community and Library Services, describing the difference between private reservations and lower drop‑in rates the city expects to offer. Lamont said staff anticipates drop‑in options "in the range of $3 to $10 per hour" and that private reservations were intended to recover a larger share of operating costs.
Why it matters: The Field House will contain 20 indoor courts (10 dedicated badminton courts plus 10 multi‑use courts). Community groups, particularly badminton players and youth coaches, urged council for a fee structure that does not disadvantage badminton — which often uses multiple courts simultaneously.
What residents said: Sam Zhao, a youth coach, told the council the proposal was "mathematically discriminatory" because the private reservation fees charge badminton users more for comparable facility time. Several parents and student athletes warned higher reservation rates would price some families out of organized play.
Council action and amendments: After public comment and deliberation, councilmembers adopted staff recommendations with an amendment from Councilmember Melinda Liu that requires Field House fees to be benchmarked annually against comparable public and private regional facilities and to target direct operational and maintenance cost recovery for resident uses while keeping commercial/tournament rates tied to market levels. The vote on the Field House fee package was 4–3.
What comes next: Staff will implement the fee schedule, post reservation categories and priority rules (resident youth groups and high‑residency clubs will have priority), and return with a cost‑recovery report roughly eight months after the facility opens so the council can evaluate actual utilization and adjust rates as needed.
