The schedule for Stephen Harris Park's concrete pour had crews arriving at 4 a.m. on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. Loud work was set to run until noon. Each day's pour was 240 cubic yards of concrete, carried in by 25 ready-mix trucks entering through the Riviera Circle lot at about four trucks an hour. The El Dorado Hills Community Services District told nearby residents two weeks ahead.
That slab is the base for six dedicated pickleball courts and two tennis courts in St. Andrews Village, off Tam O'Shanter Drive. The courts took four years to reach construction, and the project's long timeline, its sound cladding and its noise study all trace back to one fact: this 5.93-acre park sits inside a neighborhood. Until it opens, El Dorado Hills pickleball mostly happens indoors, on weekday mornings.
A park in the middle of a neighborhood
Stephen Harris Park dates to 1975, which makes it the district's third-oldest park. It has two small parking lots, one on Tam O'Shanter Drive and one on Riviera Circle, with 57 spaces in total. A quarter-mile walking path loops around the courts, crosses Tam O'Shanter, continues past Silva Valley Parkway and connects to the Serrano trail system.
Pickleball is a loud sport to put that close to homes, and the district planned for that from early on. On Sept. 5 and 6, 2023, more than 40 local players came out to help with a pickleball audio study. El Dorado County's land-use approval for the project required a noise study before the district could move ahead. The finished courts will have gates, fencing, windscreens and sound cladding. Courtside, the plans add paddle racks, benches, a table and a drinking fountain with a bottle filler.
The surface is also built to last. Most courts are asphalt laid over a base. These use post-tensioned concrete, a thick reinforced slab that serves as the court's structural foundation. The CSD's project page says the extra concrete and reinforcement make a more stable playing surface with a longer service life. The district also describes the new surface as one that needs less maintenance and fewer repairs.
Four years, in the order it happened
The timeline shows the same thing. Most of the work went into fitting the courts into the neighborhood and its utility easements:
- June 9, 2022: The CSD board makes the renovation a capital improvement project.
- May and June 2023: Community outreach survey on court designs.
- Aug. 10, 2023: The board approves the final court layout.
- Sept. 5–6, 2023: Pickleball noise study.
- 2024 to mid-2025: County land-use permit, a Technical Advisory Committee, fire review, and plan reviews by SMUD and PG&E, whose easements cross the site.
- June 18, 2025: County administrative permit approval, effective July 2 after the appeal period.
- Dec. 4, 2025: Construction goes out to bid.
- April 9, 2026: The board awards the contract to Parker Landscape Development, Inc.
- June 30, 2026: Construction begins.
From demolition and site preparation through the end of the concrete work, the CSD's milestone list runs in this order: court fencing, basketball court preparation, drainage, landscaping and irrigation, signage, permit close-outs and a grand opening. The district's stated target is fall 2026 completion.
The finished park will also use less water. The renovation replaces turf that wasn't used for programs with drought-tolerant native plantings on high-efficiency irrigation, which the district estimates will save about 1.5 million gallons a year. A full asphalt basketball court and one tennis court striped for pickleball round out the plan. That tennis court brings the total to seven places to play pickleball, with six of them dedicated.
What's usable at the park during construction
The Riviera Circle parking lot is closed for construction access and staging. Fencing also closes the areas north and south of the courts out to the neighboring fence line, plus the paths east and west of them. The playground and the Tam O'Shanter Drive parking lot stay open to the public. Construction hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The district's Resident Services line is (916) 933-6624 x 0.
Where to play this month
El Dorado Hills' other options split between one outdoor park and an indoor gym that is open only on weekday mornings. For lighted outdoor courts in the evening, the nearest large facility is across the county line in Folsom.
| Venue | Where | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Park | 4016 Palmdale Dr., El Dorado Hills | Park hours | Free |
| EDH CSD District Gym, adult drop-in | 1021 Harvard Way, El Dorado Hills | Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–noon | $4 per visit or $15 for five |
| Lembi Community Park, 12 lighted outdoor courts | 1302 Riley St., Folsom | 7 a.m.–9 p.m. | Free |
| Andy Morin Sports Complex, indoor drop-in | Folsom | Mon–Fri, noon–3 p.m., September through May | $7 per visit |
| Cameron Park CSD Community Center gym, open play | 2502 Country Club Dr., Cameron Park | Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | $5 residents, $6 non-residents |
Heritage Park is the El Dorado Hills option closest to the new courts. It's listed in the CSD's park locator alongside tennis courts.
The District Gym drop-in is for adults 18 and up, and players bring their own equipment. The same CSD page lists beginner and intermediate adult lessons with instructor Doug Koch at Heritage Park and the District Gym, with registration through the district's online system.
Cameron Park sends players indoors as well. The Cameron Park CSD doesn't allow pickleball at Cameron Park Lake and directs players to the Community Center gym. If you've already built a week around Cameron Park, its open-play window runs an hour longer than El Dorado Hills' drop-in.
Folsom's Lembi Community Park is the only spot on this list with lighted outdoor courts in the evening. On Sept. 3, 2026, the City of Folsom said it was considering converting Lembi's outdoor basketball court into four dedicated pickleball courts, with the item set for a Sept. 17 meeting and no decision made at the time.
Six courts are where the district's planning starts
The Stephen Harris courts are the district's next step, and the CSD board has already asked what comes after them. At its Sept. 10, 2026 meeting, the board heard from five members of the public on pickleball opportunities for the community. It then directed staff to come back with a report covering the history of past discussions, the roadblocks, joint-use agreement opportunities, possible new locations, funding options and shade structures. The minutes are in the CSD's Oct. 8 board packet. The board's regular meeting is Nov. 12, and agendas are posted at least 72 hours ahead on the CSD board page.
Those topics line up with the steps Stephen Harris Park went through: a noise study, county land-use and building permits, SMUD and PG&E consents, and community outreach. Joint-use agreements with existing sites are one of the options the board asked staff to look into. Until the St. Andrews Village courts open, the only lighted outdoor courts in the table above are on Riley Street in Folsom.
If you live near Stephen Harris Park, the new courts, their sound cladding and the trail link to Serrano all affect how your street is described when a home there sells. Renee and Maic at The Friedrich Team follow these park projects block by block across El Dorado Hills. If you'd like to know what your St. Andrews Village home could sell for, request a free home valuation.
