SAN DIEGO (FOX 5\/KUSI) — The Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma is a city-owned property that was built entirely from private donations in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
Since then, it’s become San Diego’s premier public racket club, attracting national tournaments, and serves as the home of Youth Tennis San Diego.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the Barnes Center is under a microscope, after the city allegedly received an anonymous tip about code violations that happened four years ago.<\/p>\n
After the club transformed half of their parking lot into a world class pickleball facility in 2022, they began using the dirt lot adjacent to the courts and made improvements without getting the proper permits.<\/p>\n
It was never issued any fines or citations by the city, but now that this lot is under consideration for a potential “affordable housing” complex, the city is scrutinizing everything that happened years ago.<\/p>\n
“As Alonzo Horton once said, ‘Anytime someone is San Diego tries to think big, the undertaker shows up.’ That’s what happening here, ok?” says former San Diego City Manager Jack McGrory.<\/p>\n
Like hundreds of city\/taxpayer owned properties, nonprofits like the Barnes Tennis Center pay a small monthly rent of $50 dollars.<\/p>\n
In exchange, they make a huge private investments and create valuable public asset.<\/p>\n
But now that the city has created another $100-million-dollar deficit for next year, they are desperate for more money.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The flat rate for the Barnes Center is $600-dollars a year, which is low for this property.\u00a0 Especially through a 2026 lense and the amount of money they make,” says Trisha Tacke of the Independent Auditors office.<\/p>\n
So, after decades of close partnership, the city is questioning everything from the parking lot to the amount of money they pay at Barnes.<\/p>\n
The president of Youth Tennis San Diego believes something is fishy. As the former city manager of San Diego, he’s willing to negotiate a new lease agreement with some kind of revenue sharing.<\/p>\n
But the overflow parking lot is critical to the operation of the club.<\/p>\n
“We intend to renegotiate a new lease. We will make sure that lease complies with council policy, but negotiate a fair lease. Inside that lease, we need to address the overflow parking lot.\u00a0 We need to make it clear, we need to use that,” says McGrory.<\/p>\n
The current lease expires in 2029.\u00a0 The city and the club hope to hammer out a new deal well before that date.<\/p>\n
While the $600-dollar yearly lease payment may seem small to a lot of people, the massive housing and entertainment area we call Liberty Station only pays a dollar a year for that entire property.<\/p>\n