Jon Cicirelli, Director
Avi Yotam, Deputy Director
Troy Trede, Parks Manager
Municipal Golf
Courses Update
City Council
March 15, 2022
San José's Municipal Golf Courses
2 San Jose Municipal Rancho del Pueblo Los Lagos
2 Recreational Benefits
3 Community
and Social Benefits
4 Environmental Benefits
5 Photo by Michael Macor, The Chronicle
Finding: The City needed a new
golf strategy
• Nationwide people played less
golf than before
• The City's subsidies were
increasing
• The City faced policy choices for
how to best use scarce land
Golf Courses: Loss of Customers and
Revenues Requires a New Strategy
(September 2015)
6 Guiding
Principles:
Open Space &
Recreation
Financial
Sustainability
Opportunity
Awareness
7 City Council Direction on Los Lagos
8 Concept Capital
Cost
Ongoing
Cost
Public Use Benefits Potential Concerns
Sports
Complex
Grade site to construct four multi-sport
artificial fields (including soccer), concession
building, restrooms, and other amenities
including lighting and parking
Very High Very High Addresses major need, high-
use expected
Price tag/no identified
funding
Regional
Park
Develop 20 acres for active use, including
picnic areas and additional walking trails,
renovate the clubhouse into an interpretive
center that can also be an event space, and
add new restroom and other amenities
High High Creates another venue for
special events and
celebrations
Cost/no identified
funding, may be
redundant, may not
mitigate prohibited
uses
Open
Space
Allow land to naturalize and renovate the
clubhouse into an interpretive center that can
also be an event space
Medium Medium Preserves habitat, conserves
water
Cost/no
identified funding,
may not mitigate
prohibited uses
Golf
Course
Maintain land use with ongoing capital repair Low Low/No Aligns with past community feedback, retains space as a
community and recreational
programming option for all
ages, including for events
Perception that golf
is not welcoming to
all, golf ’s
resurgence might
be short-lived
Evaluation of Recreational Uses of Los Lagos
9 Municipal Golf Course Performance
2015-2016 to 2020-2021
10 0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Annual Rounds Played
Los Lagos Rancho del Pueblo SJ Muni
($1,000,000)
($800,000)
($600,000)
($400,000)
($200,000)
$0
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
Annual Net Revenue/(Loss) or Lease
Income
Los Lagos Rancho del Pueblo SJ Muni
Next Steps: Issue an RFP for a lease agreement for Los
Lagos, Rancho del Pueblo, and SJ Muni golf courses.
Recommendation based on:
• Guiding principles
• Prior community engagement
• Cost-benefit analysis of conversion
• Improvement in golf performance
• Better management structure under a lease
• Lifetime, accessible recreational opportunities
11 Request for Proposal Process
Winter 2022 – RFP Development
Spring 2022 – RFP Issuance
Fall 2022 – RFP Award
RFP written to include:
• Loss protection to the Department/General Fund
• Expansion of public access
• Incentive for investments, marketing and efficiencies • Flexibility to pivot if conditions change
12 Jon Cicirelli, Director
Avi Yotam, Deputy Director
Troy Trede, Parks Manager
Municipal Golf
Courses Update
City Council
March 15, 2022