RICHMOND — Chains have shackled the doors of Richmond’s Craneway Pavilion for weeks amid a dispute between the development company that leases the building from the city and a subtenant that has operated pickleball courts there for just over a year.
Since March 2024, a pickleball club has operated out of the Craneway Pavilion, a former Ford plant, turned World War II vehicle assembly plant, turned event space that’s owned by the city of Richmond but leased by Orton Development at $1 annually for 55 years.
The courts there fell silent about two weeks ago after silver chains were wrapped around the door handles of the historic building and signs were posted in the windows informing the public that “the Craneway Pavilion is closed for pickleball and other events.”
A silver chain dangles from the front door of the Craneway Pavilion May 20, 2025, shuttering a controversial pickleball club. (Sierra Lopez/Bay Area News Group)
Site operator Rachel Hong shared two messages to members that were posted online by pickleball court supporter Darlene Vendegna and in former Mayor Tom Butt’s newsletter. In the messages, Hong said they were pursuing legal remedies to resolve the dispute and get the club reopened as soon as possible. Hong did not specify what may have led to their forced ousting.
“We know this is disappointing news, and we share your frustration. This situation is not what we wanted – but it has become necessary in order to stand up against actions that we believe are unjust and harmful to our pickleball community,” read a message shared Sunday. “Our commitment to you remains unchanged. We are doing everything we can to fight for the future of the club and to reopen our doors as soon as circumstances allow.”
Legal filings were not found in the Contra Costa Superior Court system as of publication.
Representatives with Orton Development, including founder Eddie Orton, firm President James Madsen and Asset Manager Michelle Heredia, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Hong.
Richmond Community Development Director Lina Velasco said in a May 30 email that the only information she had at the time was from the public. The dispute, she said, is between Orton Development and the pickleball court operators, not the city.
“The chains on the door are not a result of any City actions,” Velasco said.
Signs taped to the front door and window of the Craneway Pavilion inform the public of the closure of a controversial pickleball club May 20, 2025. (Sierra Lopez/Bay Area News Group)
Opening Pickleball courts at the Craneway has been controversial.
While supporters shared excitement about the opportunity to play indoors, avoiding temperamental weather, opponents protested the courts out of concern other community events that were once held at the site would be forced out like arts and crafts show, roller derby, the Rosie the Riveter festival and Fourth of July celebrations.
One of those events, the Craneway Craft Fair, was moved last year to the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts – another Orton-owned building in Oakland – after operating out of the pavilion for almost a decade. Niamh Lyonhart, executive director of the marketplace which has since been renamed Fellowship of Craft, said in an Instagram post on May 31 that no events will be held this year because they have been unable to find a location within their budget and size.
“After searching and even trying some new venues, we’ve hit a wall: there just aren’t any Bay Area venues that fit our size and our budget,” read the post. “This isn’t goodbye forever — just a pause while Jacob and I reconnect with our own creative work and imagine what the future might look like.”
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The legality of operating a pickleball club out of the space has also been called into question.
In two letters in July 2023 and April 2024, the California State Lands Commission, which co-governs oversight of the property with the city, definitively ruled that operating the site primarily as a pickleball club was not permitted under an agreement between the city and commission.
The site can be used for overnight accommodations, restaurants and cafes, water-related industry, museums regarding waterfront history, visitor-serving retail or boating and ferry service, according to the agreement.
“Merely having food services available at the pickleball courts does not align the project with the public trust easement or the Public Trust Doctrine,” read the July letter, referencing legal requirements that the state protect public access to natural and coastal resources.
City zoning also prohibits a business from using more than 33% of its floor space for accessory uses, a standard City Attorney Dave Aleshire said was exceeded. Orton argued it fell under that requirement when calculating for outdoor space and said they had a right to change the “decor” and “theme” of the venue.
Councilmembers and the city ultimately did not intervene after receiving the State Lands Commission’s letters, asserting they were bound by a poorly written lease adopted decades ago.
