Walk down Western Lake Drive this week and you'll pass a chain-link perimeter, a temporary trailer doing double duty as the Pro Shop, and a stretch of gravel where cars now park because the lot that used to hold them is a construction site. The pickleball nets have been down since early February. Ask anyone who plays regularly and they'll tell you about the closure without missing a beat. Ask them how they're getting to their tennis reservation this week, and the answer takes longer.
WaterColor's Tennis Center redevelopment has been a visible change this year. With pickleball courts closed and on-site parking reduced, getting to a tennis reservation can take more planning; the community's cart-rental rules remain in place.
What's Actually Closed, and What Isn't
The redevelopment has been underway since crews mobilized in February 2026. Site prep gave way to demolition, and by early May the crews were pouring footers for a new Pro Shop and Fitness Center while a contractor, American Tennis Courts, prepared to start work on the rebuilt pickleball courts. The HOA's target is a fall 2026 reopening.
Here's what that actually breaks down to on the ground right now:
| Amenity | Status | What's Next |
|---|---|---|
| Pickleball courts (6 total) | Closed since February 10, 2026 | Reopening fall 2026 with six total courts |
| Tennis courts (5 Har-Tru clay) | Open throughout construction | Unaffected, staying in place |
| Pro Shop | Operating from a temporary trailer | Moving into new building this fall |
| On-site parking | Reduced by construction footprint | Temporary gravel pads added on Western Lake Drive and Dandelion Drive |
The tennis courts never closed. Three of the five have LED lighting and one has stadium seating, and reservations, drills, and lessons have continued through the entire build. The HOA's own construction update put it plainly:
We're sad too, but look forward to more courts in the fall!
The project has affected the two activities differently: pickleball courts are closed, while tennis courts have remained open and parking has been reduced.
The Fast-Feed Swap Regulars Already Knew About
For the players who kept showing up anyway, the workaround wasn't a secret. WaterColor's tennis program has long run a reciprocal arrangement with Seaside's courts a short bike ride down the coast. Seaside runs its fast-feed drill at 8 a.m., WaterColor's version starts an hour later at 9, and regulars treat the two as one combined morning circuit rather than two separate club memberships. It's the kind of arrangement that never gets announced because it doesn't need to be. Nobody advertises a workaround that's already baked into how people play.
The Seaside circuit is part of the tennis program's established routine, rather than a response to this construction. Meanwhile, parking near the Tennis Center has changed while cart-rental limits remain in place.
Cart Access During Construction
WaterColor's cart system has several operating limits. The Electric Cart Company is the sole authorized LSV rental vendor inside the community, and the HOA caps rentals at 80 carts on property at any time. Owners and guests are limited to one LSV per address, whether it's a personal cart or a rental, and Town Center condo guests can't rent one at all because those parking lots were never wired with charging infrastructure. Outside carts, even ones owners already own, get towed if they show up unregistered.
The cart system is used for routine trips such as getting to the beach club, going to dinner at Fish Out of Water, and traveling to Seaside. During construction, some Tennis Center parking has been replaced by gravel pads on Western Lake Drive and Dandelion Drive. The Pro Shop is operating from a temporary trailer, while the 80-cart cap and one-per-address rule remain in place. The HOA advised carpooling or using the trolley.
WaterColor rolled out a new app this year that lets owners and guests request door-to-door trolley rides instead of waiting at a fixed stop, offering another way to get around the community.
The Rhythm That Never Needed the Net
None of this touched the parts of WaterColor life that don't run through the Tennis Center at all. Pull up the community calendar for the back half of August and the pattern is obvious. The Beach Club ran its regular Trivia Night on both August 17 and August 24. Marina Park hosted Yoga in the Park four separate mornings that same stretch. Camp WaterColor's Bikes, Sights, and Beers outing went out twice, and the Beach Club had live music running on schedule as well.
None of that needed a single working pickleball court. The Tennis Center matters to the people who use it, and the fall reopening with six new pickleball courts and a dedicated fitness center is a real upgrade worth waiting for. But it was never the thing holding daily life together here. The actual social rhythm of WaterColor runs through the Beach Club, Marina Park, and Camp WaterColor on a schedule that construction never touched, which is exactly why most residents can describe the tennis closure in one sentence and the cart situation in three.
Planning Around Construction
If you already live here, the courts come back, the Pro Shop moves into its new building, and the gravel pads on Western Lake Drive and Dandelion Drive go away once the parking lot is whole again. During construction, parking changes have coincided with continued cart-rental limits. Considering parking, cart rules, and transportation options can help put the amenity changes in context.
For anyone weighing a home here, seeing how those arrangements work during an active project can add useful context to the amenity list.
Atwater | Henderson tracks these shifts across WaterColor and the rest of the 30A corridor because they shape how a property actually lives day to day, not just how it photographs. Receive Exclusive Listings and get the on-the-ground read before you need it.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
