The Village Beach, an attraction the Village of Fairview is known for, was recently closed and demolished in order to make room for the a new Home2 Suites by Hilton. Although construction was originally set to begin in December of 2015, construction will now start in the spring of this year while the hotel is expected to open in summer of 2017.

The Village Beach, which consisted of four courts, was a popular location for kids and teenagers, but now the land is being repurposed as residential land.

“The property will offer both business and leisure travelers in the rapidly growing extended stay markets all the comforts of home,” The Village of Fairview website said. “Amenities include an indoor pool, outdoor patios with grills, and a non-premise meeting room.”

For the past five years have been spent developing the plans for the new Hilton hotel to replace the courts, and all the while the Village Beach has been under the title of temporary use.

The closing of the courts even created a local outcry leading McKinney High School graduates Spencer Dillard and Miguel De La Torre to create an online petition demanding compensation for the demolition of the sand courts. The petition already has over 2,800 signatures.

“Me and Spencer have gone to the sand courts for over three years now,” said De La Torre, a freshman at Collin College. “So to see it go with hardly any notice and have it replaced with another large hotel irritated us to say the least. We decided to take action and petition the city and company to rethink taking an important part of the community away.”

Students who agree with Dillard’s and De La Torre’s point of view have been signing the petition.

“I have made many friendships and memories through the sand courts and love the sport, so I decided to sign the petition,” senior Kinsey Ray said.

Those who are advocating the petition are supporting their argument by stating that the construction of the “unnecessary” hotel is not worth the destruction of the sand courts which acted as a meeting place for community members.

“There are plenty of other hotels within a five mile radius and building another one is unnecessary,” said Dillard, a freshman at Sam Houston State University. “One of the main things the courts have provided me is to connect with people from different cities around the area. I have made relationships that I still keep in contact with from adults to kids from Allen, Plano, Lovejoy, and Frisco. It’s not just a place to participate in a sport; it makes relationships.”

Although the Village Beach closed officially on March 14, and the courts have already been demolished, some are hoping to convince the city of Fairview to rebuild the sand courts elsewhere. At the next Fairview Town Hall Council Meeting on April 5 at 6 p.m., those in favor of the petition will have chance to speak and express their opinion.

“We’ve already had several thousand people show their support for the ceasing of the demolition, and now we just want to use that momentum to persuade the council members to help us build a new beach court somewhere nearby,” De La Torre said.

Supporters of the petition will also have to convince the real estate agency, Mgherring Group, of their plan for rebuilding the courts.

“Since the courts are already being taken down, we would like Mgherring Group to rebuild the courts on an adjacent property of which they own in the Village of Fairview,” Dillard said. “They would still get their hotel, and the community would still have a great park.”