Pickleball club drops court expansion in York after neighbors complain about noise

YORK, Maine — The York Paddle Tennis and Pickleball Club has withdrawn its application to expand its pickleball courts after facing opposition from neighbors over noise.

The club had been working for the last two years toward building two new pickleball courts at their 28 Mill Lane outdoor facility. Residents have fought against the project stating the sound of plastic pickleballs batted back and forth is disruptive enough with the existing courts. That led Planning Board members to examine whether an expansion would violate the town’s noise ordinance.

Monday, the club announced they were no longer seeking approval for two new pickleball courts and will work with residents on addressing noise complaints. They said they plan to construct a sound barrier wall which will significantly reduce noise. They also said they still plan to seek permission from the Planning Board to improve their parking lot.

“It’s always been our intention to continue to be good neighbors,” said club president Lauren DeLong.

The club will now seek to build an eight-foot, specially designed-fence around the court area to mitigate sound coming from the club by 10 to 15 decibels. DeLong said the project does not require any variances as that section of town is in a mixed-use business/residential zone.

The club will also recommend players use paddles from a list of approved paddles designed to better absorb the sound of the ball. DeLong said they are also scaling back early morning play to avoid disturbing neighbors.

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Sound complaints a challenge for York Paddle Tennis and Pickleball Club

The York Paddle Tennis and Pickleball Club was founded in 2007 by a group of local York families who constructed two paddle tennis courts and a small warming hut in an open field where the club is today. Paddle tennis makes less noise than pickleball because of its equipment and has not been considered a problem for neighbors.

The club added four new pickleball courts in 2020, and their membership increased to just under 400 people. Since then, neighbors have said the sound of plastic balls bouncing on the court and off the paddle has become incessant.

When the club began looking to expand in the last two years, neighbors said they opposed any project that would increase volume. That led to the club hiring the sound firm Reuter Associates to produce a report demonstrating the sound levels would not worsen or violate the ordinance.

The report did not satisfy the Planning Board, which had also hired its own firm, Minnesota-based Westwood Professional Services. Westwood reviewed Reuter’s report and said it failed to include “key adjustments” that account for the repetitive sound that comes from pickleball courts. Planning Board members were waiting for the club to return and respond to Westwood’s request for a more complete study.

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Neighbors respond to club dropping court expansion

Abutters who opposed the project say they still have gripes with the club’s existing sound. Bob Ellis, who lives near the courts, has been vocal against the club’s expansion. Now, he said that he will not be happy until the club is completely enclosed so he does not have to hear the ping of plastic ever again.

Ellis said he will have his attorney present the next time the club appears before the Planning Board to express his concern. He also remains adamant the construction of the original pickleball courts was done illegally, arguing that the permit was granted in error when the code enforcement officer was out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think there’s going to be five or six other people speaking out besides me on the fact that this thing should have never happened,” Ellis said.

The club’s decision not to expand its courts is unrelated to the upcoming opening of Seacoast Pickleball inside a large facility on Route 1, according to spokesperson Barbara MacLeod. She said there is still a demand for outdoor play, even as indoor facilities become available. However, she said the club as of now has no intention to build any new courts or seek other opportunities to build elsewhere in town.

Planning Board member David Woods II said Monday he was still waiting to hear more from abutters on the nature of the sound when he learned the club was changing its plan. He said he had not experienced hearing the sound himself and wanted more evidence to convince him one way or the other.

Woods II said he has talked to people who live in other communities near pickleball courts. The comments were neither positive nor negative, less polarizing than the debate that has manifested on Mill Lane.

“A lot of it is perspective,” Woods II said. “I definitely get both sides of the argument.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York Paddle Tennis and Pickleball Club drops expansion over noise