Plan for pickleball courts near river in Columbia sparks backlash. Why some say they’re mad

Pickleball is a sport that has grown like a wildfire in the U.S. in recent years. And beer gardens have remained popular attractions in emerging cities, inviting people to explore craft brews in open spaces.

But the Jan. 4 announcement of a project that would combine those two concepts in a spot near the Lower Saluda River and Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia has drawn a divisive online reaction in recent days. While some in the social media sphere have expressed excitement at the idea, many others have offered backlash to the project, with one online petition opposing the plan gathering thousands of signatures.

Depending on who you ask, the project is a threat to a precious natural resource, an unnecessary play to a fad sport — or a unique opportunity to expand access and recreation along the river.

PickleGarden on the River, a facility that would have multiple pickleball courts and offer expansive space for food and drinks, is being planned on a nearly 5-acre property at 680 Candi Lane in Columbia, according to a news release from commercial real estate firm Colliers South Carolina, which helped broker the sale of the property to Pickleball Land Holdings LLC. The venue would be just north of Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens and not far from the Saluda Riverwalk.

The real estate firm said that plans for the project include 12 pickleball courts, 10,000 square feet of turf and biergarten space, 2,240 square feet of mixed-use space to be used as a members lounge or event space, a 3,600-square-foot, climate-controlled indoor/outdoor space overlooking the venue and access to the riverwalk on the Lower Saluda River.

“PickleGarden isn’t just about play; it’s about savoring delicious eats, soaking up the outdoors and creating lasting memories with loved ones,” PickleGarden on the River co-founder Abbott “Tre” Bray said in the recent release. “We’re bringing joy, inspiring health and promoting the outdoors — one pickleball rally, one craft beer sip, one river walk up the Saluda River at a time.”

But some clearly aren’t happy about the prospect of pickleball and a beer garden alongside the river near Interstate 126. A petition circulating on change.org, started by local resident Jordan Owens, calls for a halt to plans to construct the project.

The petition offers, among other things, that the construction of such a facility could “disrupt the delicate ecosystem along the river” and that it “threatens not only our enjoyment of this beautiful area but also the diverse wildlife that calls it home.”

“Our riverside should be preserved for its natural beauty and ecological importance rather than being exploited for unnecessary development,” the petition says. As of Tuesday morning, 4,060 people had signed the online petition.

In announcing the sale of the Candi Lane property and the incoming PickleGarden, Colliers officials touted the land’s proximity to the river and its current and future amenities.

“Positioned along the Saluda River above Millrace Rapids, it will be one of the only commercially developed, private tracts utilizing one of the three under-utilized Columbia rivers,” Colliers South Carolina’s Patrick McCue said in the release. “The Riverwalk runs along the water’s edge and will eventually allow for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate from the Lake Murray Dam on the Saluda River all the way to the former SCE&G/Dominion Energy campus in Cayce along the Congaree River. PickleGarden on the River is adjacent to a new City of Columbia park and a future footbridge connecting to the other side of the river.”

On its website, PickleGarden on the River says that it “would be the only food and drink establishment on the same side of the interstate as the Riverbanks Zoo” along that stretch of I-126.

The PickleGarden website also has a section on “environmental sustainability” in which it claims the owners have a “passion for responsible development” and would look to develop the project with “minimal impact.”

“We’ll work alongside expert agencies to minimize our footprint,” an entry on the PickleGarden website says. “Additionally, we will be using interpretive signage to showcase the area’s rich wildlife, ecology, and hydrology. Bird enthusiasts (like our co-founder, Tre!) will delight in dedicated bird feeding stations, while native plant lovers will appreciate our commitment to planting only locally-sourced native species.

“We’ll carefully remove invasive plants and preserve all specimen trees except two oaks that pose safety concerns.”

‘A waste’ or an antidote to underdevelopment?

A post about the PickleGarden on the Instagram page of local online outlet ColaToday has drawn a massive response, with more than 2,000 “likes” and nearly 700 comments as of Monday afternoon. A majority of those hundreds of commenters spoke out against the project.

“Incredibly sad to see this,” one commenter said. “Candi Lane has always been a spot I went with friends to get away from bars and restaurants and just exist together in nature. Columbia has increasingly eaten up more and more of its beloved green space for the sake of high dollar businesses that die within three years.”

Still, there were some commenters on the ColaToday Instagram post who were more welcoming to the idea.

“People complain that Columbia is boring and then also complain when there is any sort of development whatsoever,” one user said. “The underdevelopment alongside the river near downtown is a real shame. Taking advantage of one of the city’s best assets should not be a negative thing.”

Discussion of the PickleGarden on the River project also roiled around on the Happenings in Lexington, SC Facebook group page, where one post on the matter had generated 130 likes or reactions and more than 140 comments as of Monday. Once again, the reaction was mixed.

“They had one chance to build something awesome down by the river,” one commenter offered. “The best thing we come up with is pickleball? I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know if watching a bunch of drunk retired folks play pickleball is fun I’ve never done it. Just seems to be a waste.”

Others on the post, however, seemed open to the potential of a project that is not a run-of-the-mill repeat of the types of businesses that have proliferated in the Midlands in recent years.

“People need to exercise, this is awesome,” a commenter on the Happenings in Lexington, SC Facebook post wrote. “At least it’s not a chicken plant, mattress store, or a damn oil change business!”

The area near Riverbanks Zoo has seen some changes in recent years. Perhaps most notably, the city of Columbia opened the Saluda Riverwalk, a section of the Three Rivers Greenway, in 2021. That section of the riverwalk was funded by the Richland County transportation penny tax.

And the zoo itself is set to undertake a major development initiative, as Richland County Council recently approved an $80 million bond to make way for an expansion at Riverbanks. That expansion will include a new nature preserve, an orangutan habitat and more.

“Imagine visiting a South Carolina nature preserve that guides guests along the banks of the Saluda River to discover black bears, bald eagles and red wolves; soaking in extraordinary birds-eye views of the river and Columbia skyline from a skyway gondola unlike any other in the Southeast; dining at a one-of-a-kind restaurant with sweeping river views; and exploring a first-of-its-kind hillside habitat for primates,” the Riverbanks Zoo wrote in a September announcement.