Pickleball’s rising popularity hasn’t come without some hiccups. One of the biggest? The neighbors living near pickleball courts aren’t always thrilled with the sounds of the sport.
An example? Check out the town of Vienna, Virginia. WTOP News reported that starting March 1, pickleball players will be limited on when they can play their favorite sport at that town’s busy courts in Glyndon Park.
Vienna’s town council voted 5 to 2 in late January to limit pickleball play at the park from seven to three days a week. Once March 1 rolls around, players can only play here from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
During the other four days of the week, the Glyndon Park courts will only be available for tennis.
Glyndon Park has proven to be a popular spot for pickleball players. The park has two tennis courts that pickleball players often use. The town of Vienna has painted additional lines on the courts marking the official pickleball court size.
What’s the issue? As it often is, noise is the problem.
In the WTOP story, Leslie Herman, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation in Vienna, said that Glyndon Park neighbors say that the “noise from pickleball has ruined the livability of their neighborhood and significantly decreased the value of their homes.”
Not everyone agrees with the town council’s decision. WTOP quoted Kyle Scott, a member of the Vienna Pickleball Club, who says that pickleball was a way for many to get exercise during COVID. He said it’s not fair that pickleball play is being limited. Scott pointed out that the town of Vienna has noise limit regulations and that the sound of pickleball doesn’t exceed these limits.
“This is a public park. A public park should be used,” Scott was quoted in the story.
According to WTOP, the town council is now looking at other parks that can host pickleball play without resulting in noise complaints from neighbors.
This isn’t the first time neighbors have complained about the noise and activity at their local pickleball courts. The debate, for instance, has taken place in the Portland area and in New York City.
