Board signals support for pickleball court proposal
Town Park in Corte Madera might be getting more pickleball courts.
The Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously voted to advance conceptual designs at a meeting on Jan. 22. Commissioners encouraged more community outreach to assuage concerns about noise and other impacts.
“I would very much like staff to look at the impact of trash, noise mitigation, appropriate signages and rules and things like that to address the neighborhood,” said Emily Charley, vice chair of the
commission.
Pickleball, a paddle game similar to tennis in which players volley a plastic ball over a net, has grown in popularity in recent years as courts pop up throughout Marin.
Town Park, located at 498 Tamalpais Drive, already has two pickleball courts. The outdoor hard courts have permanent lines and lights. Players must bring their own nets.
“It's obviously very popular and some facilities where they do build lots of courts get a lot of attention, not just from the locals,” said R.J. Suokko, the town's public works director. “If you did put four in, you might get a lot
more out-of-towners than if you put two in.”
The courts will be located on a 63-foot-by-63-foot area southeast of the skatepark. Each of the courts will have standard pickleball court dimensions — 20 feet wide by 44 feet long — with lanes in between and surrounding the courts, said Demetre Copeland, assistant public works engineer.
The project will require encroachment into a nearby grass area, Copeland said. The concrete ball wall at the site also will be removed to accommodate the court area. Suokko said the fencing around the skatepark will be redone as a part of the project.