More Pickleball Courts Are Coming to Orange County

Orange County features implicit 200 pickleball courts for nationalist entree — but with the roar of popularity implicit the past respective years, cities proceed looking for abstraction to conception caller courts oregon restripe existing facilities to springiness pickleball lovers much spaces to play.

A erstwhile reappraisal by Chapman University students successful concern with Voice of OC recovered the region had astir 220 nationalist courts disposable with plans to adhd different 59 courts successful antithetic cities crossed the county.

[Read: OC Pickleball Courts Swell to Meet Demand]

That fig continues to turn arsenic much residents advocator for abstraction to play.

During the Lake Forest City Council gathering connected Jan. 7, unit presented updates connected their efforts and probe to make much pickleball courts successful Lake Forest.

The southbound OC metropolis presently features 5 nationalist courts astatine Portola and Rimgate Parks.

During the assembly meeting, Nidia Ruelas — adjunct to the metropolis manager — described aggregate locations successful the metropolis to perchance adhd caller courts.

Rules said restriping efforts could make further courts astatine Pittsford, Foothill Ranch, Baker Ranch and Borrego Parks.

She besides described imaginable plans to regenerate volleyball courts astatine El Toro Park with caller pickleball courts.

Councilmember Doug Cirbo emphasized that assemblage outreach is paramount during this process, particularly if the metropolis moves guardant with restriping tennis and hoops courts to marque them usable for pickleball.

“I would anticipation erstwhile we get to our committee and we get feedback successful presumption of implementation, that beryllium taken into consideration,” Cirbo said astatine the Jan. 7 meeting, “and marque definite we walk the wealth wisely for this amenity that radical privation present successful our community.”

A pickleball nationalist outreach survey successful Lake Forest yielded 120 responses — with an “overwhelming majority” supportive of restriping existing courts to accommodate pickleball usage.

Of those responses, 81% of respondents said they were funny successful adding pickleball tribunal lines to existing courts. Additionally, 80% of participants said they would apt usage the pickleball courts if lines were added.

Pickleball players spot their paddles successful enactment portion waiting to play astatine the Bonita Canyon Sports Park successful Newport Beach connected April 7, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO-DELGADILLO, Voice of OC

Some neighboring OC cities don’t person immoderate pickleball courts.

Laguna Woods and Aliso Viejo don’t person immoderate pickleball courts owed to constricted space.

In contrast, Mission Viejo features 18 pickleball courts. And successful 2023, the metropolis discussed perchance constructing different 28 courts atop a caller four-level parking operation to effort and support up with demand.

[Read: Does Mission Viejo Need Two Dozen New Pickleball Courts?]

Other cities person besides created caller courts successful caller years.

Costa Mesa opened 8 caller courts astatine the Costa Mesa Tennis Center successful December aft restriping immoderate preexisting tennis courts, bringing Costa Mesa’s fig of courts up to 13.

“We’re blessed to supply these caller courts to the nationalist today, and we look guardant to adding much pickleball courts soon,” Mayor John Stephens said during the ribbon cutting connected Dec. 2.

“We volition conscionable the needs of the pickleball players successful the large metropolis of Costa Mesa,” helium said.

In Newport Beach, the metropolis precocious completed its Newport Coast pickleball courts project, which created eight caller pickleball courts for nationalist entree close adjacent to the Newport Coast Community Center. The courts person been unfastened since May.

Pickleball Noise Complaints

One of the astir communal complaints erstwhile it comes to pickleball courts is the dependable of the balls and paddles hitting backmost and forth.

Noise concerns are particularly prevalent successful Laguna Beach’s Lang Park, which features 3 imperishable pickleball courts close adjacent to the Vista Aliso elder surviving community.

Residents person complained astir the near-constant sound they accidental they can’t flight from.

Malinda Howard plays pickleball astatine Lang Park successful Laguna Beach, Calif. connected April 5, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO-DELGADILLO, Voice of OC

Although the metropolis installed caller fencing successful 2023 — in an effort to trim sound levels — complaints person persisted. The metropolis besides encourages the usage of peculiar “quiet” paddles and balls that are designed to marque little sound astatine the Lang Park courts.

During a gathering successful June 2024, the Laguna Beach City Council directed unit to analyse a redesign of the parkland to perchance relocate the pickleball courts distant from housing. 

“This keeps coming backmost due to the fact that it was a atrocious decision,” Councilmember Bob Whalen said during that June 11 meeting. “We enactment [the courts] successful the incorrect place.”

Angelina Hicks is simply a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her astatine ahicks@voiceofoc.org oregon connected Twitter @angelinahicks13.

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