PC Planning approves outdoor residential pickleball code amendments

Outdoor pickleball courts Photo: Courtesy of Park City Municipal Corporation.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Planning Commission approved new land management code amendments surrounding outdoor pickleball courts in residential areas on Wednesday night.

Pickleball is exploding in popularity and City Hall has been feeling the pressure to meet the growing demand.

The Park City Recreation Department is currently working on a request for proposal (RFP) to consider the scope and construction costs of new indoor pickleball courts at the Park City MARC, as well as possible outdoor pickleball courts at the Quinn’s Junction Sports Complex.

Due to the unique noise produced as part of pickleball play, city staff recommended the planning commission implement new land use regulations for outdoor pickleball courts in residential areas to address noise and other impacts.

The code amendmends, which will now go to the Park City Council, would do the following:

• Limit the hours of play on residential outdoor pickleball courts to 8 am – 8 pm. However, the planning commission can establish different hours “upon findings that corroborate the appropriateness of alternative times of use.”
• Set the minimum lot size for an outdoor pickleball court at one acre.
• Establish a minimum setback of 600 feet from lot lines of adjacent residential property lines. The planning commission can reduce the setback to no less than 150 feet if an applicant submits a noise study and implements noise mitigation features.
• Prohibit artificial lighting on outdoor residential pickleball courts.
• Put Pickleball on the same conditional use permit (CUP) process as other recreation facilities in the city, such as swimming pools and tennis courts.

One Park Meadows resident that gave public input said: “It’s too hot to play pickleball in the middle of the summer here in Park City, and people aren’t going to do it in their backyard. They’re gonna play in the late afternoon and the evening. And that’s when neighbors sit on their decks and open their windows and have drinks and dinner and that’s when the conflict is gonna occur. And I think the provision for hours between eight and eight — it’s just an invitation for conflict, especially in cases where the mitigation is not clear… I don’t think this code amendment fully addresses that.”

PC planning staff conducted a survey of residents and held multiple open houses to consider feedback.

The rules are separate from any HOA regulations.