Saratoga to spend $100K to mitigate noise from pickleball courts

SARATOGA, Calif. - A South Bay court battle is pitting neighbor against neighbor. One city thinks it has what could be a six-figure solution to the stalemate.

At the center of the impasse is pickleball, the fast-growing game in the country. Last year, the City of Saratoga installed eight new pickleball courts at El Quito Park. Match play each day produces winners and losers and at least one man with an ear-splitting headache.

"The noise, you can hear it inside the home. This bombardment of noise from all the pickleball paddles," said Saratoga resident Zack Petersen.

His corner condo is within proximity of the courts, which sparked his concerns 12 months ago.

Back then, there was public demand for pickleball courts.

"I thought we were doing great things for our residents here, because people were asking for pickleball. So we did," said Saratoga Mayor Yan Zhao.

The mayor found out the devil’s in the details. While the courts are a hit with players, some neighbors complain locks do little to discourage off-hour play, which some residents said created  intolerable noise levels all hours of the day and night.

"They’ll come at 6:30 a.m., and then they’ll be there until midnight. And you can hear the noise," said Petersen.

This court battle isn’t contained to the South Bay. Two years ago, pickleball players in the East Bay city of Walnut Creek faced similar noise complaints.

"I know that when neighbors get upset about pickleball in their neighborhoods, the first thing they do is go to the internet and look. And the minute they see lawsuit with pickleball, it always involves noise," said Kris Hunter, a member of the Walnut Creek Pickleball Club.

Hoping to avoid legal action, the City of Saratoga has allocated $100,000 for sound mitigation and an electronic locking system for the surrounding fence.

"From what I was told, it will absorb the sound, not amplify. So, that’s why we’re doing this," said Mayor Zhao.

It’ll take a few more months before installation begins. Zack Petersen said that’s eight more weeks of headaches he may not want to endure. He’s considering calling another place home.

"I don’t really know if I wanna wait around anymore," he said, standing under the shade of a tree outside his condo. "My fiancé and I are thinking about moving somewhere else."

Most of the mitigation costs is for installation of the electronic locks. That work is set to begin in late October or early November.

Meanwhile, residents in Walnut Creek are still searching for a viable option to the present location of their pickleball courts.

Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Instagram, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU