Seattle pickleball court plans spark controversy

Plan for more Seattle pickleball courts sparks controversy

Environmental advocates are sounding the alarm over the impact that new pickleball courts could have at Seattle's Magnuson Park.

SEATTLE - Seattle Parks and Recreation says the goal is to build lighted pickleball courts at Magnuson Park by 2026.

Some pickleball fans are excited about a proposed plan to build more courts in Seattle. Part of the plan is pictured below.

However, the area is located near restored wetlands. Now, environmental advocates are sounding the alarm over the impact of noise on wildlife, and residents that come to that area for a peaceful escape from urban life.

What they're saying:

Meantime, in another area of the city, the courts at Green Lake Park are always popping.

"The sport is so popular because pickleball is an easy game to pick up," said Peter Seitel, Green Lake Pickleball Group.

Sometimes, the wait at the Green Lake courts, pictured below, is 30 to 45 minutes.

"You have to get your paddle in as soon as you get there," said Megan Stansbury, pickleball fan and Green Lake Pickleball Group player.

The players say its popularity is only growing.

"I think that parks could be doing more to find good locations for pickleball," said Seitel.

"I think that if the city could kind of intervene and help us get some more courts that would be amazing," said Allula Teka with the Green Lake Pickleball web development team.

With so many people wanting to play the sport, the only question is where to put the courts.

"Noise is a problem, no doubt about it," said Seitel.

In November 2024, Seattle Parks and Recreation led a presentation about ongoing plans to put in upwards of 24 courts and bleachers in Magnuson Park in the area below.

At that time, Kevin Bergsrud, Senior Planner for Seattle Parks & Recreation, gave a presentation.

"We are looking at a design for a minimum of eight pickle ball courts," said Bergsrud.

The full presentation is posted online.

The other side:

However, because the main residents at Magnuson Park, including scores of birds and other animals, can't speak for themselves, wildlife advocates at Birds Connect Seattle say the public must step in.

"We are working to protect this special place," said Joshua Morris, Urban Conservation Manager at Birds Connect Seattle.

He's been giving tours of the nearby restored wetlands, explaining why pickleball is not for the birds.

"Pickleball is famously noisy. Noise is a known environmental pollutant, and we are working to suggest that the city find a more suitable location that protects taxpayer investment and habitat," he says. "Directly at courtside there are loud sound bursts of up to 120 decibels and that’s enough to be painful to the ear."

So the wildlife doesn't get disturbed or chased from the area, he's suggesting an alternative plan near a parking lot west of Arena Sports. The alternative plan from Birds Connect Seattle is pictured below.

"The north side of Magnuson Park is much more developed. So, there are a lot of warehouses and paved surfaces," he said.

Birds Connect Seattle has also started a petition online in order to get the city's attention regarding the impact on the wetlands. It reads:

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, urge Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Seattle City Council, and the Mayor of Seattle to:

1. Halt planning and development of outdoor pickleball courts near the restored wetlands at Magnuson Park;
2. Reject any update to the Magnuson Park Master Plan that would allow such development; and
3. Adopt Biodiversity-Sensitive Urban Design protocols to reduce the potential for future biodiversity-development conflict.

"We are also encouraging people to provide public comments to the board of parks and recreation commissioners so that group of volunteer advisors to the city government are aware of the issue and can provide some oversight," said Morris.

Some players like the idea of moving the courts to another location in the park.

"Nature is pretty special and I think as the world becomes more industrialized and as people grow and expand in cities, it’s going to require a huge effort on individuals and communities to protect that nature," said Katherine Elkort, a pickleball fan and long-time player. "I hope that somehow the people who run this lovely city, will find a way to put the courts outside of the way of the wetlands so that the animals habitat can be protected."

FOX 13 asked Seattle Parks and Rec for an interview about the proposed courts and the location. So far, nobody has agreed to talk on camera.

Peter says he's also been to Parks and Recreation meetings where questions were unanswered.

"I found that the parks department project managers were ill-prepared to answer pretty simple questions from the community, from the birders, those who are concerned with the wetlands, for neighbors who were concerned about parking, from baseball players that wanted more parking, questions that they should have had ready answers for," said Seitel.

Morris says it won't just impact wildlife, but people who come to enjoy the accessible wetlands area as well.

"People come here to find a little bit of escape from urban stressors, urban noise and if there is a constant loud sound burst it’s going to degrade the experience of nature out here in the wetlands," said Morris.

The Source: Information in this story is from Seattle Parks & Recreation, Birds Connect Seattle and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.