PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA – Adding a pickleball court to your Pleasanton backyard could soon come with new restrictions on where it goes, how it is lit and when you can play.
The city’s Planning Commission is scheduled to consider proposed rules for private outdoor sports courts on Wednesday, October 28. The changes would establish standards for courts and give the zoning administrator authority to review them, according to the meeting agenda.
The proposal still needs to work through the approval process. The commission’s recommendations would go to the City Council for final approval, Pleasanton Weekly reported.
Pickleball is only part of the picture. The standards would also address residential basketball, tennis and bocce courts.
According to Pleasanton Weekly’s account of the city staff report, existing development rules do not specifically address these backyard facilities. Tall fences, rebound walls and lighting can create noise and privacy concerns for surrounding homes, contributing to disputes between neighbors.
The changes would establish consistent design standards while using the city’s existing design review process to evaluate individual projects.
For homeowners considering a court, the proposed restrictions could affect several parts of the design.
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According to an October 22 summary published by PleasantonCA.city, courts would generally be placed in rear or interior side yards, at least 10 feet from side and rear property lines. The setback would increase to 15 feet where a neighboring home is within 30 feet of the shared line.
The same summary describes a 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. window for play and lighting, automatic light shutoffs, restrictions on light spilling onto neighboring properties, and bans on commercial use and amplified sound.
It also reports that the zoning administrator could impose tighter hours or deny a court if impacts on neighbors could not reasonably be reduced. Previously approved courts could continue under their existing permits, according to that account.
The public hearing is listed as Item 4, application P26-0869. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at 200 Old Bernal Avenue, and the agenda says it will be broadcast on the city’s YouTube channel.
Residents can also weigh in. The city’s Planning Commission webpage says written comments should be emailed to the project manager identified in the staff report by noon on the meeting day. People attending in person are asked to submit a speaker card.
