Pickleball court planned for Mason District Park
The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking community feedback on the proposed addition of a dedicated pickleball court at Mason District Park.
Comments can be submitted online through 5 p.m. on March 13.
The proposal includes the placement of one new pickleball court adjacent to the tennis courts at the southwestern corner of the park.
The tennis court lights would be retrofitted to light the pickleball court. The project would require the modification of an existing trail and the relocation of existing utility lines.
The proposed location is more than 250 feet from the nearest house, as required by the Park Authority.
When the Park Authority removed the pickleball nets and stripes from Kendale Woods Park in Annandale last June, it promised to provide more pickleball options at Mason District Park.
Related story: Park Authority removes pickleball from Annandale park
7 responses to “Pickleball court planned for Mason District Park”
Leave a reply
Will the houses still be able to hear the noise? How far from the houses were the last pickleball courts? Are we spending hundreds of thousands to move the courts 50 or 70 feet away from houses? If so, there won’t be much of a difference at all!
Without any indication of where the amphitheater or parking lots is, or where is North/South, it is hard to discern exactly where the pickle court might be constructed. Where ever it is planned, it is clear that the noise from pickle ball playing is annoyingly bothersome for local residents when in relative close proximity. This is why the amphitheater hours are limited.
Are sound barriers on the sides of the court practical and can they be part of the plan? Can one of the tennis courts be modified as a pickle ball court? Not sure three tennis and one pickle ball court reflects current usage demands.
Awesome! We need some in the area, let’s get it done!
Many residents living near the Mason District Park are against the proposed site of pickle-ball courts as currently planned.
We recognize and support the recreational uses of the park, including pickleball. However, in some important ways the park has not been a good neighbor. Our primary concern is noise and pickleball is a noisy sport.
For the past few years Wynfield residents have objected to the after-hours noise produced at the park. Despite clear guidelines on the allowed noise volume and duration of park events, particularly at the Mason District Park Amphitheater, events have violated guidelines. When these infractions occur neither the Park Authority nor the Mason District Station of the Fairfax County Police Department are willing to cite event sponsors or shut down events. The noise issues continue to this day.
Several years ago, when members of the Wynfield community heard of the proposed pickleball court construction, we offered to work with the Park Authority to site the pickleball courts in an area where there would be virtually no annoyances. It is irritating then to find that our input was not part of the proposal. Nevertheless, we are eager to meet with Fairfax County representatives to discuss this issue. And we have found multiple alternative sites IN THE MASON DISTRICT PARK!
If the courts are constructed as defined in the proposal, we fear that, even with clearly stated rules and time constraints, the county offices responsible for enforcing any increased noise rules will again fail. After the noise issues become political the Mason Courts may go the way of the other pickleball courts in our area that have been closed. We want to avoid that.
Yay!! There is no way you can hear pickleball that far away, these noise police, need to get a hobby l!
Noise levels for pickleball courts using standard rackets and balls is about 70db above a regular tennis game. The noise level is comparable to an interstate highway. The current pickleball courts are sited about 250 feet from the backyards of residents on Oakhill Drive in the Wynfield neighborhood. No sound attenuation is planned. You can bet there will be a noise issue. That noise issue will become political and use of the courts will be disturbed. No one wants that. There are other, better, sites in the Mason District Park that will be just as convenient….maybe more so as you could put multiple courts in the alternate sites. Our suggestion accommodates MORE pickleball, not just the one court currently planned.
Blame the woke left in CA for making it a political issue. For some reason, there is a lot of money and influence coming from CA to thwart pickleball. I don’t own a house by the courts, nor play pickleball. Just an observation.