The Town of Newmarket is moving ahead with a new pickleball facility at George Richardson Park despite some protests from neighbouring residents.
Council’s committee of the whole voted today to advance plans with the south end of the park as the location for a new pickleball facility, which could have 14 to 20 courts and get bubbled in wintertime, plus a clubhouse. This was despite several residents coming out against the proposal, with a submitted petition of about 200 names against a proposed pickleball facility at the park, albeit at a different location.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor pushed back on criticism of the noise or traffic, plus suggestions of other locations that might be better suited, such as the Magna Centre or Ray Twinney Recreation Complex.
“There’s a lot of people coming into our communities and a lot of growth and demand for recreational amenities, and Newmarket has really fairly limited options,” Taylor said. “We have to find a way to provide the services (if) we possibly can.”
The proposed location will be situated on what is currently a soccer field at the southern end of Bayview Parkway, across from the Madison Greenhouse Event Venue. This represented a change from a previously proposed location on the north end of the park, which also garnered residential concern regarding traffic and noise impact.
That previous location caused resident Craig Bates to circulate a petition that he said amassed about 200 signatures. Although that petition was aimed at the previously proposed location on the northern end of the park, Bates said that opposition remained strong in follow-up conversations with petitioners and that only two people asked to have their names removed.
Bates presented to council and said other locales in town could be better suited. He said that there has been a lack of community consultation, with no public meetings held for residents, and more study should occur for traffic.
After the meeting, Bates said, “Their mind was made up well before this, and they may have heard, but they weren’t listening to what we were talking about … They did provide some answers, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re not sufficient answers.”
Other residents also presented, including George Comsa, who said he lives about 300 metres from the proposed location. He said he can hear when soccer games go on, but those are generally only on weekends, not the more consistent use a pickleball facility would likely have.
“I appreciate the willingness of the town to create facilities for sports. However, I think in this case, I think further consideration should be given for traffic and noise in the area,” Comsa said.
Pickleball players have been clamouring for a new facility, with council chambers filled for a meeting on that in January 2023. The Newmarket Pickleball Club, formed after that meeting, has said it has grown to more than 400 members since.
Taylor said the municipality is trying to address the demand, and feels confident about this proposed location after exploring every other piece of town-owned property.
Regarding suggestions of a pickleball facility at the Magna Centre or Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, Taylor said those also have nearby residents who might object.
“If you have concerns, if you think the impact of this one is going to be considerable traffic, then I assume you’ll be concerned for those residents as well,” Taylor said.
Ward 3 Councillor Jane Twinney said the area is zoned for recreation and she does get comments about there being a lack of recreational facilities in the community.
“Voting on it is perhaps not going to be well received by opponents having it at this location,” Twinney said. “But as the mayor said, we don’t have that many locations to look at. It is a recreational area. It is designated as recreation, and being able to offer other opportunities for recreation in Ward 3 is going to benefit many residents that live in the area.”
Regarding noise, director of recreation Colin Service said the town can look to implement measures like berms or tree cover. If all else fails, Service said the municipality could use a bubble year-round to mitigate noise.
Still, Bates said he felt it was a rushed process and the town could have explored expansions of existing facilities first rather than going toward building a massive new one.
“They’re taking a quantum leap here,” he said.
Town council will still need to finalize the decision at its next meeting.
