Pickleball Courts Spark Lawsuit in Berwyn: Neighbors near Berwyn, Pennsylvania, have sued the Upper Main Line YMCA and Easttown Township over noise from outdoor pickleball courts. The YMCA has closed the courts after nearby homeowners filed a lawsuit claiming the noise breaks local rules and that proper permits were not obtained for the court conversion.
The lawsuit involves homeowners living about 500 to 1,000 feet from the courts. They say the YMCA violated Easttown Township’s zoning laws by turning tennis courts into pickleball courts without permission. They also claim the noise from pickleball breaks township rules. Easttown Township is also named in the lawsuit for allegedly not enforcing noise and zoning rules properly and favoring the YMCA.
Noise Issues from Pickleball Courts
Dale Van Scoyk, owner of Pickleball Sound Mitigation Consulting, explained why pickleball noise is a problem for some people.
“When people convert courts from tennis to pickleball, it’s a shock to some people.” – (Dale Van Scoyk)
Van Scoyk added that pickleball sounds have a special “pop” noise that can be annoying.
“The sound wave has a particular characteristic to them that annoying to humans. First of all, it’s a short pop. The frequency happens to be 1000 hertz, which is the same as human speech, so our ears are tuned to listen carefully for that particular frequency.” – (Dale Van Scoyk)
YMCA Responds to Lawsuit
The Upper Main Line YMCA said it is trying to be a good neighbor.
“We strive to be good neighbors and thoughtful stewards of our shared community. We are currently facing civil litigation related to the alleged violations of local noise ordinances stemming from pickleball activities on the premises.” – (YMCA)
Township Updates Rules
In April, the Easttown Township Board changed its zoning code to better control outdoor pickleball courts. Now, courts must get conditional approval before being built. This includes providing noise studies and showing that they will follow noise and nuisance rules.
What This Means for the Future
The lawsuit and court closure show how communities are working to balance the growing popularity of pickleball with neighborhood concerns. The new rules aim to prevent future noise problems while allowing pickleball to continue in Easttown Township.
News in Brief: Pickleball Courts Spark Lawsuit in Berwyn
Homeowners near the Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, sued over noise from outdoor pickleball courts. The YMCA closed the courts during the lawsuit. Easttown Township changed zoning rules to require noise studies and approvals for pickleball courts to protect neighbors.
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