Pickleball aficionados relishing a chance to play in Flower Mound may soon have a new place to play the game in town.

Town Council approved an ordinance granting a specific-use permit to allow amusement and recreation outdoor use for pickleball. The property where the game can be played is in a parking lot on the upper level of the River Walk area, located north of First Avenue and east of River Walk Drive.

Council voted 3-1 to approve the pickleball courts, with some conditions required of the applicant regarding safety buffers and that the project will be placed on one-year intervals for renewal. Chris Drew, Jim Engel and Adam Schiestel voted to approve the ordinance, while Ann Martin opposed the ordinance and voiced strong opposition.

“I just think the plan is not well thought out,” Martin said, citing court safety, lighting after dark and noise among her concerns.

What you need to know

Flower Mound Communications Director Melissa Demmitt said in an email, with council approving the specific-use permit for pickleball courts with additional conditions in relation to the placement of courts, a revised exhibit meeting the conditions must be submitted by the applicant to process the specific-use permit ordinance.

“The final step would be to obtain a building permit for installation of gates and pass inspection before they can operate pickleball courts,” Demmitt said.

The background

Lexin Murphy, director of development services for the town, told council about the parameters of the plan, which involved such matters as hours of operation, number of courts and the permit being under automatic renewal upon the first anniversary of the effective date. After that first period, automatic renewal would be every two years.

Randi Rivera, land planner for McAdams, a Lewisville firm that provides engineering, design and other services, told council there’s a community demand for pickleball venues but a lack of courts. Restaurant owners Greg Retz and Michael Beaty want to increase traffic at the restaurant venue while also providing a place for people to play pickleball at the parking lot, Rivera said.

“I think it’s just a win all the way around for all of us,” Rivera said.

She told council during a presentation that her company agreed with all conditions set forth by the city.

McAdams stated in the letter of intent that the courts will not be open to the general public, instead requiring membership to a club or league managed by the restaurants located within the Restaurant Row, according to a council agenda memo. Pickleball players have to bring their own equipment and must pay a small fee to play and rent a court.

Beaty spoke to council at the Aug. 7 meeting, including discussing expansion joints on the parking where courts will be located. At one point, when Martin discussed her concerns, including liability issues, Beaty said the city had no liability because the parking lot is privately owned. But Martin said she was concerned about residents being injured while playing, including on the expansion joint, and said pickleball injuries are on the rise. She did say she would be open to future discussions about the courts if safety improvements could be made.

When she suggested tabling the matter and bringing it back, Beaty said he would withdraw and then walked away from the podium. Rivera said she would defer to Beaty on any tabling suggestions.

Diving in deeper

During the public hearing, Mayor Derek France said he received cards from 10 people who voiced support of the pickleball courts. Three people then spoke and supported the initiative.

“I think this is a pretty clever use of a pretty underutilized asset,” Schiestel said, adding that he wants the River Walk to be more successful but said he understands concerns about the project, especially noise.

He said, though, that nearby residents didn’t complain in email communications to the city. He said the one-year opportunity to relook at the project and course correct will be helpful, and he offered some safety conditions that could help with safety.

Engel said he was disappointed about the little amount of work performed on the pickleball courts’ planning, especially in how it took more than a year to bring it to council.