Planning for the Future of Pickleball in Newmarket

Council receives update on the future of pickleball in Newmarket

At the December 11, 2023 Council meeting, Newmarket showed their support for the growth of pickleball, a rapidly growing sport in North America, with the construction of a dedicated pickleball facility.

After a thorough site selection process, Town staff are recommending the construction of a new facility with 14 to 20 courts located at the north end of George Richardson Park (Bayview Parkway), with a bubble for the fall/winter season.

Several criteria are reviewed through this process, including distance from residential housing, parking, potential displacement of other facilities, capacity to grow, as well as the location of existing facilities to ensure distribution of recreation access across the community.

Following that selection process, the location at the north end of George Richardson Park effectively meets the criteria. This will include a clubhouse facility with changerooms/washrooms and between 14 to 20 courts.

In selecting a location, discussions were held with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), who has provided assurances that a pickleball facility and clubhouse can be constructed. The Newmarket Soccer Club was also consulted about field use, and this is the ideal location from their perspective as the current field is only used for practices.

As with any location option, noise mitigation strategies will be in place to ensure noise remains at a manageable level. Noise mitigation measures can include further development of the existing berm, additional tree plantings, and acoustic fencing; the combination of these can significantly reduce noise.

Finalizing the location of the new pickleball facility will occur in the new year when a future report comes back to Council.

To learn more about the future of pickleball in Newmarket, read the Staff Report or watch the discussion from the Council Meeting.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in-person for a Public Information Centre on Tuesday, January 31 to learn more about the new facility, see design renderings, asks questions and provide your thoughts!

We also received a tremendous response to our online survey (now closed). We are now reviewing all input from the in-person meeting, the questions/comments submitted on this page and the feedback provided in the online survey.

Feedback gathered will help the Town formulate seasonal operating models and strategies in order to support tennis players in Newmarket. A report to Council is expected to be completed with information gathered from the PIC’s and online in March.

Background