Outdoor Pickleball Complex: Feasibility in Focus
Pickleball continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports in America, with participation increasing 223.5% over the past three years, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
The City's ReCreate: Parks & Recreation Master Plan, adopted in 2021, assessed community usage data and determined the need for an additional 13 pickleball courts by 2040 to provide equitable access, and meet desired levels of service.
Through awarded City Give funds, donated by the Fort Collins Pickleball Club, an outdoor pickleball complex study is now underway to determine if an existing community park site can help close the gap in the short term while waiting for future community parks to be built.
For this project, an outdoor pickleball complex is a specialized recreational facility equipped with 12 designated pickleball courts. Typically featuring a hard surface like asphalt or concrete, these courts are marked with pickleball lines and equipped with nets for gameplay. The complex often includes amenities such as seating areas, shade structures, and lighting for evening play.
The current parks system includes the following inventory of pickleball courts:
- (8) dedicated outdoor pickleball courts
- (44) striped for pickleball on outdoor multi-use courts
- (25) on tennis
- (19) on other
- Up to (12) indoor pickleball courts
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
As part of the research for the pickleball feasibility assessment, staff from the City's Park Planning & Development Division completed a thorough review of community parks to determine if an outdoor complex could realistically be installed in any location.
Using criteria that took into account existing infrastructure, space, noise, and safety constraints, as well as location and connectivity factors, each community park was put into a weighted matrix for consideration.
This preliminary research identified two potential locations suitable for a 12-court outdoor pickleball complex – Spring Canyon Community Park and Fossil Creek Community Park.
Criteria | Weight | Park Location | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fossil Creek | Spring Canyon | Edora | City Park | Rolland Moore | Lee Martinez | Twin Silo | ||
Adequate space for complex & amenities | 2 | X | X | |||||
Neighborhood setback for noise reduction | 2 | X | X | X | ||||
Adequate parking capacity | 2 | X | X | X | ||||
Existing restroom facilities nearby | 2 | X | X | X | ||||
Out of floodway | 2 | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Adequate space for detention | 1 | X | X | |||||
Court orientation | 1 | X | X | X | ||||
Central or service gap location | 1 | X | X | X | ||||
Separation from tennis courts | 1 | X | X | X | ||||
Minimal impact to infrastructure | 1 | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Public transportation | 1 | X | X | X | ||||
Trail connectivity | 1 | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Totals | 16 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
We want to hear from you!
Do you play pickleball? Do you want a pickleball complex built in an established community park? Or, do you not support this project idea?
Take the Outdoor Pickleball Complex: Feasibility in Focus questionnaire to share your thoughts. The questionnaire feedback will help measure community interest, inform complex location, and assess community engagement needs. The questionnaire will be open through June 7.