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Pickleball courts may end up in unused Arlington office space
Pickleball is one of the hottest sports right now, but finding a place to play is becoming a major headache in our area. That's why Arlington County is considering setting up courts in some of its empty office buildings. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald reports from Arlington
ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Pickleball is one of the hottest sports right now, but finding a place to play is becoming a major headache in our area. That's why Arlington County is considering setting up courts in some of its empty office buildings.
The county is going to be looking across the area for vacant office and retail space, either indoor or outdoor, and see if they can't use some of that space to set up pickleball courts.
Arlington County has been struggling to keep up with demand while also dealing with noise complaints from some neighbors.
Northern Virginia community grapples with how to handle pickleball noise complaints
It’s a contest playing out in across the country: the noise created by pickleball and it’s impact on neighbors who live nearby. To help with the problem, one Northern Virginia community is volleying around an idea to reduce the number of days people can play at a popular park.
The Vice Chair of the Arlington Board raised the idea initially. Economic development officials tell FOX 5 they're receptive to the idea.
"It’s an exploding sport, and it’s really become a high-demand sport, and we think the indoor uses could be and recreation could be combined with other entertainment," says Marc McCauley with Arlington Economic Development.
Arlington County is already set to add 14 pickleball courts by converting some existing tennis courts and practice areas. Recent zoning changes made by the county will also help by making it easier for non-traditional businesses to move into vacant office and retail spaces.