STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
To:
From:
Subject:
Honorable Mayor & City Council
Michael Muse, Recreation Services Manager
Patty Acuña, Assistant Director of Community Services
Recommendation of the Recreation and Parks City Council Liaisons to Approve the Finalization of the Pickleball Pilot Program and the Conversion of Four Tennis Courts to Sixteen Permanent Pickleball Courts and Making a Determination of Exemption Under the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA)
Attachments: 1. Recommended Court Configuration
2. Map of Court Measurements
3. Sound Study Maps
4. Revised Rules
INTRODUCTION
On January 12, 2020, the City of Beverly Hills Community Services Department kicked off a pickleball pilot program to gauge interest from the community. Two tennis courts (courts 13 & 14), on the northwest, lower level of the facility were converted into 8 pickleball courts at the La Cienega Tennis Center and one tennis court (court 1) at Roxbury Park was converted into 4 pickleball courts. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shelter in place orders the pickleball program was immediately paused. As facilities began to open back up to the public in 2021, pickleball along with tennis resumed. In March of 2021 phase 1 of the pilot program was able to resume once all Covid-19 related restrictions and the emergency orders were lifted utilizing all 12 courts.
Throughout several Recreation and Parks Commission meetings in the Spring of 2022 staff presented their findings of the first phase of the pilot program. Based on the data presented and the community feedback a second phase of the pickleball pilot program began which resulted in moving pickleball from tennis courts 13 and 14 to tennis courts 1 and 8 on June 16, 2022. During the second phase staff continued to present data and community feedback to the Recreation and Parks Commission resulting in a recommendation to conclude the pickleball pilot program and institute a permanent pickleball program during the November 26, 2024 Recreation and Parks Commission meeting. On February 27, 2025, a Recreation and Parks Commission City Council Liaison meeting was held and direction was given to bring the program to the full City Council after the completion of the requested court measurements, a sound modeling study, and final draft of rules.
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
DISCUSSION
The pickleball pilot program initially launched with converting tennis courts 13 and 14 at the La Cienega Tennis Center and court 1 at Roxbury Park into temporary pickleball courts. The lines for pickleball were overlayed on the existing tennis lines to create a total of 12 pickleball courts. Portable pickleball nets were purchased and set-up and broken down daily for designated pickleball play time. The program hours were Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, 11am – 3pm, Thursdays 6pm – 10pm and Sundays, 9am – 12pm. As demand for pickleball court time increased, the City expanded pickleball court times at both La Cienega Tennis Center and Roxbury Tennis Center.
The times were changed to 7am – 10pm Monday through Thursday and 7am to 6pm Friday through Sunday at the Roxbury Tennis Center and 7am – 10pm Monday through Sunday for the La Cienega Tennis Center.
By the end of 2022, after program hours were increased to full days, staff began to receive complaints regarding the noise levels generated from pickleball play at the La Cienega Tennis Center as well as the status of the temporary nets. The Recreation & Parks Commission were provided updates on the community feedback. The increase in noise can be attributed to the differences between tennis and pickleball. Tennis courts allow for 2 to 4 players maximum per reservation. Pickleball play accommodates 2 to 4 players playing at a time, however pickleball is a social sport that generates additional noise compared to tennis. It is often preferred to have a round robin format which results in 6 to 8 people on 1 pickleball court. Another factor leading to the increase in noise volume is that 1 tennis court converts into 4 pickleball courts resulting in 8 to 16 players on 1 tennis court. Lastly the equipment used in pickleball, a plastic ball striking a plastic paddle creates an overwhelmingly loud noise. New, higher quality, pickleball nets were also purchased to address some concerns brought forward by the community.
At the April 26, 2022, Recreation & Parks Commission meeting, a robust discussion was held to discuss the noise concerns at the La Cienega Tennis Center courts 13 & 14.
Staff presented to the commission the recommendation to move to a phase 2 of the pilot program to explore moving the courts to the south side of the facility to court 1 (grandstand court) and court 8 located on the east side of the facility.
Phase 2 of the pilot program began in June of 2022. The conversion of court 1 from tennis to pickleball seemed to be an excellent option for pickleball players due to the increased size of the back court area. All tennis courts, with the exception of court 1, have minimal back court area. However, it was not well received by the tennis community due to court 1 being the preferred court for ball machine use, and tournament play.
In early 2024, Recreation & Parks Commission requested that the pickleball data be presented to the commission to begin the process of finalizing the pickleball pilot program. The Recreation & Parks Ad Hoc Committee Commissioners Amie Sherry and JR Dzubak met several times to review a variety of program components. Staff presented several updates on statistics of how both tennis and pickleball usage had increased and feedback from various users on the phase 2 relocation of courts both in support and opposition.
With the implementation of phase 2, concerns were brought forward to staff and commissioners about noise impacts from tennis players as well as residential neighbors along Le Doux which is directly across from court 1. Staff addressed the noise concerns by enlisting a third-party vendor to conduct a sound study for pickleball play on court 1 and court 8 at La Cienega Tennis Center as well as court 1 at Roxbury Tennis Center.
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
As phase 2 continued, additional concerns were brought forward from the community and commissioners to research a new reservation software system tailored to tennis and pickleball. Staff began to conduct research on software that would provide easy access for tennis/pickleball users to make reservations, cancel reservations, and allow players to check in when arriving at the facility. This software will allow a new feature to be implemented that will allow each person register to pay an individual player fee versus a court fee as well as send out communication to reservations on court status such as court closures due to inclement weather. This new system will also ensure that all players are signing liability waivers prior to playing on the courts.
At the August 27, 2024, Recreation and Parks Commission meeting staff presented a complete evaluation of the pilot program. The evaluation showed that usage of the tennis courts between January through May of 2023 to January through May of 2024 grew by 13.30% and pickleball court usage grew by 15.81% during that same period.
During the same time period, revenue for tennis increased by 45% and pickleball increased by 44%. At this meeting, over 30 public comments were received both in support and opposition of moving pickleball out of the pilot phase and into a permanent program. Feedback included considering adding additional pickleball courts, purchasing permanent nets and restriping the courts with permanent pickleball lines. While majority of the public comments at this meeting were in favor of the program, there were a few in attendance that were opposed to dedicating courts to pickleball because of the noise disruption as well as reducing the ability to reserve tennis courts.
At the November 26, 2024, Recreation & Parks Commission meeting, staff presented the noise study results from the vendor from both facilities. The noise study found that the noise level at Roxbury Park did exceed Los Angeles County’s noise standard, however with the ambient noise from Olympic Boulevard the study concluded that the current pickleball noise level and court configuration would have little effect on the overall noise. The study found that the noise level on court 1 at the La Cienega Tennis Center did exceed the County’s noise standard, but did not exceed the standard at court
8. Additionally, the study found that the noise emanating from court 8 was so minimal that additional pickleball courts would not exceed the county standard. This is due to the pickleball noise blending with the ambient noise from La Cienega Boulevard, the distance of court 8, and the presence of tennis courts between the residents on Le Doux.
Following the information provided by staff regarding the noise study and hearing the recommendations from the Ad Hoc to establish a permanent pickleball program, the commission approved in a 4-1 vote to recommend that the pickleball pilot program be finalized. The recommendations for the permanent program are as follows:
Court Configurations:
- Roxbury Tennis Center:
o Maintain court 1 as a dedicated pickleball court.
o No additional courts recommended.
- La Cienega Tennis Center:
o Revert court 1 to tennis.
o Convert court, 8 & 12 to pickleball.
o Recommend an additional tennis court (court 7) be converted to a dedicated pickleball court on the east side of the tennis facility. - That each court be restriped with permanent pickleball lines. - Purchase and install permanent pickleball nets.
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
- Implement a new registration software to facilitate court reservations. - The addition of one regular part-time community assistant position to allow for the expansion of hours at the Roxbury Tennis Courts.
On February 27, 2025, the Recreation and Parks City Council Liaison met to discuss the Pickleball Pilot Program recommendation. During the meeting 40 community members commented with 20 in favor of moving forward with the recommendation and 20 community members opposed. Those in favor of the proposal cited the growing popularity of pickleball and the need to expand the number of available courts. Some shared disappointment that removing pickleball from tennis court 1 was not ideal due to the size and spacing that tennis court 1 provided. Additional concerns mentioned was the length of time still needed for full implementation of the recommendation. Those opposed cited the current challenge of securing a tennis court reservation and are concerned that the removal of a third tennis court would only exacerbate the problem.
There was additional concern regarding the noise pickleball creates and how it would ruin the experience of tennis players during their play time and lessons. Discussion was also had regarding the exploration of a hybrid court stripped for both tennis and pickleball. Based on the community feedback expressed during the liaison meeting and subsequent commission meetings the desire from the community is to eliminate courts with dual lines as this impacts the playing experience for both tennis and pickleball players.
At the conclusion of the meeting staff was given direction to secure official court measurements, conduct an additional sound study to confirm the proposed court configurations would fall within LA County noise standards, and finalize the rules.
Staff contracted Kaplan Chen Kaplan Architecture firm to provide CAD drawings of all 16 tennis courts at La Cienega Tennis Center. The results of the measurements showed that out of the courts being reviewed for conversion from tennis to pickleball, the recommended conversion of tennis courts 7, 8 and 12 provided the most square footage. The complete court measurements can be found in Attachment 2.
Noise Monitoring Services were contracted to conduct a noise modeling study at the La Cienega Tennis Center. Analysis of the noise levels of La Cienega Tennis Center showed that the current impact of noise level from pickleball on tennis court 1 would exceed the LA County noise standards and impact six surrounding tennis courts with noise. The noise impact of converting tennis courts 7, 8 and 12 would decrease the noise impact to a range within the LA County noise standards, however seven tennis courts would be impacted by noise. The noise impact of converting tennis courts 7, 11 and 12 would decrease the noise impact, however, the peak noise does exceed LA County noise standards; additionally, seven tennis courts would be impacted by noise.
This chart outlines the current court configuration and the two options’ decibel readings relative to the LA County noise standards.
Court Configuration LA County Noise
standards
Noise level at loudest
residence
Existing
(Courts 1 & 8)
50 dBA 53 dBA
Option 1
(Recommended
configuration)
(Courts 7, 8, & 12)
50 dBA 50 dBA
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
Option 2
(Courts 7, 11, & 12)
50 dBA 51 dBA
FISCAL IMPACT
The funding required for the Pickleball program has been included in the adopted FY25- 26 Budget for consideration by the City Council. Below is a breakdown of the costs associated with the requests.
Description Account One-Time
Costs
Ongoing
Annual Costs
Funding
Status
Court Configuration
Tennis Court
and Site
Enhancements
CIP 00483
$99,360
Approved at
budget
adoption
Net Replacement
and Maintenance 00106703-723500 $6,400
Approved at
budget
adoption
Software 41001501-731240 $19,200
Approved at
budget
adoption
Staffing increase 00106703-712100 $52,896
Approved at
budget
adoption
The one-time cost associated with the relocation of courts is estimated at $99,360. The tennis courts for both Roxbury and the La Cienega Tennis Center are traditionally scheduled to be resurfaced every 5 years. Once the courts are converted, they will be added to the ongoing resurfacing schedule through Tennis Court and Site Enhancements 00483.
Total estimated annual ongoing expenses for additional staffing, equipment and software related to the Pickleball Program is $78,496. Based on the pilot program, it is anticipated that nets will need to be replaced annually at a cost of $6,400. Additionally, the cost for purchase and use of a reservation software system, Playbypoint, would be $9,600 per year per site (Roxbury and La Cienega) for a total annual cost of $19,200. The City has negotiated a 5-year agreement for a total not to exceed $95,998.80. This excludes credit card processing fees which are set by third party processor, CardConnect, at 2.7% plus 15 cents per transaction. The projected cost of adding a regular part-time Community Services Assistant is $52,896 per year.
There is an anticipated increase in revenue once the program changes are implemented due to the proposed implementation of a new fee structure introducing a per player fee.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the approval of finalizing the Pickleball Pilot Program with the proposed conversion of four (4) tennis courts, Converting Tennis Court 1 at Roxbury Tennis Center and converting Tennis Court 7, 8 and 12 at La Cienega Tennis Center, to sixteen (16) permanent pickleball courts (4 pickleball courts per converted tennis court).
This conversion would allow for four (4) permanent pickleball courts at Roxbury Tennis Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
Center and twelve (12) permanent pickleball courts at La Cienega Tennis Center. This would bring the total number of public courts available throughout the city to 16 tennis courts and 16 pickleball courts. Staff also recommends the approval of the revised set of tennis rules to include pickleball rules, court configuration and the approval of the contract for a new reservation software system.
Stephanie Harris,
Director of Community Services
Approved By
Recommended: Court Configuration
Dedicated
pickleball court
Dedicated
pickleball courts
Revert to
tennis court
Roxbury Park La Cienega Tennis Center
oise Monitoring Services
Sound and Vibration Measurement, Testing & Consulting
City of Beverly Hills
La Cienega Tennis Center Noise Assessment
May 6, 2025
6 Figure 5 Existing pickleball courts noise noise level contour map Le Doux Rd.
La Cienega Blvd.
oise Monitoring Services
Sound and Vibration Measurement, Testing & Consulting
City of Beverly Hills
La Cienega Tennis Center Noise Assessment
May 6, 2025
7 Figure 6 Pickball court Alternative 1 noise level contour map Le Doux Rd.
La Cienega Blvd.
oise Monitoring Services
Sound and Vibration Measurement, Testing & Consulting
City of Beverly Hills
La Cienega Tennis Center Noise Assessment
May 6, 2025
8 Figure 7 Pickball court Alternative 2 noise level contour map Le Doux Rd.
La Cienega Blvd.
CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS TENNIS & PICKLEBALL REGULATIONS
1. All members (Tennis/Pickleball) must have an active membership card on file prior to accessing the courts. Beverly Hills residents may reserve courts up to 7 days in advance, while non-residents may reserve up to 4 days in advance.
2. Reservations must be canceled through PlaybyPoint 6 hours before the reserved time to receive a full refund.
a. Reservations cancelled within 6 hours of reservation time will forfeit full fee.
3. Each member is limited to two, one-hour -bookings of court time per day. a. Booking two (2) different courts in the same hours is prohibited.
4. Additional hours beyond the 2-hour maximum may be available pending on-site availability for the same players. Play time may be extended at the staff office directly after your play time pending court availability.
5. Members are permitted to arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before the reservation time. a. All members must check in at the staff office before their scheduled court time to avoid interruptions to play.
6. Members must check-in through the app or the digital membership card must be scanned at the staff office prior to taking the court.
7. Failure to check-in may result in delay of court play. a. Reservation time will not be extended due to delays in play.
8. Due to limited space on courts, only registered players are permitted on the courts during the reservation.
9. No more than 4 tennis players and 5 pickleball players per court.
10. Play is limited to the reserved time slot.
a. Members must vacate the court promptly at the end of the reservation. b. Failure to vacate the court may result in additional reservation charges or the inability to reserve courts in the future.
11. Pickleball Courts are for pickleball use and Tennis Courts for tennis use only. a. No other activities are allowed.
b. Games played on inappropriate courts will result in the inability to reserve courts in the future.
12. Tennis Ball machines are available to rent at both the La Cienega Tennis Center and the Roxbury Park Tennis Courts.
a. Personal tennis ball machines may be allowed with prior approval. Please email [email protected] for application and waiver form.
13. Personal Pickleball machines are prohibited.
14. Professional Pickleball and Tennis Lesson are provided by Beverly Hills Tennis a contractual vendor of the City of Beverly Hills.
a. Professional teaching outside of this organization is not allowed at any of our City facilities.
15. A maximum of 2 canisters of no more than four (4) tennis balls each for a total maximum of 8 tennis balls and a total maximum of three (3) pickleballs are allowed on the court when a ball machine is not in use.
a. Ball hoppers are not permitted on the court except for City sponsored programs and City authorized contractors.
CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS TENNIS & PICKLEBALL REGULATIONS
16. In consideration of our neighbors and other patrons, amplified sound, including speakers or music, is not permitted. Please keep noise level down and refrain from using inappropriate language and exhibiting loud and disruptive behavior. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in the inability to reserve courts in the future.
17. Members must exhibit good sportsmanship and refrain from disruptive behavior.
18. Animals are not allowed on courts, except for service animals. a. Service animals must be on a leash no more than six (6) feet long and not interfere with the play of other courts.
b. Emotional support animals are prohibited.
c. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their service animal. d. Owners must ensure service animals do not disrupt play or other members.
19. No food, gum, or beverages (except water or sports drinks) are permitted on the courts. a. Water or sports drinks must have a lid on at all times when not being consumed. b. Glass containers are prohibited.
20. Patrons must clean up after themselves and use trash and recycling bins as provided.
21. Outside chairs or other non-pickleball/tennis equipment is prohibited.
22. Smoking on City premises is prohibited.
a. BHMC: 8-1.07
23. Appropriate athletic attire is required.
24. Shirts and shoes on the court or around the facility are required at all times.
25. Locker rooms are for the use of members only.
a. Providing locker room access to non-authorized users may result in the suspension of court and locker room privileges and inability to reserve courts.
26. Bicycles, skateboards, and roller blades/skates/scooters are not permitted at any City tennis facility.
a. Bicycles and scooters can be locked at the bike rack in the tennis center parking garage during your court reservation.
27. Courts may be closed due to maintenance or inclement weather. a. Notifications will be sent via, push notifications through the PlaybyPoint app and email.
28. Facility staff reserve the right to enforce rules and address violations.