It was only a matter of time. The popularity of the pickleball craze seems to have overtaken tennis as the new king of the courts as witnessed throughout the country and especially here in Florida. Marco Island has not been isolated from the pickleball popularity sweeping the nation. Yes, the tennis courts at the YMCA still appear to flourish, but pickleball is a strong competitor for attention on their campus, and the YMCA has added additional courts to meet the growing demand.
The Marco Island Planning Board moved along the much-anticipated plans for the Racquet Center with necessary improvements to parking and expansion of pickleball courts by eight at the expense of two of the older tennis courts, leaving a total of four courts for tennis play.
The existing indoor racquetball courts will be demolished, and twenty (20) additional and much-needed vehicle parking spaces will be added to the facilities. Additional landscaping and sound deadening technology will be added to the shared boundary separating the Racquet Center from the property line of the San Marco Villas.
The racquet center asked the Planning Board for a variance from the required 66 spaces to 62 spaces from landscape parking islands and a reduction in width of the landscape buffer along the east and north property lines.
One question raised dealt with the issue of tournaments that may be added. Board member Mike Hogan explained the size of the property would not allow for tournaments and they would not be added to any of the play at the Center.
David Cadwell from San Marco Villas reported that its residents were opposed to the expansion of the facilities as it definitely is having an effect on their quality-of-life issues. “We are not against the sport, but the quality of life of our residents is definitely being affected.”
After listening to all the testimony the board approved the project by a 5-1 vote with board member Nanette Rivera opposing. Board Member Hayden Dublois was absent from that meeting.
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