Milpitas is caught up in another round of back-and-forth debates about whether or not to permanently install pickleball courts at local parks.

During the City Council’s Tuesday meeting, councilmembers unanimously voted to delay a long-awaited decision to permanently install pickleball courts at Hall Memorial and Gill Park, opting instead to have staff explore alternative indoor and outdoor court locations.

The holdup was prompted by conflicting views from residents. Some avid pickleball players expressed excitement over having designated courts at Hall Memorial to play, but residents who lived nearby said they are frustrated about pickleball-related noise, traffic and safety issues.

“We learned a lot,” Councilmember Evelyn Chua said. “but I think now, getting the feedback and learning from the two years of pilot program, we still need to learn more how to meditate this issue.”

The pickleball discourse started in 2022, when Milpitas launched a pilot program that temporarily converted six new temporary pickleball courts from tennis courts at Hall Memorial and enhanced two existing temporary courts at Gill Park’s Handball Courts.

Within a matter of months, pickleball enthusiasts from all over Milpitas and the surrounding communities flocked to the new destination and quickly created a close-knit community. However the parks, especially Hall Memorial, are located in single-family residential areas. Residents complained about constant pickleball noises and traffic congestion on their streets, going as far as sending a petition to the city last year to move the courts somewhere else.

In the past year, city staff made efforts to address these concerns, including implementing a daily time frame for pickleballers. If the courts are permanently enacted, staff will look into adding additional measures including sound dampening panels, painting new parking stalls away from the neighborhood and painting a red curb for emergency vehicle parking.

But some residents said more needs to be done. During Tuesday’s meeting, resident Melissa Pereira said she and her fellow neighbors have spoken to council “again and again” to move the location of the courts, but to no avail. Pereira said she isn’t  “anti-recreation” or against pickleball, but believes the courts are creating division among residents.

“We think Milpitas deserves to thrive, to have parks that bring people together and bring community,” she said. “but the spirit has been lost here. This pilot has created conflict, not connection.”

In a letter to the council, resident Henry Soong said homeowners, residents and tenants near Hall Memorial can’t get away from the, “ongoing popping sounds of the paddle hitting the ball.” The unwanted noise exposure can trigger stress and other health issues, and potentially have a negative effect on the market values of nearby homes, according to Soong.

“I urge the City to think hard on the consequences of providing recreational opportunities to mostly non-residents, and balance the interests of the residents who cannot escape their situation,” Soong said.

While many pro-pickleball residents on Tuesday didn’t insist on making the Hall Memorial location permanent, they did emphasis a need for such courts in Milpitas.

Resident Van Leong, who is president of the Milpitas Pickleball Club, said Hall Park welcomes more than thousand players every week, from senior working adults to Milpitas high schoolers

“They come to play everyday to stay active, relieve stress and also build social connections,” Leong said.

Prashanth Kumar, another avid pickleball player, said the sport helped him to maintain his fitness once he turned 50.

“Thanks to this pilot program and the Milpitas pickle ball community, I was able to encourage and learn and play,” he said. “What began as a way to stay active quickly turned into a daily practice.”

Vice Mayor Garry Barbadillo said the issue is not “residents versus pickleball players” but about where the courts should be. Barbadillo said he encourages the council, staff members and residents to work together to find a compromise on where pickleball courts can be expanded in the city.

“We always try to balance it,” he said. “Lets continue to work together. One thing is sure about this situation, pickleball is in Milpitas.”