Planning Commission approves 16-court private pickleball complex near airport

The Palm Springs Planning Commission unanimously approved plans on Tuesday for a new 16-court commercial pickleball club complex south of the Palm Springs International Airport. 

PPUSA, LLC, with Palm Springs resident and pickleball player Clifford Teston as a managing member and the site’s property owner, are proposing the facility at the southwest corner of Avenida Evelita and Airport Center Drive. The project will include 13 competitive sized courts and three recreational sized courts, along with a 1,200 square-foot building with restrooms, offices, a snack shop, and a viewing area on the second floor. 

Mark Stewart, the architect for the project, called it “arguably the best pickleball complex in the country.” 

“(Teston) is doing this for the love of the game, he’s a resident of Palm Springs and he’s also doing it for his friends and members of the community to fully enjoy the sport of pickleball,” Stewart continued. 

The Planning Commission previously considered the project back in June, but ultimately postponed their decision to a future date to allow the applicant to conduct an acoustical study to review potential noise impacts to nearby residential areas. The applicant returned on Tuesday after commissioning an acoustics consultant to do that study, which determined some additional noise mitigation.

New plans increased the height of barrier walls on the project’s west and south sides, and also added acoustical panels to the south side to better mitigate noise for people who live on the south side of Ramon Road. 

The pickleball facility will be open to the public (although the entry price was not discussed on Tuesday), with hours proposed from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.  The applicant might also later apply for an alcohol license for serving beer and wine, which would be processed separately. 

Public comments were overwhelmingly and unanimously in support of adding more pickleball courts in Palm Springs. In addition to the private project considered on Tuesday, the city also recently broke ground on an expansion of pickleball courts at Demuth Park, the city’s only outdoor and public pickleball venue. 

The Planning Commission approved a development permit for the project, along with a conditional use permit allowing an adjustment from the city’s development standards for sports court lighting and a minor modification for a 10% reduction in required off-street parking (the facility will have a total of 55 parking spots).

The approval came with one added condition, that the applicant come back to the Planning Commission for another public hearing in the event of complaints or violations regarding noise or any other issues once the facility is fully operating. 

The project will next go before the Architectural Review Committee. 

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