An edition of the Littleton Independent
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 43
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Centennial City Council OKs pickleball regulations INSIDE THIS ISSUE About 19 residents gathered Sept. 19, 2023, at the Centennial Civic Center to voice their opinion on the city’s proposed outdoor pickleball court regulations.
BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With hopes of preventing neighborhood conflicts over pickleball noise, the Centennial City Council approved new rules on how close outdoor courts can be to homes. New permanent outdoor pickleball courts are now prohibited within 250 feet of homes. Temporary outdoor pickleball courts, on the other hand, are prohibited within 350 feet of homes. One of the main concerns about pickleball noise is the popping sound of the hard plastic ball hitting the paddles, which is called an “impulsive sound,” according to the city’s noise study. During a roughly five-hour meeting on Sept. 19, about 19 residents spoke either for or against the proposed regulations. The council ultimately voted unanimously to set a variety of rules for outdoor pickleball courts. Despite the vote being unanimous, several council members voiced concerns with the regulations. However, the council felt pressure to pass regulations Sept. 19 because the city’s pickleball moratorium — which paused some pickleball court developments in the city — is set to expire at the end of the month.
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PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW
City Attorney Bob Widner said that if nothing was done and the moratorium expired, the city may be in a position where it “could get courts a foot off of somebody’s property line, and there’s no standard for noise, and they can continue to operate and we’re gonna get flooded with complaints.” “Whenever these situations have come up, there’s been lawsuits, there’s been huge pushback,” Widner said. “And we’re trying to avoid that conflict, right? That’s why we did the moratorium.” Councilmember Don Sheehan said he disagrees with making the setback
VOICES: 14 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19
for permanent outdoor pickleball courts 250 feet, but he thinks it is important the council passes the ordinance and later revises it. “We need to pass this because we have no other choice,” he said. “We have a moratorium that is expiring, and we have nothing on the books that will do anything to stop the noise that’s going to impact our citizens. “So, reluctantly, I will vote yes,” he said. Several council members noted that the new ordinance is not perfect and can be changed in the future.
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SPECIAL PULLOUT INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Tours offer a glimpse of state’s haunted history