ENCINITAS — Bobby Riggs Racket and Paddle Club, a well-known hub for pickleball enthusiasts, is at the center of a contentious debate between the club’s owner, city officials and neighbors over noise complaints that have led to citations and mandatory operational cutbacks.
For the past six months, the club has faced increasing scrutiny as the City of Encinitas considers amending its conditional use permit, first issued in 1975, to address what officials call a significant change in use.
The facility, originally home to seven tennis courts, now operates 22 pickleball courts, drawing large crowds and persistent noise complaints from neighbors.
Club owner Steve Dawson, a professional pickleball player, said the issue came to his attention when he began receiving official citations from the city.
“The day I received my first official complaint, I started working on a sound-dampening pickleball paddle that would solve all the issues,” Dawson said. “It just didn’t get made in time.”
Dawson acknowledged the tension between the club and some neighbors, describing the relationship as strained since the sport’s meteoric rise in popularity has resulted in increased pickleball activity at the facility.
While some may prefer the club’s closure, Dawson warned that such an outcome could bring even greater community disruption.
“If the club gets closed down, chances are the property will be turned into housing, and then they’ll all lose their ocean views and have to put up with construction for five years,” Dawson said.
To address the complaints, Dawson has mandated using quieter paddles on 18 courts near private residences and ordered 96 “quiet” paddles to be distributed to players.
He is also exploring more permanent solutions, such as sound barriers.
“The sound barriers will be 10- to 13-foot-high Plexiglas panels with acoustical ratings, designed and approved by acoustics engineers,” Dawson said, who plans to present quotes for the barriers to the city within the next month.
Despite these efforts, Dawson expressed frustration with the city’s recent decision to restrict court usage from 22 courts to just seven.
“I’m stuck in a catch-22,” Dawson said. “How can I spend $200,000 on sound walls if they shut me down?”
Mayor Bruce Ehlers confirmed the city’s involvement in reviewing the club’s permit and addressing noise concerns.
“The facility’s conditional use permit, initially issued in 1975 under county jurisdiction, is under review due to changes in use,” Ehlers said. “We have to do what’s right by our ordinances. We must do right by the protections and due process afforded the neighbors.”
Ehlers, who has a background in noise engineering, said city ordinances require noise levels to remain below 50 decibels over a one-hour period. Over the last six months, the city has fined the club for excessive noise following multiple complaints, and court availability has been restricted to roughly 25% of its capacity.
“Everybody recognizes what a great asset pickleball is,” he said. “But we have to follow our laws.”
While Dawson is committed to addressing the issues, pickleball players have urged city leaders to find a solution, emphasizing the club’s importance to the community.
Supporters of the facility have also started the Save Bobby Riggs Grassroots Committee to help the club resume operations at full capacity. Some have even offered to help pay for improvements, Dawson said.
“A lot of my patrons have said they’d like to participate in a capital fundraising project,” Dawson said. “I’ve been a good steward of the money that’s come in, so I’ve budgeted for such projects.”
Ultimately, Dawson hopes to find a solution that will work for everyone, balancing the club’s interests with those of the city and its neighbors.
“I want the neighbors to love the club, I don’t want to be put out of business,” Dawson said. “And I want the city to come out of this looking golden as well.”
1 comment
Thwack thwack thwack thwack from 27 courts, 8am to 7-9pm every day of the week? How did the neighbors stand it this long?
And how can the business and players have had so little concern for their distress?
Quieter paddles and soundproofing. Why it’s rocket science.
Owner Steve Dawson blithely stated to another paper that the use of his “quiet paddles” won’t be required after the “sound barriers” are installed. Hope he reconsiders, if he “wants the neighbors to love the club.” Any barrier will be a relative improvement, not a total Cone of Silence. Plus, players will then feel entitled to make even more noise. Best redouble your efforts.
Fans’ single-minded support at the City Council meeting suggested a degree of selfishness. It’s a “total inclusion place” one said. Oh yeah, except for those nosy neighbors messing with my exuberant leisure.
Construction of housing on that small flat parcel would take nowhere near five years. Minimal grading, pour foundation, build structure. Have lived around a lot of construction and even a small development was done in two years. Compared to eternal torture by pickleball whooping and chatter among up to 16 pickleballers per court, according to a local report.
Even at the current reduced usage, 50 decibels average from Bobby Riggs, including unpredictable impulsive noise, for 12 hours a day has got to be crazy-making. Mr. Dawson should consider a long weekend at the neighbors’. Or spending his fundraising and sale proceeds on a commercial parcel more suited to industrial-scale pickleball.
For the neighbors’ sake, I hope that if the current plans are not satisfactory, the club will persist until real solutions are achieved for the neighbors to live peacefully, not just a pro forma oh we tried.
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