Nantucket officials propose an island-wide pickleball ban
Last Edited
Jan 17 2025
Category
News
Nantucket, the island off the coast of Massachusetts, is really, really quaint. If you like the concept of an old New England fishing village, this is your place. But if you like pickleball, it may soon become a no-go.
Town officials are floating an island-wide ban on all pickleball courts, though they appear to be doing so with part of their collective foot in their mouth.
The reason, they cite, is (of course) noise complaints. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see something else at play.
This idea didn’t just emerge from frustrated neighbors. It came after meetings with Nantucket’s Historic District Commission, a group tasked with upholding "Nantucket’s important historic resources include structures as well as their setting and context."
Basically, the historical preservation equivalent of an HOA, but for an entire island. If you've ever visited the place, you can understand why such an organization should probably exist. But much like HOAs, there's a downside.
Could at least part of this proposition come from a classic case of organization overreach, where pickleball courts don't quite match the standard of this preservation-focused commission?
The noise excuse falls apart
Noise is the main justification for the ban, but it seems a weak one.
Nantucket Select Board member Tom Dixon, a pickleball player himself, admitted, "I know it’s noise that’s the problem, but how does enforcement work?"
Exactly. It’s one thing to regulate where courts go—like setting minimum distance requirements—but an outright ban?
According to The Kitchen’s research, the Nantucket Racquet Sports Association courts off Hinsdale Road, the most popular location on the island, are already well over 250 feet from any residences, a standard scientifically demonstrated to mitigate pickleball noise.
Those courts are thriving, with hundreds of members playing year-round. So if spacing can work there, why not apply reasonable zoning rules elsewhere instead of hitting the nuclear button?
Some reports have claimed that at least some town officials are already considering that, so let's hope they win out.
Planning Board Chair Dave Iverson, to his credit, says the proposal is “half-baked” and likely won’t move forward as a full ban. Instead, he suggests regulation—setback requirements, sound barriers, maybe even designated zones.
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