Resident tells Lake Elmo council pickleball courts are harming neighbors' health and property values

A resident told the Lake Elmo City Council on July 15 that noise from nearby pickleball courts has become a health and property-value problem for several neighborhoods. The speaker urged the city to follow a 600-foot guideline in the Lake Elmo Park System Plan for siting courts and to consider relocating or installing noise mitigation measures.

The resident, identified in the meeting record as "Resident," said the courts produce a sharp percussive sound he described as a "thwack or a pop" and that the exposure has been frequent enough to cause stress-related health effects. He cited the Lake Elmo Park System Plan and said the plan recommends that pickleball courts not be placed within 600 feet of a home. He said his home is 340 feet from one site and that other properties are closer; he offered counts for multiple parks: "15 homes within 600 feet of the courts at Pebble Park," "12 homes within 600 feet of the courts at Tableau Park," "41 homes within 600 feet of the courts at Ivywood Park," and "11 single family homes and an unknown number of apartments within 600 feet at the court courts at Lyons Park." The resident also said the noise has reduced property values, adding, "I would not be surprised if my property value has declined by 6 figures."

Council members did not take action during the public-comment period. The mayor reminded speakers that council members do not answer questions during public comment. The resident said he would follow up by emailing council members and invited them to hear the noise from his property.

The comment was recorded during the public-comment portion of the meeting; no staff report or council motion on the courts was made at the July 15 session. Council members who later discussed parks planning referenced the Lake Elmo Park System Plan in other agenda items and noted that park siting and design work are part of ongoing parks and community-development planning.