Walnut Creek planning commissioners approve Rossmoor six‑court pickleball facility with noise and tree conditions

The Walnut Creek Planning Commission on March 20 adopted a resolution approving a CEQA categorical exemption and granting design review, tree‑removal and tree‑drip‑line encroachment permits for a proposed 12,000‑square‑foot, six‑court pickleball facility to be located adjacent to the Stanley Dollar event center in the Rossmoor community.

Assistant planner Gerardo Victoria told commissioners that “the project before you today is the Rossmore Pickleball Courts” and described the site at 1021 Stanley Dollar Drive as a 2.4‑acre parcel zoned Planned Development 1483. Victoria said the facility is proposed as an accessory clubhouse use and that staff had received “over a hundred emails” (about 80% in support), one petition in support with more than 400 signatures and one opposing petition with more than 200 signatures. He also said the project team relied on a noise study that found nearby residential areas would be below the general plan’s typically cited 60‑decibel guideline.

The project applicant and operators, represented by Jeff Mathison, general manager for Rossmoor/Walnut Creek, and architect David Massetin of ELS Architects, described site selection and design decisions made to limit noise and visual impacts. Mathison said Rossmoor’s board had considered multiple sites over several years and selected the open area next to the event center because it offers parking, restrooms and distance from most residences. Massetin said the building would use the same standing‑seam roof color as the event center, employ polycarbonate panels where needed and include an 18‑foot southern wall, a fully enclosed west wall and a north wall about 10 feet high to match the sound‑mitigation diagram used by the acoustical consultant.

Project specifics presented to the commission included: a 12,000‑square‑foot structure with six courts; a 2.4‑acre site; approximately 20 existing trees with eight proposed removals (including two valley oaks identified as protected under Rossmoor standards); 5,324 square feet of new landscaping; 14 new trees proposed (including replacement valley oak plantings); retention of 44 existing parking stalls and six new bicycle spaces; and hours of operation proposed as 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The applicant said no additional parking stalls were required and submitted a shared‑parking agreement as part of the permit materials.

On acoustics, the applicant said the project team commissioned updated sound monitoring and modeling for the current design. The acoustical consultant’s report, as summarized by the applicant, showed one modeled exceedance at the Stanley Dollar clubhouse area but reported average modeled levels near 49–50 decibels at other surveyed locations — below the maximum guideline cited in the presentation (about 58.6 dB). The architect said the design includes interior acoustic blankets and that landscaping and screening plantings would further reduce sound in practice. The applicant declined to require the use of low‑noise foam balls, saying participants resist changing equipment and the present design and mitigation were intended to allow play with standard equipment.

More than two dozen members of the public spoke. Supporters emphasized health, social and economic benefits; several speakers said pickleball has increased resident activity and volunteerism and highlighted charitable events such as a Pickleball for Parkinson’s fundraiser that raised six figures. Opponents and nearby residents raised repeated concerns about noise character (impulsive, repetitive sound), sightlines from homes along the golf course, traffic and parking pressure on Stanley Dollar Drive, and the adequacy of mitigation. One speaker, Mary Ramos, urged the commission to confirm compliance with Rossmoor open‑space provisions and parking calculations; staff and the city engineer responded at the meeting that the site is within the clubhouse designation in PD 1483, that the planning commission reviews siting of clubhouse appurtenances, and that a lot‑line adjustment recorded earlier was a ministerial action under the Subdivision Map Act.

Commissioners asked about enclosure, HVAC and costs (the architect said a fully enclosed building would require significant additional HVAC and restroom accommodation), follow‑up acoustical monitoring (the applicant said no post‑occupancy study was planned but would address individual complaints), tree relocation versus replacement, and hours of operation. Following discussion, Commissioner Ward moved to adopt the resolution in the staff packet approving the CEQA finding, design review, and tree permits for application Y23‑053021 (Stanley Dollar Drive), as drafted, with an explicit closing hour of 6 p.m. The motion was seconded, the commission voted unanimously, and the motion passed.

In the same meeting the commission also conducted its internal elections. Commissioners nominated and voted to elect Brant Anderson as chair and Pamela Needing as vice chair; both nominations passed unanimously on roll call.

The commission’s approvals allow the applicant to proceed with permitted construction and the required tree removals under the conditions in the adopted resolution. Staff and commissioners noted that if neighbors register complaints after construction the applicant and foundation said they would pursue operational responses. The planning commission decision establishes the project’s discretionary approvals; it did not itself appropriate funds or change zoning beyond the permits and CEQA finding the commission adopted.