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Leawood to send pickleball-court plan to Parks & Recreation after usage study
Summary
City staff presented a September usage study showing evening pick-up in shared tennis/pickleball courts; council referred the question of dedicated pickleball courts to the Parks & Recreation Board and placed a provisional halt on design spending until the recommendation is returned.
Leawood — City parks staff presented a usage study and options for accommodating pickleball at the Leawood tennis complex, and the governing body unanimously referred the question to the Parks and Recreation Board with a proviso that design funds not be spent until the review is complete.
Chris Claxton, director of Parks, Recreation and Arts, said staff and public-works partner Dave Lay collected time-lapse images every 15 minutes for about 21 days in September to measure court use. "We did take images, and we were taking them every 15 minutes between 06:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.," Claxton said, summarizing the methodology. Staff reported two daily peak-use windows (early morning and 6:30–7:30 p.m.) and estimated that during peak evening hours roughly six to seven pickleball courts and about three tennis courts were in use on the surveyed south courts.
Staff outlined three options: leave the shared configuration as-is (12 shared striping arrangements), build a dedicated pickleball complex on the adjacent east soccer field (which would require fill and further engineering), or refer the matter to the Parks and Recreation Board for expanded study. Claxton noted the city currently has budgeted funding for eight courts (including lighting) but did not request action that night.
Councilmembers asked about seasonal demand, reservation and rental processes, neighborhood noise, and how lessons and lesson-scheduling interact with open-play usage. Councilmember Kane said the data supported taking a closer look and moved to refer the matter to the Parks and Recreation Board. Councilmember Castor asked that the city refrain from spending an $80,000 design appropriation until the board issues a recommendation; the mayor confirmed that interim spending would be improper without a recommendation. The referral passed unanimously.
Why it matters: Pickleball demand is a region-wide trend and the city must balance competing recreational uses (tennis lessons, rentals, open play) and neighborhood impacts. The Parks and Recreation Board will weigh tradeoffs of site, cost, lighting and operations before returning to the governing body.
What’s next: The Parks and Recreation Board will review the study, community input and budget implications and will provide a recommendation to the governing body; staff will not expend the noted design funds until the governing body has received that recommendation.
