Neighbors ask council to remove pickleball striping at Rainier Trails; council prefers to wait for new Garrett Park courts

Residents urged the city to restore a Rainier Trails court to tennis-only after pickleball striping drew daily play and noise complaints; council members agreed to revisit the matter after nearby Garrett Park courts are resurfaced.

Richard Gardine, speaking for neighbors in the Stonebrook area, said the pickleball lines added in May 2025 have generated daily play and noise that directly affects nearby homes. "We want to be clear that we are not opposed to pickleball. However, we are concerned about the location of the court at Rainier Trails Park… the impact on nearby residents is significant," Gardine said, noting the parks board voted to remove the pickleball lines and that funding is available to do the work this year.

Council members described competing priorities. Council member Storton, who lives in the neighborhood and said he plays pickleball, supported removal: "I'm personally as long as Garrett is there, I don't see a reason why the lines at Rainier Trails shouldn't be removed." Other council members, including Kevin Orsut, favored waiting until the new seven-court, purpose-built facility at Garrett Park is resurfaced and in use before removing existing lines to avoid prematurely removing public amenities and incurring removal costs.

Several council members and committee reports noted Garrett Park resurfacing is expected to start May 18; the council agreed to discuss the issue again at the May 18 meeting.

The council did not vote to direct immediate removal of lines April 27; instead members asked staff to report back after Garrett Park is resurfaced and the new courts begin operations.