North Haven Asked To Regulate Pickleball Noise

Pickleball may be the fastest-growing sport in the country, but noise from the paddles and plastic balls used in the game, which some people say resembles an amplified game of pingpong, has elicited more than its share of complaints, too.

At its October 18 meeting, the North Haven Village Board began a tentative discussion about whether it should try to impose some regulations on the game, as Sagaponack and East Hampton villages have done in the past year.

The board was encouraged to take action by the North Haven Shores Association, which represents approximately 50 residents.

In a letter to the board, the association’s board of directors described pickleball as a sport “uniquely characterized by repetitive, piercing sounds at a frequency that is particularly disturbing and that infringes upon the right of neighboring homeowners to enjoy their property in peace.”

The association urged the board to consider “reasonable noise abatement requirements,” including the use of noise-reducing balls and paddles, sound-absorbing panels, and limited hours for when the sport can be played.

It concluded by urging the board to amend its noise ordinance to specifically list the noise from a pickleball court as a violation, unless soundproofing efforts had been taken.

Mayor Chris Fiore said he was in no hurry to regulate the sport, suggesting it would be better if homeowners associations imposed their own restrictions.

Referring to Sagaponack and East Hampton, which have required that courts be sunk 4 feet into the ground, Fiore said, “I can’t say that I’m thrilled with that approach,” adding later that he thought that would be cost-prohibitive and that disputes between neighbors could be handled privately.

But board members had differing views.

Trustee Terie Diat said she was in favor of banning the sport outright. Trustee Peter Boody said that while pickleball has become controversial, it hadn’t reached that level in North Haven. While he suggested the board examine amending its own code, Trustee Claas Abraham said it might be easiest to amend the village noise ordinance.

Kim Taipale, a resident of North Haven Shores, whose neighbor has a tennis court that is only 19 feet from the property line, threatened to sue the village if it did not take some action to control pickleball noise.

Taipale said he did not want to “personalize” his comments, but he said his neighbors didn’t just play an hour or two a day, but sometimes they played six hours or more and also allowed friends to use the court.

He suggested that, at a minimum, the village should require soundproof paneling and amend its noise ordinance to expressly include pickleball.

The board took no further action on the debate, but agreed to look more closely at Sagaponack and East Hampton’s regulations and check with code enforcement to see how many complaints have been filed about pickleball.

Fiore also announced that village representatives and officials from Southampton Town’s Community Preservation Fund office had met recently to discuss plans for the development of what has been informally called Lovelady Powell Park. Although Fiore noted that the town officials had not denied the request for a foot bridge and other improvements to the site, he did say the Town Board would have final approval.

Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni, who has said he would like to see work on the park begin in earnest early next year, said the recent meeting was just one step in a process. He said no action would be taken until the village provided the town with a detailed site plan for the project.

Fiore also announced that the New York State Department of Transportation had agreed with the village’s request to lower the speed limit to 30 mph on Route 114 from the South Ferry landing to Shelter Island Avenue. The speed limit will remain 35 mph along the remainder of Route 114 in the village.