A longtime Paradise Valley resident called for greater transparency when new pickleball courts are being approved in town.
Terry Greene Sterling, a journalist who has lived in Paradise Valley since 1972, raised the issue during the town council’s June 11 meeting, arguing that residents deserve more opportunities to learn about and comment on proposed courts before permits are issued.
Homeowners often receive little notice or say before projects are approved despite longstanding community concerns about noise, she said.
“We all know that pickleball nuisance noise is a national problem,” she said, noting some wealthy municipalities have banned pickleball courts altogether while others have changed zoning setbacks and still others have revamped noise ordinances to comport with 21st century technology.
“Rising noise levels from pickleball in Paradise Valley neighborhoods are undermining the qualities that attracted residents to the community,” Greene Sterling continued. “The future of Paradise Valley as a peaceful desert refuge is at stake. Our neighborhood knows that firsthand.”
She said four years ago the town permitted pickleball courts to be built on the property next to hers and, since then, the noise hasn’t stopped.
“The noise is nerveshattering. It feels like an ongoing assault,” she said. “Those of us living close to the courts can’t be outside when pickleball is played for hours on end. We have lost the right to the peaceful enjoyment of our property.”
The residents near the court not only lost their peaceful property but possibly money, Greene Sterling claimed.
“One real estate expert suggests property resale values may decline 10 to 20% if pickleball courts are constructed close to the property for sale,” she added.
According to Councilmember Karen Liepmann, pickleball is a health concern that can cause real stress.
“Studies have shown that exposure to pickleball noise negatively affects nearby neighbors,” she said in an email statement. “The intermittent, high-pitched sound of hard plastic balls striking hard pickleball paddles can trigger a stress response, increase heart rates and trigger acute anxiety.”
None of the problems her neighborhood faces are of their own making and she does not wish for other Paradise Valley residents to have the same issues arise, Greene Sterling said.
“We neighbors have a long and well documented history of varying concerns about pickleball to the town,” she said. “I don’t want future Paradise Valley residents to endure what we endured and are still enduring in our neighborhood.”
The comments come from zoning discussions at the May 14 council meeting where the council directed staff to come back with updates to city codes regarding pickleball courts, Councilmember Ellen Andeen-Keller stated in an email.
“This has been an ongoing issue that we are addressing,” she stated.
Mayor Mark Stanton said the council plans to address the issues at a future meeting some time in the fall, although an official date has not been set.
“I am so very, very grateful to you all for considering regulating pickleball via the town zoning and sound ordinances,” Greene Sterling said.
Greene Sterling closed her public comment asking the council to address two things in the future.
“Please pause pickleball permits until you have decided how to move forward and how to regulate pickle ball,” she said. “Please notify and seek the input of residents living near proposed pickle ball courts before permits are issued.”
Councilmember Liepmann said she welcomes the council’s comprehensive discussion of pickleball-related issues in Paradise Valley.
“This would include educating residents about using quieter equipment, limiting the hours when pickleball may be played on outside courts, and encouraging the installation of acoustic barriers,” she said. “I would also encourage the town to be more diligent in enforcing existing permitting requirements and nuisance regulations.”
Community: I live in central Phoenix and my writing focuses on Fountain Hills education, and the Paradise Valley and Scottsdale communities.
Education: I graduated from Arizona State University in May 2026 with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. My studies focused on writing and visual story-telling.
Random Fact: Growing up I had over 10 pets including 6 cats, 1 dog, 2 hermits crabs, and too many fish to count!
Hobbies: I like to spend my free time hiking, crafting, cooking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
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