Plans for South Fayette pickleball facility stall
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Plans to turn South Fayette Township into a regional mecca for pickleball have stalled.
Township commissioners unanimously voted to deny a zoning change for approximately eight vacant acres off Mayview Road, just north of Boyce Road that was requested to accommodate a pickleball facility.
Commissioners denied the request to change the zoning from a residential (R1) to industrial park.
Dave Speer owns the plot of land along with two adjacent plots that total approximately 18 acres. The eight acres in question is the middle plot.
The central plot was to feature a complex that housed indoor and outdoor pickleball courts. That facility was going to be owned and run by Wayne Dollard.
Nine township residents spoke at the public hearing for the change. Eight were in opposition. Two main talking points emerged. Residents didn’t want the facility in an area that is mostly residential. Also, if the zoning change was made, the land could be developed for a more industrial use if the pickleball plan failed or in the future.
Ashley Everman lives on Mayview Road. She said she and her husband bought their home because of the residential area. A pickleball facility would mean increased traffic, light and noise.
“If it’s not going to be vacant, it should be homes. It should be families. It should be kids,” Everman said.
Other residents of Fox Chase Court, which is on a hill above the land, also expressed concern. Mary Ellen Hasselman said the stability of the hill is a grave concern if development in the future dug into it.
Speer said they have no intention to develop back to the hill or move that ground. He also noted the land across Mayview Road is zoned industrial and is where Three Saints Bakery is located.
Prior to the vote, Commissioner Joseph Horowitz said the board has been approached with rezones in the past only to have the proposed use for the property afterward.
Dollard owns In Community Magazines, publishers of suburban, community-based magazines in the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Erie areas. He also owns and publishes Pickleball Magazine.
He said his vision is to bring a pickleball complex to the area because there’s a need. He and his friends have a difficult time finding places to play and are often pushed aside for basketball.
He said his plan for the pickleball complex was not to make money, but to give pickleball an exposure to potential players and offer a place to play.
“It’s not about money,” Dollard said. “It’s about a place to play for our friends, for kids, for seniors.”
Dollard said his only hope financially for the complex was to break even. He also said it would be funded by himself and investors, without taking out loans.
Speer said the northern plot is slated to be used for a Montessori school. He said a change in that residential zoning is not needed.
After the vote, when asked his next steps for the land, Speer only said he is “undeterred.”