Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board : Minneapolis Park And Recreation Board To Consider New Pickleball Courts At Loring Park And Lake No ...

Press release from the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

2021-10-26

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) just launched a new project that will explore building new pickleball courts at Loring Park and next to Lake Nokomis Community Center in response to significant community desire for more opportunities to play pickleball in Minneapolis parks.

The first dedicated pickleball courts in the Minneapolis park system are scheduled to open at Dickman Park in northeast Minneapolis next spring. This project will consider amending three park master plans to add more opportunities for pickleball.

Loring Park

The long-term plan for Loring Park is in the Downtown Service Area Master Plan, which includes long-term plans all downtown Minneapolis park properties. It was approved in 2017.

This project proposes an amendment to the Downtown Service Area Master Plan that would add two pickleball-specific courts near the tennis courts in Loring Park.

Lake Nokomis Community Center

This project proposes to convert two tennis courts next to Lake Nokomis Community Center to 3-4 dedicated pickleball courts and add pickleball striping to the tennis courts near the intersection of Minnehaha Parkway and Bloomington Avenue.

The Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan is a long-term plan for all parkland and trails along Minnehaha Creek through Minneapolis, except for areas by Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha, which are covered by the Nokomis-Hiawatha Master Plan.

The Minnehaha Parkway Master Plan includes dedicated pickleball courts near the intersection of Minnehaha Parkway and Bloomington Avenue. Community feedback received over the past year identified Lake Nokomis Community Center as better location for pickleball courts.

This project would amend the Minnehaha Parkway Master Plan to retain the tennis courts at the intersection of the parkway and Bloomington Avenue with new pickleball striping, and amend the Nokomis-Hiawatha Master Plan to convert the two tennis courts immediately adjacent to the Nokomis Community Center to 3-4 dedicated pickleball courts.

Get Involved

There are two ways to have your voice heard in this process:

Take Pickleball Plan Survey

Fill out a brief survey to share your thoughts on proposed pickleball courts in Minneapolis parks. Share the survey with anyone who may be interested: surveymonkey.com/r/PickleballPlans

Sign up for Email Updates

Visit the Pickleball Plan Amendments project page and enter your email into the “Subscribe to Email Updates” box to sign up for email updates on this project. Additional opportunities to provide input will happen throughout the fall and winter, and the best way to stay up-to-date is to sign up for email updates.

Community feedback about these possible changes will determine whether MPRB staff will bring amendments to the Board of Commissioners for consideration. If approved, all the courts considered in this project could be constructed or renovated in 2022.

Learn more about parks with pickleball courts striped on indoor and outdoor surfaces and opportunities to participate in league or drop-in play at the new Minneapolis Parks Pickleball Page.

This press release was produced by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. The views expressed here are the author’s own.