Residents near San Jose park plagued by pickleball

San Jose is set to address concerns from residents who have complained for months about excessive noise and after-hours activity at a park in their Berryessa neighborhood — all stemming from pickleball.

Umang Doshi, who lives across from the pickleball courts at Cataldi Park, said the constant popping of paddles hitting balls has dramatically affected daily life for him and other residents. With games going from sunrise until sometimes after sunset, residents have spoken out about increased traffic and what they describe as a lack of communication before the city converted part of the park into four pickleball courts and one basketball court in September 2024.

“I cannot even sit on my sofa,” Doshi told San José Spotlight, adding that he has kept his windows closed for nearly two years because of the noise.

Doshi said the city didn’t notify residents before replacing the general recreation space outside their doors with the pickleball courts. Representatives for the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services department did not respond to an inquiry about if the city notified residents about the changes.

Residents have organized petitions and contacted city officials in response to the issues — and the city appears to have heard them.

District 4 Councilmember David Cohen, who represents the area, said funding for sound-dampening barriers and fencing around the pickleball courts has been requested as part of the city’s upcoming budget. The city would also install locks to prevent people from playing after park hours.

“It’s been frustrating to all of us because the park closes at dark,” Cohen told San José Spotlight. “People just stay and use the courts at night even when they’re not supposed to.”

Sound-dampening measures would be a relief for residents such as Felix Chen, who lives about a block from the courts where the sound from paddles hitting balls can still be heard. But he still has concerns about increased traffic, speeding and littering that he said stem from people coming to the park to play pickleball.

“The real issue is the broader impact on an entire residential community and the city’s failure to properly evaluate, mitigate and respond to those impacts despite repeated concerns from residents,” Chen told San José Spotlight.

Some pickleball players welcome the proposed changes. Amanda Nguyen, who plays at Cataldi Park nearly every day, said her group typically follows park rules and leaves around sunset. She understands why neighbors are frustrated by early morning noise and acknowledged she has heard of some players arriving before the park is open.

“That’s not nice,” Nguyen told San José Spotlight. “If I lived here I’d be pissed.”

Kalvan Lu, a semi-retired player who visits the courts daily, said the park is an important gathering space for recreation and exercise. Lou said most players he encounters follow the rules and leave before dark. He added that the park has long attracted visitors for a variety of recreational activities.

“People get together, have a good time (and) exercise,” he told San José Spotlight.

Cohen said the city wants to balance residents’ concerns with the growing popularity of pickleball. While he expects the funding request for sound-dampening measures to be approved in the budget for fiscal year 2026-27, which starts July 1, he couldn’t provide a timeline for when the measures could be implemented.

“I feel very positive when I go to the park and I see a large number of people using space and keeping it active and popular,” Cohen said. “We want our public spaces to be utilized.”

For residents such as Doshi and Chen, the improvements can’t come soon enough. But they said the controversy extends beyond noise and raises broader questions about how the city communicates with neighborhoods and plans recreational projects that affect nearby homes.

“We are city residents too,” Doshi said. “We just want the city to listen.”

Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at [email protected] or @CasasPerezRed on X.