Pickleball at Luther Burbank Park

Luther Burbank Park features three sport courts that have hosted summer tennis camps and first-come, first-served open play by community members and off-Island visitors. The courts were constructed in 1972 below grade on top of dense soil. The subgrade has settled over the last 50 years; the courts have endured tree root intrusion and become wavy, impacting recreational tennis play and general useability. In summer 2018, the City closed the courts to repair extensive cracking and closed them again in 2020 to prevent players from congregating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, pickleball players played indoors during drop-in hours at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. The Community Center closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and indoor pickleball play did not resume until the facility reopened with limited hours and use in 2021. While the Community Center was closed, residents worked with the City to temporarily stripe the Luther Burbank Park courts for dual-use pickleball and tennis play. Pickleball players voluntarily coordinate playtime using two online platforms, and pickleball play has consistently been the primary use on the courts since the temporary striping was installed.

The 2022 PROS Plan found that access to pickleball courts and access to tennis courts were of equal importance to survey respondents (34% very important/somewhat important to 36% very important/somewhat important, respectively). However, Mercer Island currently has fourteen dedicated, outdoor public tennis courts but zero dedicated, outdoor pickleball courts (an additional six tennis courts are available to the public at the Mercer Island High School when school activities are not in session). The PROS Plan also states that the City should “plan for a grouping of new, dedicated pickleball courts” and identifies Luther Burbank Park as a preferred site for converting tennis courts to pickleball.

On March 2, 2023, the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) supported restriping the renovated facility for pickleball as the primary use; once completed, the courts would remain available for other sport court uses but will be permanently striped for pickleball. The City Council will receive this recommendation at an upcoming meeting. Details for providing comments will be shared on Let's Talk when available.