Asheville seeks public input on first public pickleball complex sites

Asheville is down to two sites for its first public pickleball complex, and the choice will say a lot about what kind of destination the city wants to build. Aston Park and Roger Farmer Park were identified after site analysis by Surface 678, and the city is asking residents to weigh in before the final pick is made by the end of summer.

The planned facility is no token add-on. Asheville is talking about an 8- to 10-court complex, the kind of footprint that can support open play, beginner programming and community events instead of the stopgap setup players have grown used to. That matters in a mountain city where a good pickleball stop can double as a weekend outing if the courts sit near enough parking, restrooms and the rest of the public-park mix that makes a visit easy.

The city says both finalist parks are accessible, have underutilized areas and can handle courts plus support features such as parking and restrooms. That is the traveler’s lens on this decision: not just where courts fit, but whether the surrounding layout makes a visit feel smooth enough for someone coming in from out of town, staying for a clinic or a round of open play, and then heading to lunch or a brewery without wrestling the whole day around the courts. Asheville also said using existing park land avoids the cost of buying new land, which keeps the bond money focused on the facility itself.

The project is tied directly to Recreate Asheville, the city’s 10-year parks and recreation plan adopted by Asheville City Council on August 27, 2024. Asheville says that plan came out of a community-driven process, and the pickleball complex was identified as part of that broader look at where the city’s recreation system needs to grow. The work is being paid for with the 2024 general obligation bonds approved by voters in the city’s $80 million referendum last November.

Public input is set for April 27 and April 28 through drop-in sessions, with a survey open April 27 through May 11. Asheville says it wants feedback from picklers, neighbors and other park users, and it is offering complimentary transit vouchers for the meetings. That suggests the city knows this is bigger than a court count. It is trying to place a dedicated pickleball hub into a park system that already covers more than 65 public parks, playgrounds and open spaces.

Asheville has already been inching toward this moment. In November 2022, Asheville Parks & Recreation said dual-lining all public outdoor hard-surface tennis courts would raise the city’s public outdoor pickleball count from 12 to 22 while keeping 11 public tennis courts. The city still offers indoor public pickleball at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers, but an 8- to 10-court complex would be the first true dedicated outdoor home. For a city that wants to grow pickleball without crowding out other park uses, the next decision could shape whether Asheville becomes a place to play for an afternoon, or a place worth planning a trip around.