Henrico County weighs tighter rules at Pouncey Tract pickleball courts

Pouncey Tract Park is a reminder that a shiny pickleball build is only as good as the rules around it. When courts stay lit late, trash piles up and supervision thins out, a community asset can turn into a neighborhood flashpoint fast. Henrico County is now weighing whether tighter controls are needed at the Short Pump complex.

The complaints are specific and repetitive. One resident said players have been finding beer cans, broken gate latches, scattered trash and other signs of vandalism nearly every morning, and county leaders say the problems have worsened since the new courts opened. Officials have also heard about large groups of teens gathering at night, along with reports involving fights, alcohol and possible drug use.

Three Chopt District Supervisor Misty D. Roundtree said she has heard similar concerns from parkgoers and that police footage has shown fights and assaults involving large groups of young people. Roundtree said the drug paraphernalia she has seen has mostly been marijuana-related, not evidence of harder drugs. Henrico officials are considering earlier shutdowns, turning off lights sooner, age restrictions, or even closing the park if conditions do not improve.

The lighting setup is part of the problem. Henrico says the park is officially open daily from dawn to dusk, but because the courts are not directly adjacent to homes, the lights reportedly stay on until around midnight. County officials also say parkgoers should expect more frequent police patrols, especially on weekends, while police review camera footage to identify people who may have committed assaults or other crimes.

The numbers behind Pouncey Tract help explain why the site draws so much traffic. The complex now has 24 pickleball courts, including 10 standard courts and two championship courts added in the latest expansion. That 12-court phase III project opened Nov. 2, 2024, after funding was approved in July 2022, the Henrico Board of Supervisors signed off in August 2023 and the construction contract was awarded in July 2023. The project cost about $4.4 million and was designed by Timmons Group and built by Rainbow Construction.

Henrico added an 86-space illuminated parking lot, improved access roads and ADA-compliant walking paths as part of the expansion, all meant to support a free amenity in a county that has leaned hard into the regional pickleball boom. Now the test is less about building courts than managing them. If Henrico wants Pouncey Tract to stay a travel-worthy stop instead of a nightly headache, the fix will have to be as practical as the problem: stricter hours, better lighting discipline, visible patrols and rules that match the way the complex is actually being used.