Planning Commission tables proposed Bluffton pickleball club over parking, traffic concerns

Issues with available parking and traffic flow were the top concerns when the Bluffton Planning Comission tabled a proposal for a large pickleball facility to be taken up during their meeting Wednesday.

The proposed Lowcountry Pickleball club would consist of six indoor courts, six covered outdoor courts and six uncovered outdoor courts.

It would be located on 10.25 acres at 60 Estate Drive. The property encompasses three existing lots within the Palmetto Pointe Business Park. They would be consolidated into one lot as part of the project, according to plans filed with the Town of Bluffton.

Rick Maggin, a representative for the owners, said that while they hope the club will host national events, the site won’t have the parking to support them.

“If we do have a large event, like a large Pickleball tournament, we expect to have to arrange for shuttle services,” said Maggin.

The current plans for the site show there are 222 parking spaces, which is two per court plus parking for the restaurant and clubhouse, according to Maggin. The last national pickleball tournament, which was in Palm Springs, saw more than 2,300 registered players attend, according to usapickleball.org.

“How can a site like that with 200 parking spaces handle 2,300 people over the time of the tournament?” Commissioner Charles Wetmore said. “That scares the hell out of me.”

The current plans do not include bus routes for the site, which the commissioners wanted to see.

Another concern was about the ownership of Highland Crossing Drive, which borders the west end of the site and would act as one of the entrances to the club. That road is owned by the Palmetto Pointe Home Owners Association, according to their president, Carrie Murphy.

“These folks that are at Palmetto Pointe, on the other entrance that they have is a school, which is a traffic nightmare at times,” said Wetmore. “If we box them in with two traffic nightmares, if we don’t properly hash this out, then we’re not doing them a service.”

The Planning Commission asked that the developer return when they can address the issues of parking, traffic, bus drop off and the ownership of Higland Crossing Drive. No timetable has been set.

This story was originally published July 30, 2022 at 9:59 AM.