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The nation’s largest pickleball franchise has been permitted to open an indoor facility in Livermore, signaling its first expansion into the Tri-Valley.
The upcoming Pickleball Kingdom is set to feature eight courts for reservation, lessons, clinics, tournaments and private event bookings.
In addition to the courts, Pickleball Kingdom in Livermore is set to feature an ancillary retail space, a raised viewing area, game room, community room, office and storage areas, multiple seating areas, bathrooms and lockers.
Pickleball Kingdom will occupy a vacant commercial building at 4650 Arroyo Vista, known as home to JOANN Fabrics prior to its permanent closure during winter 2023.
The Livermore Planning Commission at its regular meeting June 16 unanimously approved a conditional use permit that allows operation of the pickleball facility.
Serving as the franchisees and owners are Abhimanyu Dhariwal and Shreya Trivedi, a husband-and-wife duo with a personal love for pickleball.
“For the longest time, I couldn’t find a sport to play with my wife, until I found pickleball,” Dhariwal said during the meeting. “We noticed that in the Bay Area, we hardly have any indoor facilities to complement the outdoor facilities.”
“The sport has been growing at a massive growth rate in the last few years and we wanted to be part of that as well,” he added.
As part of the conditions of approval, all building doors must remain closed during operating hours for acoustic sealing, Livermore assistant planner Jesse Garcia said at the meeting.
Adding to the noise mediation, the building is constructed with 8-inch-thick masonry units. The metal roof will be treated with acoustic insulation, Garcia added.
The operations will be “generally inaudible” at the nearest property line with 20 dBA, Garcia said, based on an environmental noise assessment conducted by Bollard Acoustical Consultants. The level of sound is equivalent to somewhere between a pin falling and leaves rustling, he added.
The assessment was not included in the meeting’s agenda packet.
During the commission’s discussion, Vice Chair Charity Steele recalled previous concern expressed by the community regarding potential noise disturbances related to proposed, outdoor pickleball courts.
One such issue arose when the commission considered and ultimately rejected in December 2024 the construction of outdoor pickleball courts at Marlin Pound Neighborhood Park.
“This project provides a great solution,” Steele said of Pickleball Kingdom being an indoor-only facility.
If the city receives valid complaints, it has the authority to require noise monitoring of the business to ensure that exterior noise levels do not exceed regulation, according to Garcia.
Pickleball Kingdom also plans to respond by phone to any potential complaint of noise.
“This is a very well-thought-out project,” Commissioner Yolanda Fintschenko said during the meeting. “Most of the noise concerns are addressed by having this be indoors.”
Commissioner Jacob Anderson also praised the proposal as being well-thought-out, saying the pickleball business was a “great use” for the facility.
The Planning Commission approved the permit via 4-0 tally, with Commissioner Nadine Horner absent.
Pickleball Kingdom is proposed to operate daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
