Bringing Pickleball to Mill Pond (Richmond Hill, ON): A Proposal for New Outdoor Courts

The Case for More Pickleball Courts:

• Explosive Growth: As of 2026, Richmond Hill has one of the most active pickleball communities in York Region. Local networks (such as the Richmond Hill Pickleball Club and York Region - GTA Network) boast over 6,400 registered players across the city.
• Lack of Local Access: While parks like Bayview Hill, Rouge Woods and Richmond Green have courts, these are often at capacity and have extremely long wait times. The Mill Pond area lacks walkable access to facilities. 
• Spillover Problems: Mill Pond / Richmond Hill residents drive across the city, or to Markham, Thornhill, Vaughan, Aurora, and Newmarket in search of court space, contributing to court shortages in those existing locations. This petition asks the City to prioritize Mill Pond for new (or trial) courts so we can play closer to home, and avoid contributing to spillover capacity problems in other parts of York Region.
• Low-Cost Implementation: We propose a "Pop-up Trial" using existing underutilized tennis courts or paved surfaces with temporary nets and lines, allowing the City to gauge usage before committing to permanent infrastructure.

Pickleball fosters community health and social connection for all ages and cultures. We request that Mill Pond be prioritized in the next phase of the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan for Pickleball court development.

We urge the City to identify a suitable underutilized outdoor space for a pilot project of temporary Pickleball courts in the Mill Pond neighbourhood, to evaluate its success and impact. Possible underutilized neighbourhood space for consideration may include:

• Stavert Park, especially the adjoining abandoned parking lot
• Bradstock Park
• Upper Mill Pond Park
• Pleasantville Park

Your Mill Pond neighbours truly appreciate your support! (Richmond Hill, Ontario)