A special permit for an indoor pickleball and golf facility, to be located at 51 Evergreen Circle in Mashpee, has been approved by the Mashpee Planning Board, moving the project one step closer to construction.
On Wednesday, the Mashpee Planning Board voted in favor of approving a special permit to the applicant, William Russell, to build a 35,870-square-foot facility, called “Island Pickle.”
Island Pickle, once constructed, will be home to 10 indoor pickleball courts, six golf simulation bays, a 2,500-square-foot tavern, a pro shop, locker rooms and over 30,000-square-feet of common areas. It will sit on a 37,000-square-foot lot in a Mashpee industrial zone.
Mr. Russell first submitted the application for a special permit to the planning board in August 2024 for approval of a special permit. However, it was quickly turned over by the planning board’s hands and placed into the hands of the Cape Cod Commission, because the project proposed a building that is larger than 10,000-square-feet and considered a development of regional impact (DRI). Thus, the project was reviewed by the Cape Cod Commission’s DRI Committee for several months before receiving approval in January.
On February 5, with a DRI-approved plan, Mr. Russell then came back to the planning board. However, board members pointed out several areas of concern, regarding wastewater mitigation, parking and traffic control, and emergency access to the building, and the board moved to continue the public hearing several times.
By the planning board’s meeting on March 5, the board had come to an understanding that the applicant needed to acquire several waivers from the town, before it could approve the project. The public hearing was then continued until March 19.
At the meeting on Wednesday, March 19, Town Planner Brian Tobin explained that the applicant had resolved almost all of the board’s unanswered questions, and “has provided a number of deliverables” including an updated water quality report.
Because the applicant had worked to resolve most of the board’s requests from the last meeting, a draft decision had been made. “What you have before you is a draft decision,” Mr. Tobin said. “There are three waivers [on the draft decision] that the applicant is presently seeking, [which are all] within the planning board’s authority, [and are] expressly authorized by the code,” that the planning board can waive.
The draft decision also included a list of conditions that will need to be met by the applicant, Mr. Russell. The board reviewed each of the 16 conditions that were included in the draft decision, and highlighted “key” details. For instance, the conditions of the special permit note that the applicant must comply with all dimensional bylaws outlined by the town, must obey the designated use and intended uses of the facility as outlined in the permit and the applicant must also provide ample parking spaces for all guests.
Additionally, the applicant must bring a revised landscaping plan to the board, prior to construction of the building. Any future or proposed changes to the plan should also be brought to the board’s attention, as per the draft decision.
While reading the conditions aloud, the board then found another issue: the hours of operation in the draft decision were not the same hours presented in the applicant’s original plan. Chairwoman Mary Waygan pointed out that in previous meetings Mr. Russell stated that Island Pickle’s hours of operations would be from 7 AM to 10 PM. However, the draft decision noted that the business would have operating hours from 6 AM to 11:59 PM.
Mr. Russell said that the hours were changed to be “broad” to allow for specific events that might extend beyond 10 PM, such as sports-related events at the tavern or other pickleball tournament-style events. He noted that 7 AM to 10 PM would most likely be his typical hours of operation, but that he would be able to clarify his business hours when he seeks an entertainment license from the select board. This, he said, is the next step of his journey, following the approval of the special permit.
While some members of the board worried that the hours of operation could lead to a problem down the road with late-night noise, Mr. Tobin assured the board that the new facility would not be of harm to the town. The town’s planner said that “one of the great things about this project is that it solves the pickleball problem on Cape Cod by taking it out of your backyard and putting it in an indoor facility in an industrial park.”
Approval From The Board
Hearing no further questions or discussion, Ms. Waygan then asked for a motion to close the public hearing. Board member Dennis Balzarini made a motion to close the public hearing, which was seconded by member Karen D. Faulkner.
Then, Ms. Waygan asked for a motion to approve the special permit. Mr. Balzarini made the motion, and planning board clerk Dale Oakley Jr. seconded the motion.
Following, a vote from the board, the special permit was granted. Mr. Russell will now seek final permits, including an entertainment license, before he can begin construction of the project.
“This is a big project and it’s not one to be taken lightly,” Mr. Russell said, before thanking the board.