Proposed UBC basketball court plans shift following noise and safety concerns

Progress is being made on a proposed basketball court that caused concerns for some residents of the Wesbrook Place neighbourhood in the UBC Endowment Lands.

Late last year, there was a small uproar about the proposed court, with residents raising concerns about community safety and noise.

It became a hot topic for the area and a surprisingly divisive one, with some accusing the residents of having NIMBY attitudes.

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In an update, UBC states that it received a revised application that includes a slight change to the court’s location, placing it next to preexisting volleyball courts. This increases the distance from the nearest residential development by an additional 30 metres from the original proposal.

One of the people that Daily Hive spoke to at the time was Professor of Archaeology at UBC, Charles Menzies. He didn’t agree with the concerns of residents.

“Underlying the campaign against public outdoor courts is a set of ideas that revolve around ‘noise,’ ‘danger,’ and ‘property values.’ Each of these claims are unfounded opinions. Even worse, there is documented evidence that they are not a simple misconception, but are factually wrong.”

He referenced studies to suggest that the concerns were factually incorrect.

“For example, in a Portland study of parks, it was found that the noise levels from skateboard parks and basketball courts were no different than any other outdoor park. The park noise was 70db at 50 feet from the park (and indistinguishable from ambient levels at 200 feet), less than what the UNA allows for power equipment.”

Whatever the case is for how valid the noise concerns are, the community consultations seemed to matter, as the proposed location has shifted slightly.

The following picture highlights the new location:

UBC

The document highlights extensive noise testing carried out several distances away from the residential area, including at the new proposed location.

UBC

The results from the tests suggest that the noise levels are acceptable.

UBC

You can view the complete analysis of the updated location and all the background information here.

Two more public engagement events will take place on April 20, with the deadline for feedback set for April 27. Then in May, the UNA will decide whether or not to advance the UBC basketball court project to Metro Vancouver.

It remains to be seen whether this shift will be enough to appease the concerned residents in the area.