The Recreation Centers of Sun City West is moving forward with plans for a new pickleball facility at the Palm Ridge Recreation Center despite a petition drive and opposition from residents who live in the area.

General Manager Mike Whiting said the governing board's December approval of the project, which includes the conversion of three tennis courts into pickleball courts, means attempts to hinder or stop the project retroactively do not matter.

"It was approved prior to the petition even being circulated and our attorney advised us the vote has already been taken to approve, and we are able to do that," he said, adding that even if a bylaw change is approved by voters at the March 31 election, the new courts would still be built. "It wouldn't make any difference to the pickleball. We'd go forward regardless."

Projects Superintendent Larry Griffith presented the layout designs for the project at a workshop meeting Friday.

A major change from previous discussion about the forthcoming pickleball complex is there will be 10 courts instead of 12, which Griffith said offers a more spacious area for spectators.

"We worked with the Pickleball Club, and they'd rather have better access to the courts and that layout worked better for them," Whiting said.

And the project will likely cost less than the $200,000 approved by the board.

"We believe the (post-tension) concrete work will be about $120,000 and then there will be some fencing work beyond that, but it will be well under the $200,000 we have (budgeted)," Whiting said.

If the board approves the plans at the regular meeting on March 26, the next step will be the solicitation of bids, before the project could begin, Whiting said.