There's a new place you can go if you're in Roanoke, Virginia: The YMCA opened an expansive location on the upper level of the Tanglewood Mall.
In addition to expanding locals' access to communal and recreational space, the lease underscores mall owners' efforts to diversify their properties by introducing more experiential retail, such as gyms, laser tag arenas and indoor skate parks, to drive foot traffic. At 47,000 square feet, the YMCA deal is also the largest retail lease signed in the market last year, according to CoStar data.
In recognition, the deal earned a 2025 CoStar Impact Award for lease of the year in Roanoke, as selected by an independent panel of local industry professionals.
The YMCA is a 180-year-old nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of programs and services focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Its offerings include fitness centers, child care services, early learning programs and career development resources.
“Bringing YMCA programs to Roanoke County presents an exciting opportunity that perfectly aligns with our overarching goal to build community throughout the region," Mark Johnson, president and CEO of the YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge, said in a statement. "By partnering with Tanglewood Mall, we can live true to our mission ... in an area we don’t currently serve."
The YMCA opened late last year at the mall, a roughly 764,000-square-foot complex that was the largest Virginia mall west of Richmond when it opened its doors in 1973. Richmond-based Hackney Real Estate Partners acquired it in 2023 for nearly $42.5 million.
About the project: The YMCA's new location is in the former Steve & Barry's department store, which closed in 2019. It is designed to include eight designated pickleball courts, a wellness center, a hot yoga studio, saunas, two group exercise studios, a “Stay and Play” area for children and additional programming space.
What the judges said: The YMCA lease represents a "creative repositioning of retail space [and a] significant community impact in terms of improved access to recreational facilities in the area," said Dustin Read, head of the Blackwood Department of Real Estate at Virginia Tech.
They made it happen: Wyatt Poats of Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer represented the YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge in the lease transaction. Jonathan Bowden of Hackney Real Estate represented the landlord in-house.