Visitors to Regency Square in Richmond, Virginia, may need to get accustomed to such terms as volley llamas, flabjacks and dillballs after a local group partnered with the mall's owners to remake a former Macy's into the largest pickleball venue in the state, according to its operator.
The location is one of dozens of former department stores and big-box retail spaces across the country to be repurposed for pickleball as mall owners look to breathe new life into their properties by capitalizing on the popularity of one of the country's fastest-growing sports.
Pickleball has been around since 1965 but has grown exponentially in recent years, increasingly showing up as an amenity at office properties, apartments and industrial parks. Sports celebrities such as Tom Brady, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kim Clijsters have invested in the sport, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis using a paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
More than half a million people have taken up pickleball since early 2021, and more than 5 million currently play regularly, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. About 52% of all core players are 55 years of age and older, with the fastest growth occurring among players under 24 years of age, according to data from USA Pickleball, the de facto governing body for the sport.
With the Richmond venue, property co-owners Thalhimer Realty Partners and Rebkee Co., along with partner Performance Pickleball RVA, are betting that their "pickleball powerhouse" will be a draw for the region and attract more visitors to the roughly 820,000-square-foot mall.
In recognition, the development earned a 2024 CoStar Impact Award for redevelopment of the year, as selected by an independent panel of local industry professionals.
About the Project: Performance Pickleball RVA is the vision of investors and co-founders Jeff Newman, Jon Laaser, Leah Fremouw and Lee Warfield, the president and CEO of commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. The venture opened the first phase, consisting of 12 indoor pickleball courts, in late 2023, with the second phase to include six outdoor courts and an outdoor area for spectators. Located at 1400-1420 N. Parham Road, the Interactive Design Group-designed venue is also slated to host large-scale tournaments and events and include a bar, restaurant and pro shop.
What the Judges Said: The project "encourages the healthy aspects of Pickleball in a growing densely populated area," said John Jay Schwartz, broker, president and managing director with The Man With Square Feet. The project will also "support numerous eateries etc. in Regency."
The project is an "innovative use that will create a hub of activity in a fast growing sport," added Andy Little, principal of John B. Levy & Co.
They Made It Happen: Lee Warfield is the co-founder of Performance Pickleball. Connie Nielsen and Nicki Jassy of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer represented ownership in the lease negotiations.
CoStar Market Manager Christian Taylor contributed to this report.