Boiseans have a new place to train up for their major league baseball debuts.
D-Bat has leased a large retail space at Overland Plaza. This once-vacant and struggling retail space has been converted into a thriving athletic facility. This lease exemplifies the power of adaptive reuse in commercial real estate and has earned a 2025 Impact Award for lease of the year as judged by real estate professionals in the Boise market.
D-Bat is a baseball and softball training franchise founded in 1998. It provides camps, coaching and training for players of all levels.
Along with the landlord, D-Bat invested in converting this former grocery store into a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled training facility with batting cages, open training areas and indoor fields.
Including D-Bat in the tenant mix adds to the vibrancy and diversity of the shopping center at Overland Plaza, with young athletes and their families increasing the flow of traffic and economic prospects for the area.
Transforming a retail space of this size into a vibrant sports training facility demonstrates what creative leasing and long-term investment can do for a struggling shopping center.
About the project: With the addition of 23,375 square feet at Overland Plaza, D-Bat adds to its portfolio of over 170 locations in the U.S. and China.
The lease was structured to support renovations to the site to adapt the space to meet these unique operational needs. These improvements not only made the space functional for D-BAT but also ensured compatibility with the surrounding businesses.
What the judges said: "The commitment and willingness for all parties to invest in an alternative use to revive this retail center is commendable," said Tim Reid, first vice president at CBRE.
They made it happen: Jack Cosca and Kelly Schnebly of Colliers, Steve Heath of Heath Development & Construction represented the property owner, and Chase Cooper, project manager at Union Corner Construction.