Rendering of the interior of the Performance Pickleball RVA pickleball venue planned for Regency. (Images courtesy of Performance Pickleball RVA)
An empty department store in Regency will soon be filled with the sound of pickleball volleys.
Performance Pickleball RVA, an 18-court pickleball venue, is in the works at the ever-evolving West Henrico Mall.
The facility will take shape in a vacant 41,000-square-foot space that was formerly the ground floor of the mall’s Macy’s North store, which has been closed since 2016. Above that space, the rest of the former department store , there is the entertainment venue Surge. Adventure park.
The site would feature a mix of indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, as well as a pro shop, bar and restaurant. Investors behind the project say they believe the site will be the largest of its kind in Virginia.
Construction is scheduled to begin in May or June, with an expected completion date of December for the first phase of the project.
Performance Pickleball’s ownership group includes Lee Warfield, CEO of Richmond commercial real estate firm Thalhimer, which part-owns Regency. Warfield’s partners in the pickleball venture are Jon Laaser, Jeff Newman and Leah Fremouw.
Lee Warfield
Warfield said he tried pickleball while on a recent vacation with his wife and was hooked on the game, which is one of the fastest growing sports in America.
Warfield met Laaser, another recent convert, through the local pickleball scene and soon talks began about opening a venue dedicated to the popular tennis-like sport. Warfield said Thalhimer’s ongoing redevelopment project at Regency seems like a good fit for the company both because of the location and the space provided by the long-vacant Macy’s site.
“It’s an idea that was born on the pickleball court and then connected to the real estate opportunity,” Warfield said. “It really came together quickly, in a matter of months.”
Laaser will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the venue. He is president and co-founder of Laaser’s Ladybug Society, a local nonprofit that raises money to support mental health initiatives in Richmond-area public schools. Laaser was also involved in the founding of the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2009, and was previously the broadcaster for the baseball team.
“I discovered pickleball in April of 2022 and it has consumed my life ever since. The RVA pickleball community, which is one of the strongest in the country, has welcomed me with open arms and I am more so excited to create a place they can call home year-round,” Laaser said in a prepared statement.
The site plans to hold clinics, leagues and live play sessions, as well as tournaments. It will offer members, but will also be open to non-members.
An exterior rendering of the Performance Pickleball RVA pickleball arena planned for Regency (image courtesy of Performance Pickleball RVA)
The first phase of the project will include the construction of the venue’s 12 indoor courts. The second phase will feature the six outdoor courts and an outdoor spectator area. The outdoor portion of the site will be outside the former Macy’s.
The investment group is accepting bids for a general contractor for the project. Interactive Design Group is the architecture firm for the project.
Warfield said there are still discussions about whether Performance Pickleball will manage its bar and restaurant or hire a third party.
Warfield said a cost estimate for the project is still being calculated.
The pickleball site is a continuation of Regency’s shift from a traditional shopping center to a mixed-use development under Thalhimer and Rebkee Co. ownership.
Warfield said the pickleball facility will be a nice complement to Regency Apartments and newer tenants like Surge and Virginia Aquatics’ NEW swim facility.
“This really reinforces this whole concept of live, work and play,” he said.
