Pickleball Emerges as a New Use for Empty Retail and Industrial Space

Empty retail boxes and underused industrial space are finding an unexpected second life as pickleball courts. As traditional tenants thin out and demand for flexible, open floor plates grows, pickleball operators are moving quickly into former big box stores, warehouses, and aging strip centers. The sport’s rapid growth has created a need for large, indoor facilities with high ceilings and minimal buildout, a near perfect match for properties that no longer pencil for conventional retail or light industrial users.

What makes pickleball stand out as a reuse strategy is speed and scale. Many of these facilities open with eight, twelve, or even twenty courts at once, absorbing tens of thousands of square feet in a single lease. Compared with experiential retail or entertainment concepts that require heavy capital and long ramp up periods, pickleball conversions are relatively straightforward. Courts, lighting, and amenities can be installed quickly, allowing landlords to backfill vacancy without years of redevelopment risk...

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RSK: It would take a lot of Pickleball courts to use up all the vacant space....but it is one good option.