A rendering of the interior of the planned Performance Pickleball RVA pickleball venue at Regency. (Images courtesy of Performance Pickleball RVA)
A vacant department store at Regency will soon be filled with the popping sound of pickleball volleys.
Performance Pickleball RVA, an 18-court pickleball venue, is in the works at the ever-evolving western Henrico mall.
The facility will take shape in a 41,000-square-foot vacant space that was formerly the ground floor of the mall’s Macy’s North store that has been shuttered since 2016. Above that space, in the rest of the former department store, is entertainment venue Surge Adventure Park.
The venue would feature a mixture of indoor and outdoor pickleball courts as well as a pro shop, bar and restaurant. The investors behind the project say they believe the venue will be the largest of its kind in Virginia.
Construction is slated to start in May or June, with a target 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 is part owner of Regency. Warfield’s partners in the pickleball venture are Jon Laaser, Jeff Newman and Leah Fremouw.
Lee Warfield
Warfield said he gave pickleball a try while on a recent vacation with his wife and got 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 conversations soon kicked off 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 venture both for location and the space afforded by the long-empty Macy’s spot.
“It’s an idea that was born on the pickleball court and then kind of connected to the real estate opportunity,” Warfield said. “It really did come together quickly, in a matter of months.”
Laaser will handle the venue’s day-to-day operations. 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 also played a part in founding the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2009, and was formerly the baseball team’s broadcaster.
“I discovered pickleball in April of 2022, and ever since then it has consumed my life. The RVA pickleball community, which is one of the most robust in the country, has welcomed me with open arms and I am beyond excited to create a place that they can call home year-round,” Laaser said in a prepared statement.
The venue plans to hold clinics, leagues and drop-in play sessions, as well as tournaments. It will offer memberships but will also be open to nonmembers.
An exterior rendering of the Performance Pickleball RVA pickleball venue 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. Phase two will feature the six outdoor courts and an outdoor spectator area. The outdoor portion of the venue will be just outside the former Macy’s.
The investor group is accepting bids for a general contractor for the project. Interactive Design Group is the project’s architecture firm.
Warfield said discussions are still ongoing about whether Performance Pickleball will operate its bar and restaurant itself or hire a third party.
A cost estimate for the project is still being figured out, Warfield said.
The pickleball venue is a continuation of the shifting of Regency from a traditional mall toward a mixture of uses under the ownership of Thalhimer and Rebkee Co.
Warfield said the pickleball facility will be a good complement to the apartments at Regency and newer tenants such as Surge and the NOVA of Virginia Aquatics swimming facility.
“This really strengthens that whole concept of live, work and play,” he said.
A rendering of the interior of the planned Performance Pickleball RVA pickleball venue at Regency. (Images courtesy of Performance Pickleball RVA)
A vacant department store at Regency will soon be filled with the popping sound of pickleball volleys.
Performance Pickleball RVA, an 18-court pickleball venue, is in the works at the ever-evolving western Henrico mall.
The facility will take shape in a 41,000-square-foot vacant space that was formerly the ground floor of the mall’s Macy’s North store that has been shuttered since 2016. Above that space, in the rest of the former department store, is entertainment venue Surge Adventure Park.
The venue would feature a mixture of indoor and outdoor pickleball courts as well as a pro shop, bar and restaurant. The investors behind the project say they believe the venue will be the largest of its kind in Virginia.
Construction is slated to start in May or June, with a target 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 is part owner of Regency. Warfield’s partners in the pickleball venture are Jon Laaser, Jeff Newman and Leah Fremouw.
Lee Warfield
Warfield said he gave pickleball a try while on a recent vacation with his wife and got 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 conversations soon kicked off 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 venture both for location and the space afforded by the long-empty Macy’s spot.
“It’s an idea that was born on the pickleball court and then kind of connected to the real estate opportunity,” Warfield said. “It really did come together quickly, in a matter of months.”
Laaser will handle the venue’s day-to-day operations. 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 also played a part in founding the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2009, and was formerly the baseball team’s broadcaster.
“I discovered pickleball in April of 2022, and ever since then it has consumed my life. The RVA pickleball community, which is one of the most robust in the country, has welcomed me with open arms and I am beyond excited to create a place that they can call home year-round,” Laaser said in a prepared statement.
The venue plans to hold clinics, leagues and drop-in play sessions, as well as tournaments. It will offer memberships but will also be open to nonmembers.
An exterior rendering of the Performance Pickleball RVA pickleball venue 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. Phase two will feature the six outdoor courts and an outdoor spectator area. The outdoor portion of the venue will be just outside the former Macy’s.
The investor group is accepting bids for a general contractor for the project. Interactive Design Group is the project’s architecture firm.
Warfield said discussions are still ongoing about whether Performance Pickleball will operate its bar and restaurant itself or hire a third party.
A cost estimate for the project is still being figured out, Warfield said.
The pickleball venue is a continuation of the shifting of Regency from a traditional mall toward a mixture of uses under the ownership of Thalhimer and Rebkee Co.
Warfield said the pickleball facility will be a good complement to the apartments at Regency and newer tenants such as Surge and the NOVA of Virginia Aquatics swimming facility.
“This really strengthens that whole concept of live, work and play,” he said.
Congratulations! Another great indoor facility for RVA pickleball.
Hopefully Silver Sneakers will be allowed