Pickleball Club Leases in Long Island City

Pickleball is moving up from a sport popular in public parks and as a residential amenity to a standalone club.

CityPickle signed a 10,000-square-foot lease to operate a dedicated pickleball club at 9-03 44th Road in the Queens neighborhood, the New York Post reported. Barone Management is the landlord at the industrial property known as The Woodworks.

CityPickle is eyeing a late spring or early summer opening for its club. The facility will include four climate-controlled courts for playing the sport, which resembles a cross of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, and a public restaurant with a cocktail menu.

The club’s lease is for 10 years and comes with an asking rent of $42.50 per square foot. The deal includes two five-year renewal options. Other tenants at the 90,000-square-foot ground-up development include flex industrial users and a food commissary. There’s 17,000 square feet available on the building’s second floor.

Greiner-Maltz Real Estate’s Jonathan Rothstein and Ryan Maltz were part of the team representing Barone in the lease. Newmark’s Caleb Petersen and Ravi Idnani represented CityPickle.

Founded by Mary Cannon and Erica Desai, CityPickle has operated a few temporary locations around the city in recent months, including at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in November. The company is working with Avison Young to identify future locations.

This won’t be the city’s first dedicated indoor pickleball court — Life Time recently declared the distinction at its location in the Moinian Group’s luxury apartment building at 605 West 42nd Street. But the sport has taken over open spaces across the city, particularly in public parks.

The sport’s surge in popularity has made pickleball courts a hot amenity for luxury developments. Agents themselves are also getting in on the game, taking to the court during industry events or as a way to introduce themselves to clients.

— Holden Walter-Warner