North Bay’s largest pickleball facility coming to Rohnert Park (2024)

Reading Cinemas in Rohnert Park closed in November 2023 and the building has largely sat vacant since. It’ll be turned into a pickleball and gym complex.|

The building that once housed Rohnert Park’s sole movie theater will be converted into a large pickleball and health club facility sometime next year. The space has largely sat vacant since Reading Cinemas abruptly shut its doors last November.

CenterLine 33 plans to convert the 16-screen theater space into a membership-based pickleball arena with other health club and wellness amenities. The project was approved for an Administrative Use Permit in June.

A site plan and architectural review for additional outdoor courts was approved by the Rohnert Park Planning Commission Thursday night.

The partners behind the project — Richard Coombs, Bill Carson and Jack Weaver — say this development will be the largest pickleball facility in the North Bay.

Coombs is a general partner of Airport Business Center, a major commercial landlord that owns many businesses around the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport and the Windsor Golf Club. The property firm is also suing the City of Santa Rosa to prevent the sale or leasing of the city-owned Garage 5 on Third Street in downtown Santa Rosa.

Carson is the director of operations at the Windsor Golf Course and golf course administrator at the Rooster Run Golf Club in Petaluma.

Weaver is a managing partner for the law firm Welty, Weaver and Currie and previously worked on wildfire litigation in Sonoma County.

“It’s wonderfully located to serve the entire county and we’re excited to build a facility that will hopefully be an amazing pickleball experience for people of all ages,” Coombs said during a phone call Friday about the pickleball arena.

From theater seats to court nets

The building at 555 Rohnert Park Expressway has four tenant spaces on a 12.08-acre lot with 758 parking spaces. The theater space on its own totals approximately 74,000 square feet with 16 theaters and around 3,000 seats.

Read the full proposal here

Other businesses in the building include Rebounderz indoor trampoline park, Cheer Obsession Athletics and Southern Wine & Spirits Wholesalers.

Plans filed with the City of Rohnert Park show that the building’s exterior would largely remain the same.

Inside, the theater space would house 17 indoor pickleball courts. Other games such as pingpong and cornhole will have space inside as well. The second floor, which housed the theater’s movie projectors, will become a viewing lounge for guests.

Though the focus is pickleball, the facility will also have a 2,000-square-foot gym and health club with saunas, locker rooms, cold-plunge baths, red-light therapy space and more.

Just outside, 138 of the theater’s parking spaces will be turned into an additional 16 outdoor pickleball courts enclosed by a 12-foot fence that’ll require a key fob to enter.

A 25-by-60-foot shaded structure with seating will be on the east side of the outdoor space for members to rest, watch matches or wait for a court to become available.

The plan also took into account noise concerns for the outdoor courts, noting the facility’s location is in a commercial district and a noise study will be part of the process.

An estimate for how much the project will cost was not available, and membership costs, Weaver said, are also still being determined.

Following the planning commission’s decision Thursday, developers can begin preparations for the conversion.

Weaver estimates it will take a few months before demolition of the space’s insides and construction can officially begin.

“We’re taking what is now empty space that was family friendly and replacing it with something health and wellness based and still family friendly,” Weaver told the planning commission. “It’s just a great environment.”

Few concerns were raised by planning commissioners and the site plan and architecture review was approved by all members minus Matt Epstein, who was absent from the meeting.

Vice chairperson Chuck Striplen raised concerns about the fate of the project “when the fad is over, when people move on from pickleball to something else.”

“It’s a pretty significant change for this community,” he said during the meeting.

Health clubs key to revitalizing retail centers

Rohnert Park’s only movie theater for 25 years, the movie house was once owned by Pacific Theaters and was known as Stadium 16 before Reading International bought it in 2008 and renamed it.

Shortly after the theater’s closure, Reading International removed the projectors, appliances in the concession area, and other equipment, leaving the space largely empty. Weaver said that would have made it difficult for another movie theater to move into the same location.

North Bay’s largest pickleball facility coming to Rohnert Park (2024)

FAQs

North Bay’s largest pickleball facility coming to Rohnert Park? ›

The building that houses the former Reading Cinemas at 555 Rohnert Park Expressway was approved last week by the Rohnert Park Planning Commission as the future site for a membership-driven pickleball complex. The theater ceased operations last November; the unused space comprises 74,000 square feet of the building.

What is the pickleball capital of the world? ›

Why is Naples the pickleball capital of the world?

Where is pickleball most famous? ›

1: Florida

Naples is specifically well known as one of the most popular places to pickle, and one of the most court-dense cities per capita to play America's fastest-growing sport. Also home to the US Open of Pickleball, Naples is just one of the many places to play in the Sunshine State.

What are the best cities to live in for pickleball? ›

A Glimpse into the Pickleball Landscape
RankingCityState
1New YorkNY
2OremUT
3ScottsdaleAZ
4AustinTX
44 more rows

What is the highest paying pickleball tournament? ›

The Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships offer a $150,000 prize pool. This substantial prize pool showcases the sport's growing popularity and attracts elite players, ensuring a high level of competition throughout the event.

Where will pickleball nationals be in 2024? ›

USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for pickleball in the U.S., has selected Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona as the location for the 2024 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships, the premier tournament in the sport of pickleball.

What cities are most pickleball obsessed? ›

So grab your paddle, find a court near you, and check out where your city or state ranks in the pickleball craze! The most pickleball-obsessed U.S. cities per capita are Miami, FL; Orlando, FL; and Atlanta, GA.

What percent of Americans play pickleball? ›

The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) has unveiled updated pickleball participation research which reveals that 48.3 million adult Americans – nearly 19% of the total adult population – have played pickleball at least once in the past 12 months.

What 3 sports is pickleball most similar to? ›

What sport is pickleball most similar to? Pickleball is a combination of three sports: tennis, badminton, and ping pong (table tennis). It is played on a badminton sized court with an approximate tennis height net (2 inches lower) and what can be thought of as an enlarged ping pong paddle.

What age group plays the most pickleball? ›

Pickleball Demographics: Players by Age

The average age of pickleball players in 2021 is 38.1 years old, a decrease of 2.9 years (41) in 2020. This shows that pickleball is getting younger. Based on the 2022 SFIA Single Sport Report on Pickleball, ages 18-24 is the most popular demographic.

Is pickleball good for your health? ›

Playing pickleball is a great cardio workout

It's estimated that a game of pickleball can burn up to 600 calories per hour, making it an excellent way to move your body and help keep your heart and lungs healthy. Pickleball is an aerobic exercise, which means it helps: Improve lung function. Control blood sugar levels.

What is the biggest pickleball party in the world? ›

The 8th annual Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships, otherwise known as the BIGGEST PICKLEBALL PARTY IN THE WORLD, will take place at the East Naples Community Park on April 13-23, 2024. Over 3,000 players competed in The OPEN in 2023, and 40,000 people watched, partied, and celebrated the sport.

What is the biggest pickleball league? ›

Major League Pickleball (MLP)

How many pickleball facilities are there in the US? ›

As of 2023, there are 10,724 known places to play pickleball in the US. 130 new locations are created per month! The number of pickleball courts hit 44,094 in 2022, a 15.6% year-over-year growth.

Where is the pickleball capital of Ohio? ›

The City of Middletown became Ohio's pickleball capital, largely because of the encouragement of local resident Stanley Volkens, and the work of the Middletown Pickleball Association.

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