Huge indoor pickleball project under Riverside review, hopes to open this year

The 4740 Linden Ave. land near Carroll High School has been unused since 2015, but it is a central location for Dayton-area pickleball enthusiasts, said Mike Bettencourt of Black Barn Pickleball, which is the planned name of the project.

Riverside’s Technical Review Committee is assessing the Black Barn plan, said Nia Holt, city community development director.

The proposal would require Riverside planning commission approval, Holt has said. Bettencourt said a meeting is scheduled with the city next month, perhaps when the proposal will go before the planning commission.

If the plan is approved, Bettencourt said Black Barn wants to start the project soon thereafter with the goal of opening late this year.

The Dayton Pickleball Club bought the land in April for $485,000, according to Montgomery County real estate records. The former home of Smiley’s Golf and Baseball Center — near Beavercreek, Dayton and Kettering — has easy access from Interstate 675, U.S. 35 and Woodman Drive.

“We love the location for a number of reasons,” Bettencourt said. “There’s a lot of pickleball players north of Dayton and south of Dayton, and people coming from Troy, Sidney, Tipp City, places up north that don’t have a good, dedicated place to play.

“And then south of town, (it’s the) same thing,” he added. “Currently, all those players are going down to West Chester or Cincinnati for dedicated indoor play. And this location being central to 35 and 675, it’s very accessible.”

The Pickle Lodge in West Chester Twp. north of Cincinnati is a pickleball-specific facility that includes 17 individually fenced, indoor pickleball courts and five outdoor courts. It is the second-largest indoor pickleball complex in the country, according to its website.

If approved, the Riverside proposal would have slightly more indoor courts after a phased, completed project, according to the proposal. It would also include eight outdoor courts, Riverside records show.

Pickleball was the fastest growing sport in the U.S. in 2023 for the third consecutive year, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

As of January 2024, the number of known courts had increased by more than 1,000 to 50,000, the USA Pickleball website states. Numerous Dayton-area parks have added outdoor pickleball courts in the past few years. Some local tennis clubs have added indoor or outdoor pickleball to their existing tennis offerings.

A Dayton-area pickleball Facebook page has 2,300 members.

“There are approximately 215 days a year in Dayton that pickleball is unable to be played outdoors,” the Black Barn plans submitted to Riverside state. “While there are indoor courts available, they are located at local tennis centers during off-hours and with sub-par conditions.”