Developers pitch 66,000‑square‑foot pickleball arena and 205‑unit apartment plan for Jordan Gateway

Developers and investors with the United Pickleball Association on Tuesday presented detailed plans for a large indoor‑and‑outdoor pickleball complex off Jordan Gateway, and described an optional 205‑unit multifamily component to be built later on the same property.

The proposal calls for a roughly 66,000‑square‑foot main building with a total of 47 courts (including about 30 indoor courts, 15 at grade outdoors and 13 on the roof), a stadium court with seating for roughly 2,000 spectators, a fitness center and boxed sponsor seating, and ancillary tenant space. Architect Russ Nader of Nichols & Ingram said the concept also shows apartments and structured parking on the adjoining parcel. "We have a total of 47 pickleball courts," Nader said during the presentation.

Why it matters: developers say the facility would host professional events and regular community membership use, which they argue would bring tournament visitors and year‑round local activity to the east side of South Jordan. Council members welcomed the sport’s popularity but pressed the applicants on parking, housing type and construction timing.

Who presented and what they said: Wade Williams, representing the applicant team, introduced Bryce Morgan and Brett McCormick of the United Pickleball Association (UPA). McCormick said UPA operates professional tours and related businesses and cited participation and viewership growth as part of the pitch: "Last year, there was 37,000,000 people that played pickleball," he said, describing national demand and broadcast partners.

Architect Russ Nader walked the council through site and floor plans. Key elements shown include a stadium court, a championship court with broadcast capabilities and multiple tiers of indoor courts; a fitness center and locker rooms; box seating and broadcast truck access; and a café and outdoor dining area at the main entry. Nader said some courts would be "depressed" to improve sight lines and that rooftop courts are feasible with careful mechanical screening.

Parking and events: the team told the council their day‑to‑day parking design shows approximately 274 stalls for the site and that a day‑to‑day parking calculation produced a requirement of about 201 stalls. For large tournaments, the presenters acknowledged on‑site parking would be insufficient for spectator events and described a plan to lease off‑site lots and provide shuttle service on event days. "We negotiate some parking for the pros and for the staff ... everything else is run through shuttle services that we hire from local shuttle companies," said Bryce Morgan.

Housing question and council reaction: the application includes a later phase with multifamily housing—205 apartments and about 250 subsurface parking stalls are shown in the materials. Several council members said they prefer owner‑occupied housing (condominiums) where feasible but acknowledged financing and construction‑defect risks make condos more difficult to deliver. The applicants said they would evaluate ownership models but did not commit to owner‑occupancy. "I would way prefer to see owner occupied than rental, but I just saw our, affordable housing plan, read through that," Mayor Dawn Ramsey said during the discussion, echoing the council’s repeated preference for owner‑occupied units.

Timing and next steps: the development team said it would like to break ground quickly. "We would like to get under construction in the next 60, 90 days," Wade Williams said; later in the meeting the presenters acknowledged typical delivery for a complex building of this type would more likely be 18–24 months. Staff said the PD floating‑zone process and a development agreement will be used to address issues outside standard code, including parking and residential use.

Council direction and procedural action: the council voted earlier in the meeting to amend the agenda to move the PD floating zone development project forward so the applicants could present. The motion to amend the agenda passed with affirmative votes and no opposition.

What remains unresolved: whether the multifamily phase will be owner‑occupied or rental, final parking commitments for large events, and precise construction timing. The applicants said they will proceed to planning commission and return to the council with formal rezone/development‑agreement requests. The project team also said they will continue coordination with adjacent property owners, the credit union and nearby institutions about shared access and event parking.