Council hears plan for 18-court indoor pickleball center on 9.31-acre Hardy Way parcel

Mesquite City Council on Feb. 11 accepted a presentation on a proposal to develop an indoor pickleball complex on a 9.31-acre city parcel at 1220 Hardy Way. Spencer Apple, the local franchisee applicant, and representatives from The Flying Pickle described a multi-use facility with up to 18 indoor courts, a gym, a restaurant, a pro shop and potential child care.

The presentation matters because the parcel was conveyed to the city by the Bureau of Land Management in 1988 for economic development and the city previously adopted a resolution (Resolution 10-29, Aug. 25, 2020) finding limited-sale authority under NRS 268.063. If the council favors a sale it would follow a later formal disposition process including appraisal, any negotiated price, and potential incentives.

Spencer Apple said he has studied indoor facilities nationwide and identified Mesquite as a viable market. Paul Street, founder and CEO of The Flying Pickle, told the council the franchise model reduces start-up risk and that indoor facilities of this size can produce jobs, local recreation and tournament tourism. "Pickleballstudies are now pretty conclusively showing thatthat magical combination of doing a physical activity with hand-eye coordination in a social setting will extend your life 5 to 10 years," Street said.

Council members asked for financial and project detail. Apple and franchisor representatives provided ballpark figures: an estimated development cost of about $5 million and membership pricing modeled on an existing Flying Pickle site ($109 monthly cited); the proposal estimated employment above 40 positions but did not provide a final, contract-ready jobs list. Councilwoman Karen Fielding told the applicant that two appraisals are on file and said an appraisal places the city's land value at about $1.4 million.

Public commenters including John Rosen, an employee of the city's Parks & Recreation Department, and Jeff Reynolds expressed support, citing tourism and recreational benefits. The council voted to accept the presentation; no sale or price was approved at the meeting. Councilwoman Fielding made the motion to accept the presentation; Councilman Wanless seconded it and the motion passed.

Next steps discussed include further financial due diligence, a formal offer or letter of intent from the applicant, a city appraisal and review of incentive eligibility under Mesquite's commercial incentive matrix. The council did not take a final sale action on Feb. 11; any future sale would return to the council as a discrete agenda item.