Lake County Could Get Indoor Pickleball Facility

VERNON HILLS, IL — Vernon Hills could get its own indoor pickle ball facility.

PickleMall Inc., which is backed by Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn, is looking to build its first Midwest center in a former Toys R Us at the west end of the Townline Commons Shopping Center in Vernon Hills, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The company, which has a 24-court facility in Tempe, Arizona, and is looking to build 50 PickleMalls across the U.S. in the next two years, is seeking a special use permit from Vernon Hills to open in a general business district, according to the Daily Herald.

An official vote has not yet happened, but village officials are excited about the possibility to brining a facility focused on the high-demand sport of pickleball to town, according to the article.

"I think there's a demand. I think there's a very big demand," village Trustee Michael Schenk said during a meeting earlier this month.

The company's proposed flagship facility in Vernon Hills would have 14 pickleball courts, and would include technological advances, like court cameras, meant to help players improve their game, according to NBC Chicago.

Marc Schwartz, who spoke on behalf of PickleMall at a recent Vernon Hills Plan Commission meeting, said the facilities center to the needs of what pickleball players want, according to NBC.

"This is what pickleball players like, they don't want the cookie-cutter health club experience, they want the actual game experience, the professional experience these courts are catering to," he said during the meeting.

The village board will next vote on the special use permit for PickleMall. A similar business, Pickle Haus, is in the works for Algonquin, and is expected to open this fall.