We’ve all heard of the many plans for underused parks and tennis courts being converted into pickleball courts, but what about an old BMX bike park? This summer, the city of Portland, OR will see a brand new pickleball facility open up on the Northeast side of town.
The People’s Courts is a brand new pickleball venue that will be opening up in what was once an old indoor bike park called The Lumberyard. Co-Founders Dave Schrott and his cousin Dave Sacks have turned the 48,000-square-foot building into an enormous entertainment complex featuring pickleball, ping pong, bocci ball, disc golf, cornhole, arcade machines, and more.
The facility will have six full-sized indoor courts as well as a couple of single-lane narrow courts for practicing purposes. Additionally, Schrott and Sacks have plans to build six outdoor courts in the front parking lot area in order to accommodate even more players during the summer months.
The People’s Courts will also offer its customers refreshments in the form of two unique restaurants, managed by Olympia Provisions and Apizza Scholls, two bars, and an arcade supported by a partnership with Quarter World. One restaurant will be called “The Parlor” and will feature tavern-style pizza and ice cream, while the other restaurant, named “The Kitchen,” will have a wide variety of global cuisines such as rice bowls, German-style sausages, smash burgers, and vegetarian/vegan options.
In a recent interview with KGW8, Schrott mentions that they want to ensure that they want all demographics of people to be able to come and enjoy the venue.
Dave Schrott, Co-Founder of The People’s Courts
“We will not have entry fees to enter the space, so everything will be predicated on what you want to play and how long you want to play. And we’re kind of working the details out on the pricing itself. It will be affordable.”
The cousins first bought the property back in 2009, and after The Lumberyard moved out in August of last year, they quickly got to work on renovations. “We knew this physical place lent itself to it and we knew how fun pickleball is and social pickleball is,” said Sacks.
While they currently don’t have an exact date set, the facility is slated to open this summer of 2023. Be sure to check out The People’s Court’s website and social media pages to stay up to date on the venue’s grand opening!
Are you a local Portland pickleball player? Check out our list of the top spots to play in Portland.
