Indoor Sports Mall on Bannister to Open early Winter
By John Sharp
After unanimous approval of its rezoning request and development plan by the City Council on Thursday, October 25, Elite Sports is ready to start remodeling the old Home Quarters building on the northwest corner of Bannister Rd. & I-435 to convert it into an indoor sports mall.
Jason Bryson, CEO of Elite Sports, said work should begin as soon as pending city permits are approved and that he hopes the facility can be opened in January.
Bryson said the facility will have four indoor soccer fields with artificial turf and eight hard surface courts for futsal (a form of indoor soccer played with a smaller ball). He said the futsal courts can be converted to 16 volleyball courts.
He said the facility also will have seven pickleball courts and ten fullsize pitching and hitting tunnels for baseball and softball. He added it also will feature an electronic sports area with over 60 gaming stations for competitive video gaming sponsored by Play Station.
Bryson said the sports mall will host a blend of youth and adult sports leagues and will offer memberships to families and individuals as well as to teams.
“We’re creating a non-dropoff facility for the entire family to enjoy,” Bryson said.
He explained the mall will have an adult fitness area, a kids fun zone, a VIP area for social functions and team events, and possibly a sports medicine facility. Plans call for it to also offer coffee, juice and food service, he said, and to seek city approval to serve alcoholic beverages.
Hours of operation will depend on league schedules, Bryson said, but could run from about 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later.
Erin Bardon, a partner in BNB Design, the architect for the project, said renovations will include installing LED lighting and upgraded mechanical systems as well as removing some interior columns. She said the remodeled facility will include seven meeting or party rooms.
Exterior improvements will include planting trees along the south border of the facility and in parking lot traffic islands and converting about a half-acre of the current parking lot to green space, according to Kate Pfefferkorn-Mansker, owner of Pfefferkorn Engineering & Environmental, the firm in charge of site planning.