LOWER NAZARETH TWP. - Ricardo Escobar and his friends discovered the sport of pickleball two years ago.
“What we fell in love with more than anything is the people. There’s a good vibe,” said Escobar. “It’s a tight-knit community.”
Now he’s hoping to create a space for others to enjoy the sport. He and two partners are planning the Nazareth Pickleball Factory, a five-court indoor facility that would allow players of all skills and ages to play year-round.
- The Nazareth Pickleball Factory is a proposed five-court, indoor facility
- It's planned for a building that housed a trucking company in Lower Nazareth Township
- It's the brainchild of three Nazareth-area friends and pickleball players
It would encompass a 13,000-square-foot warehouse not far off Daniels Road (Route 946) in Lower Nazareth Township.
The building in the 600 block of Municipal Drive is across from the Lower Nazareth Township Municipal Building, in space formerly occupied by a trucking company.
Folks could drop in to play for a guest rate of $5 per visit, plus playing fees of $10 to $12 per session. Or they could join with monthly or annual memberships that range from $119 to $199 per year for a single membership to $215 to $359 a year per couple.
The project is in the early stages and still requires township approval.
But Escobar and partners Jeff Stoneback and Tom Vroom – all Nazareth-area residents who met through their kids – have been planning it for over a year.
“We all play regularly,” Escobar said. “We eventually just got frustrated that there weren’t any options during the winter and even in the summer it gets really crowded on the outdoor courts.
“Those two factors got us thinking. None of us have ever done anything like this. But we found a spot that we felt like it fits all the needs. And we were loosely doing market research and became more serious as we got going. That’s kind of how this all came about.”
Millions of people have started playing pickleball, a cross between ping pong, badminton and tennis played on a shrunken version of a tennis court. Several leagues have sprung up across the Lehigh Valley, with many communities building courts in public parks.
“We want to create a cool place that Nazareth can be proud of.”Ricardo Escobar
By 2021, there were 4.8 million pickleball players in the U.S., according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
The Nazareth-area facility would be open 365 days a year. Besides game play, it would provide lessons, clinics and summer camps. It also would allow private court rentals and full facility rentals, according to Escobar.
Township Manager Lori Stauffer said the operators would have to submit plans and apply for zoning variances.
The proposed property is in the township’s light-industrial zoning district. Exercise clubs are permitted there, but the township is classifying the proposed use as commercial recreation. That requires approval from the township zoning hearing board.
“That would be the first step,” Stauffer said. “If they need to submit a land development plan, that would go before the planning commission. But without seeing what it is they’re exactly proposing to do, I can’t say one way or the other if they will need a land development plan.”
Escobar said the operators have set a goal of opening in February 2023.
“We realize it’s a process and we’re working with the township to finalize the details,” he said. “It’s all predicated on township approval and all we have to work through with that.”
He said he was surprised by the buzz created from a website that went live just on Tuesday.
“We want to introduce more people to the sport,” he said. “We want to build something that’s inviting for all. We’ve worked hard on all the details of how it’s going to be laid out. I think people will fall in love with it.
“We want to create a cool place that Nazareth can be proud of.”
