A venue for pickleball fans in Lexington, Kentucky, to play their favorite sport has helped transform a group of shuttered tobacco warehouses into a vibrant mixed-use development.
Pickleball Kingdom, which has franchises in 26 states, opened its Lexington facility at The Commons in August 2025 after a $4.3 million private investment in the 42,300-square-foot space. The 17 courts come with technologies such as instant replay and AI-generated coaching tools. Players can also take advantage of walking trails, green space, restaurants and retail stores in the immediate area.
For the pickleball company’s role in Lexington’s efforts to revitalize the formerly industrial area, a group of real estate experts familiar with the market awarded the project a 2026 CoStar Impact Award.
Businesses at The Commons also include the entertainment venue The Rail, a bourbon distillery, a recreational venue that includes axe-throwing and several others.
About the project: Open seven days a week, the building has climate‑controlled interiors, acoustic treatments, polished-concrete floors and flexible social spaces that enhance both competitive play and community engagement. Visitors have access to bike infrastructure and 127 parking spaces.
What the judges said: “The Pickleball Kingdom lease helped anchor the entertainment portion of the Commons mixed-use development,” said John P. Miller, assistant vice president at Lexington commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm NAI Isaac.
They made it happen: Lucas Witt and Amy Mellinger, sales and leasing agent and partner, with Block and Lot Real Estate of Lexington handled the lease. Paterick Clark, a partner at commercial leasing strategy firm Morrow Hill, and his colleagues Reece Rucker and Kristian Jessen represented Pickleball Kingdom.