Remaking of Wayne Co. land creates mecca for lovers of pickleball, fun
Todd McIntyre, one of the four owners of The Livonia Athletic District, stands near the tree-lined area that will include 10 outdoor pickleball courts, a space for food trucks, corn hole stations and a venue for live music.
The land behind the former Livonia YMCA building at 14255 Stark Road that attracted tennis players to its outdoor courts for decades had long been overtaken by the elements when four forward-thinking investors purchased the “Y” facility and adjoining property in 2021.
“The tennis courts were covered in five to six inches of dirt, the trees were overgrown — it was kind of a mess back here,” said Todd McIntyre, who with Jeff Tripoli, Jon Hartzell and Drew Johnson re-opened the former “Y” as The Livonia Athletic District (LAD) in 2022. “If you looked at photos of what this area looked like before we started work on it, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Later this month, LAD will be hosting a day-long grand opening of sorts for its new outdoor attraction.
Running from noon to 8 p.m. on the day of the grand opening, residents of metro-Detroit are invited to a pickleball-focused party that will include free play on LAD’s 10 new outdoor courts, live music, food trucks and vendors.
The space is bordered by several tall, majestic trees, giving it a relaxing, Up North-esque vibe.
LAD has invested in $30,000 in outdoor furnishings, McIntyre added. The outdoor area will also include corn hole games and a recreation area for children.
“The nice thing about LAD is you don’t have to be a resident of Livonia to utilize everything we have to offer — and there are no memberships. If you want to reserve a court, you simply go to our website and make reservations,” McIntyre said.
“Our goal is to make this a regional destination.”
Let there be lights
McIntyre added LAD owners’ long-range plans include installing lighting for the outdoor courts — as soon as the summer of 2025 — and securing an outdoor liquor license (LAD already has a liquor license for its indoor facility) so that it can serve beer at its outdoor space.
The investment group McIntyre is a part of has already spent $1.5 million on the indoor space. The price tag of the renovation and rebirth of the outdoor area is roughly $500,000, he said.
LAD’s 95,000-square-foot indoor complex includes three artificial turf fields, four regulation pickleball courts, a six-lane short-course pool, four fitness studio spaces, a kids arcade and an arcade (along with its Class C Liquor License).
In an effort to turn it into a one-stop destination for fans of health and fitness, the owners have leased out office space to Health Quest Physical Therapy, Sailfish Swim Club, CORE Chiropractic and Performance, Optimus Barbell Sports & Performance, On The Ball Training, GoodRec Sports, Kickstart Toddler Soccer and Coach B Paddle Battle.
“The Livonia Athletic District is all about providing opportunities for the community to live a healthier and happier life,” said McIntyre, a former NAIA collegiate athletic director and a current assistant coach for Salem’s football program.
Pickleball’s popularity explosion
LAD’s pickleball programming is run by Brian Bohnet, a certified pickleball coach.
“After conducting a lot of research, we found that pickleball’s popularity started exploding shortly after the COVID pandemic surfaced,” McIntyre said. “It provided an activity where like-minded people could get exercise and competition — while being social-distanced — in a sport that is relatively easy to learn and improve at in a short period of time.
“It’s popular, too, because people of all ages can play and it’s fun for couples to play doubles together.”
McIntyre said the pickleball boom has created a shortage of courts in metro-Detroit, which will make LAD’s renovation all the more attractive.
“Within a 20-minute drive of LAD, we found out there are only 45 outdoor pickleball courts,” McIntyre said. “And those are all public, so you could show up and have to wait an hour or so to play. There’s no waiting here thanks to our reservation system.”
McIntyre revealed the owners of LAD would like to replicate their facility in additional metro-Detroit communities.
“This one will be the standard,” he said, gesturing toward the freshly-renovated former YMCA building. “Once we get the outdoor area up and running smoothly, we will start looking for other areas where we can replicate this idea.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
