North Castle Celebrates Groundbreaking of Storage, Pickleball Facility
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
By about this time next year, Armonk will be home to the area’s newest pickleball and storage facilities.
Last week, Basis Industrial held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new 117,000-square-foot building at 100 Business Park Drive in Armonk featuring Sportime’s 11-court pickleball facility and a more than 82,000-square-foot home for Extra Space Storage.
Anthony Scavo, president and managing partner of Basis Industrial, said the upcoming construction of the building fills two growing needs for the home community as well as the surrounding area.
With pickleball now the fastest-growing participatory sport and storage facilities in other areas of Westchester but not close to this site, the project promises to fill two high-in-demand needs in the area.
“A storage building, there really isn’t one, and there really isn’t anything within a five-mile radius and that’s unique for self-storage,” said Scavo, an Armonk resident, who scouted the property at Business Park Drive for a possible venture. “I think people, with the way the world works after COVID, need storage and that’s going to be a benefit.”
Sportime, which owns and operates tennis and sports clubs throughout the state, is making a heavy push into pickleball, said its CEO, Claude Okin. The company is aiming to be the largest operator of pickleball courts in New York State, with a goal of having 200 courts by 2030, to match its current status of being the number one creator of tennis facilities in New York.
The Armonk site will be one of its first locations with an 11-court facility along with various amenities that it will offer the public in its 26,550-square foot portion of the building.
Okin called pickleball “the fastest-growing participation sport in history and in America, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop soon.”
“We’re really excited about doing it here and we look forward to having a positive impact in the community and a healthy one,” he said.
The Salt Lake City-headquartered Extra Space Storage operates more than 3,500 locations across the U.S. since the company first launched in 1977, according to its website. Hannah Dorff, senior manager of third-party relationships Extra Space Storage, said the local facility will offer a variety of storage sizes in a climate-controlled environment that is safe with the state-of-the-art security features.
“This new facility in Armonk is a testament to that commitment (to customers),” Dorff said. “We understand the evolving needs of our customers and strive to offer not just space but peace of mind.”
The remaining 8,000 square feet of new construction will be occupied by Jan-Tile, one of the largest tile installers in the U.S. The space will add to the existing 60,000 square feet the company has in the existing building at the site, which it sold to Basis Industrial in early 2023.
Basis Industrial secured a $39.6 million loan to help finance the mixed-use project.
North Castle Supervisor Joseph Rende welcomed the operation to town and expressed appreciation for the commitment by Basis Industrial and the tenants it has secured prior to construction.
“I think this is an exciting time but it speaks volumes for the Town of North Castle when you have citizens like Anthony and (his wife) Courtney who are willing to make an investment back into this community,” Rende said.
Scavo said he’s looking forward to seeing the building open after a projected construction period of roughly one year.
“I think it’s exciting that we have a chance to really building something with this kind of mixed-use, self-storage warehouse,” he said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
