A new entertainment business received Special Land Use approval for its site at 662 Leonard Street NW, from the Grand Rapids Planning Commission on February 22nd for on-site alcohol consumption and a waiver for requested parking. The business, called Pickle x Pin, will offer pickle ball and indoor golf simulation with food and beverages available.
The upcoming business is operated by long-time colleagues and now business partners Blaine Westerlund and Zachary Verhulst. Both work at a local architect firm, Pure Architect. In fact, Verhulst is the firm’s CEO and Westerlund has worked there for the past three years.
Planning documents indicate the business will take over a 6,427-square-foot building on the south side of Leonard Street, mid-block between Muskegon and Davis Avenues. The one-story brick building occupies the entire lot and will become Pickle x Pin’s future home once renovations are completed.
“We plan to fully renovate the exterior of the building which includes an all new brick facade that fronts Leonard St. The interior will also be renovated in its entirety,” stated the owners in the project’s narrative presented to the planning commission.
Once up and running, Pickle x Pin will open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, from 6 a.m. to midnight on Wednesday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. There will be three full-size indoor pickleball courts, four premium golf simulators, and a small bar. The business will have a total occupancy of 36. While the business will not come with its own kitchen, the owners encourage patrons to bring their own food or order delivery from adjacent eateries. The establishment will sell snacks, according to a story published on Crain’s Grand Rapids.
What Now Detroit reached out to the owners for a more detailed project timeframe, but had not heard back by the time of this coverage. However, planning commission records indicate a noise assessment is required and “a final site plan review will happen during the permitting process before the project can move forward, and that “Final Site Plan Review will be conducted administratively by Planning Department staff during the permitting process.”
