Pickle at the Palms to open 20-court indoor venue in Seattle

Seattle’s indoor pickleball shortage is about to get 20 new courts. Pickle at the Palms is set to open in August 2026 in Interbay, giving amateur players a fully enclosed, two-level facility built for year-round play just south of the Ballard Bridge.

The project lands at 3435 15th Ave. W., on the former Salmon Bay Village site that once served as an RV shelter and safe-parking lot. Behind it are Ginny Gilder and her family, with Gilder bringing the profile of a Seattle Storm co-owner to a sport that has gone from side hustle to full-blown infrastructure problem in this city.

That problem is straightforward: too few dedicated courts, too much rain, and too many players fighting over shared lines. Seattle pickleball has been pulled into a broader access debate as city officials consider changes that could reduce public pickleball availability, even as demand keeps climbing. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association says U.S. participation jumped from about 4.2 million players in 2020 to more than 24 million in 2025, and Seattle-area players have been making the same basic argument for months: if the sport is this big, it needs places built for it.

Pickle at the Palms is trying to answer that with scale. The center is designed as a purpose-built pickleball venue, not a converted gym or warehouse, and it will feature 20 competition-level indoor courts across two floors. The buildout also includes PlaySight recording technology, climate control, acoustically engineered sound dampening that the project says will reduce sound by more than 50%, restrooms, private shower rooms, a pro shop and social space called The Loft.

The other pitch is convenience. The site will have a private lot with 53 spaces, secure bike parking and access near the RapidRide D Line. An all-day café, Mainstay Provisions at The Palms, will overlook the courts, giving players a place to stay after matches instead of clearing out between sessions.

Memberships are already being sold, with adult core memberships priced at $250 a year and junior memberships at $150. The center says membership will not be required to play, but members will get advance reservations and lower rates. Reservations for fall clinics and other programming are slated for July 2026, followed by court reservations and open play for members in August.

For Seattle’s recreational players, that matters more than the branding. Pickle at the Palms is not just adding courts. It is adding the kind of reliable indoor capacity the city has lacked, and it is doing it in a neighborhood where access, parking and year-round play all line up in one place.