CityPickle to Open 60K-SF Pickleball Complex Under Brooklyn Bridge
By Isabelle Durso May 16, 2025 1:20 pm
reprints
Pickleball is coming to Dumbo, Brooklyn, in a big way.
New York City-based pickleball brand CityPickle is set to open a 60,000-square-foot complex at Anchorage Plaza under the Brooklyn Bridge, complete with 11 pickleball courts, food trucks, public green spaces and community programming, according to a Friday announcement.
CityPickle, which was selected through a request for proposals (RFP) released by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation in 2024, has entered into a three-year license agreement with the city and will “make its debut” at the site once permitting and construction are completed sometime between fall 2025 and spring 2026, the announcement said.
The area between Washington and Old Fulton streets, which sat vacant for more than 15 years, will be turned into CityPickle Brooklyn Bridge and cover three sections, called Old Fulton Street Yard, Washington Old Street Yard and Ash Alley.
“The CityPickle Brooklyn Bridge plan actively demonstrates how pickleball can transform placemaking in dense cities,” Mary Cannon, co-founder and co-CEO of CityPickle, said in a statement.
“Our goal is to create a public space that improves urban vitality and promotes health, happiness and well-being,” Erica Desai, CityPickle’s co-founder and co-CEO, added.
The new pickleball courts under the Brooklyn Bridge will be available seasonally, while the remaining amenities part of the project will be available year-round, including arts programming, food trucks, green spaces and pedestrian-friendly walkways, according to the announcement.
“By transforming this fenced-off lot into a dynamic public plaza, we’re giving New Yorkers and visitors a safe and accessible place to work up a sweat and take in the fresh air, here in scenic Dumbo,” Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, first deputy commissioner at NYC Parks, said in a statement.
Founded in 2021, CityPickle is also the seasonal partner for Wollman Park Partners, which operates the Wollman Rink in Central Park. Last year, CityPickle gained approval from the city to install 14 pickleball courts on the rink, which will “hibernate” during the ice-skating season, CityPickle said.
The pickleball brand also operates several other locations throughout the city in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, according to its website.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
