The building that once housed Metropolitan Community Church of Dallas (which has since evolved into Cathedral of Hope UCC) and most recently was home to Resource Center’s health campus may soon be reborn yet again, this time as the Gayborhood’s newest sports facility.

The Oak Lawn Committee this week gave a thumbs-up to a proposal from Aventura Asset Management to turn the property at 2701 Reagan St., at the intersection of Reagan and Brown Street, into a high-end Padel court facility, with Ace Padel managing the facility. The proposal includes in its “area of request” an empty lot between the backside of the former Resource Center buildings and condos facing Congress Street at the intersection of Reagan and Congress.

According to the proposal Aventura presented to OLC on Tuesday night, Feb. 3, the facility will include six Padel courts fronted by a clubhouse. There are also a men’s and a women’s locker room and a juice bar in the club house and a mezzanine observation deck overlooking the courts.

The proposal presented to OLC included a letter of support the Reagan Street Townhomes Owners Association, signed by the association’s president, Ray Butler. Reagan Street Townhomes are located at 2633 Reagan St., just across Brown Street from the former Resource Center health campus.

Association members believe “the Ace Padel project represents a thoughtful and high-quality redevelopment that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood,” according to the letter. “The proposed reuse of the existing structure, combined with the well-designed architectural improvements, modern amenities and an emphasis on wellness and recreation reflects a responsible approach to urban infill development within Oak Lawn.”

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Artist’s renderings of an arial view of Ace Padel, the clubhouse as seen from Reagan Street and a proposed blueprint of the facility

The letter also praised the project’s “attention to site planning, including climate-controlled indoor courts, on-site parking accommodations and enhanced streetscape presence through transparent frontage and contemporary design elements.”

The letter continued, “Additionally, the proposed use aligns well with the character of the area by promoting active lifestyles, community engagement and limited-impact recreational activity. From our perspective, the development has been designed with sensitivity to neighboring residences and demonstrates a commitment to being a good long-term neighbor.”

Aventura Asset Management is a Miami-based company that is “focused on lifestyle residential development and sports private equity,” according to the company’s website.

Ace Padel, founded by former pro tennis player Elliot Carnello and entertainment and media entrepreneur Peter Carnello, is a new company with its first venues set to open this spring in Miami’s Coconut Grove, in Denver and in Los Angeles. According to the company website, Ace “blend[s] Swedish precision, Spanish warmth, Italian elegance and American innovation to create a unique sports-and-social experience,” with “top-quality padel courts with advanced technology, modern locker rooms, relaxing lounges and gourmet dining.”

In case you, like me, have not heard of padel, Wikipedia says it is “a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash” that is “usually played in doubles on a small enclosed court with glass and mesh walls that are part of the game.”

Padel was reportedly invented in Acapulco by Enrique Corcuera in 1968, and, again according to Wikipedia, as of 2023 there were more than 25 million active players in more than 90 countries.

The Oak Lawn Committee “formed in 1982 to respond to the initial planning strategy developed by the Oak Lawn Forum and the Urban Plan Department of the city of Dallas,” the committee’s website explains. “The OLC is organized to address quality of life issues for the greater Oak Lawn area, such as lessening the burdens of government, lessening of neighborhood tensions, combating community deterioration and, most recently, the erection of public monuments — specifically the Legacy of Love Monument at the Oak Lawn Triangle” at the intersection of Oak Lawn Avenue and Cedar Springs Road.

Oak Lawn Committee is a community advisory group that reviews plans for real estate projects in the Oak Lawn area and then makes recommendations regarding those projects to city official, although those recommendations are not legally binding.

OLC’s future meetings dates, agendas and records of previous meetings can be found at the organization’s website.

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