Project seeks to convert warehouse into indoor basketball gym with fitness equipment

A local Navy veteran has plans to convert a 20,000-square-foot Brent-area warehouse into a basketball gym with multiple courts and a variety of training equipment. But first he needs the approval of Escambia County's Development Review Committee.

Peter Verdecchia fell in love with pickup basketball after graduating high school. While still in the Navy, he was able to play basketball on base often, but after retiring he was forced to find new spots for those recreational games.

"We have nowhere to play, there's no (local) gyms that offer basketball amenities," Verdecchia said. "We don't have an LA Fitness or anything where kids can just go inside and shoot."

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Although Verdecchia has found multiple places to play outside, along with groups to play with, the conditions of local outdoor courts inspired him to create a facility for the community. Issues like bent rims, cracked floors and heat-related injuries for basketball players have been prevalent in Verdecchia’s experience.

"We play at 17th (Avenue) on a poorly managed court," Verdecchia said. "It's all that we have, but I'm seeking to change that and give us an option."

He was awarded a PickUp USA franchise for the Pensacola area 10 months ago with the vision of creating a safer environment for basketball players in the area to convene and train. PickUp USA is a basketball-focused fitness club that offers programs such as youth development leagues, one-one one training, pickup games with referees, members-only tournaments and more.

Verdecchia proposes creating two full basketball courts and one half court in addition to a “sizable” gym space with cardio and weight-training equipment, according to the project's narrative form filed with Escambia County. Pickup basketball games with referees, skill training sessions, youth development leagues and more are planned for the facility.

The gym won’t have free access, according to the project’s narrative form, and memberships will likely be required to use the facility.

The indoor facility's conversion into a basketball gym is not set in stone, as its development proposal still requires approval from the county and its applicant is not the owner of the warehouse. Verdecchia told the News Journal that he is still working on leasing the facility.

The project was discussed Wednesday by the county’s Development Review Committee during pre-application meetings after it was proposed to the county in early August.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Project seeks to convert warehouse into indoor basketball gym with fitness equipment