For years, the northeast corner of 153rd Street and Garrett Avenue was a stretch of empty lots between the GrandStay Hotel and the Apple Valley Post Office. Sun Thisweek described it as a long-vacant 3.7-acre site south of Apple Autos. A two-story building now stands there. In June, the City of Apple Valley's community development newsletter said its concrete walls and structural frame were largely in place.
The address is 7169 153rd St. W., and the building is called PickleHall. It has 18 climate-controlled indoor courts, and the coverage so far has treated it mostly as a sports story. Down on the ground floor of the plans, though, is a food hall with four vendors and a self-pour tap wall. PickleHall's own FAQ is direct about who can use it: "The food hall is open to the public and all are welcome." The courts come with tiered memberships and booking windows. The food hall needs no paddle, membership or reservation, and it's the part of PickleHall built for Apple Valley as a whole.
The first counter opens hours before most games start
One of the four vendors is Traveler's Tea Co., a concept from PickleHall's own developer. Bring Me The News, citing the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, reported that it plans to serve loose-leaf tea, coffee and pastries starting at 5 a.m. daily. That's the only hour anyone has published for the building. PickleHall's site doesn't list court hours. So the earliest confirmed reason to stop at 153rd and Garrett is a cup of coffee.
The developer is Markid II Properties, according to the city. Minnesota Monthly identifies the owner as Randy Motilall of Inver Grove Heights-based Markid Properties Inc. Citing an Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce post, the magazine reported that he grew up in the area. At a July 2 planning commission meeting, Motilall described the project this way, as reported by Finance & Commerce and quoted in Minnesota Monthly: "This is going to be a standalone in Apple Valley. There are other similar facilities around the Twin Cities, mainly north side, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, in those areas, but there's nothing on the south side at the moment."
A building that combines courts and a food hall depends on people who come for the food. The vendor lineup shows who the developer is counting on to bring them in.
Four vendors, and one of them started in Eagan
According to the city, these four vendors were announced in spring 2026:
- North Star Deli. Chef Pedro Wolcott's sandwich shop in Minneapolis's Kingfield neighborhood is filled with Minnesota hockey memorabilia. Bring Me The News reported that it earned praise for carefully sourced ingredients and twists on deli classics.
- El Sazon. Cristian and Karen de Leon's Mexican and Latin American concept. The PickleHall counter is expected to serve tacos, burritos and more.
- Habibi's Halal. A Mediterranean restaurant from Spring Lake Park whose menu includes gyro bowls, wraps, salads and sambusas. The Star Tribune also mentioned its gyro-topped fries.
- Traveler's Tea Co. The developer's own tea, coffee and pastry counter, described above.
El Sazon has the clearest connection to Dakota County. According to the Star Tribune, the de Leons started El Sazon in a small kitchen inside an Eagan BP gas station, and their Night at the Gas Station dinners there are still a hot ticket. The same paper reported that their sit-down south Minneapolis restaurant, El Sazon Cocina & Tragos, served its last meal on Aug. 15, 2026. The couple is keeping the original El Sazon Tacos & More in Eagan, Xelas in Stillwater, and their counter at the Eat Street Crossing food hall. The Star Tribune also listed them among PickleHall's vendors. The Apple Valley spot is an added location, not a move, and the closest one to where the business began.
Three of the four vendors come from outside the south metro or from a single location. Before this, eating at North Star Deli or Habibi's Halal meant driving to Kingfield or Spring Lake Park. The food hall brings those menus to a corner next to the post office.
What a court costs, measured against what's already nearby
For players, the courts are the main reason to come, and the prices place PickleHall as the premium option among the south metro's winter choices. These figures come from each facility's current website. PickleHall's membership page has no date, so its numbers could change before opening.
| Where | Drop-in or open play | Private court | Membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| PickleHall, Apple Valley, 18 courts | $15 nonmember open play | $45/hour for nonmembers, $30 to $40/hour for members | $695/year Gold to $1,295/year Diamond |
| Chip's Pickleball Club, 980 Discovery Road, Eagan, 12 courts | $5 to $15 per 2- to 3-hour session | $20 to $45/hour | $1,475/year Unlimited |
| Eagan Community Center, 1501 Central Parkway | $10 nonmember, $2 member | Not listed | Member per-visit rate shown at left |
| Hope Fieldhouse, Rosemount, 4 hardwood courts | $25 for 5 visits, $40 for 10 | Not listed | From $40/month for unlimited pickleball |
The numbers make a few points. A nonmember open-play visit at PickleHall costs $15. That's the top of Chip's open-play range and $5 more than a nonmember pays at the Eagan Community Center. PickleHall's cheapest annual tier, Gold at $695, is less than half of Chip's $1,475 Unlimited year. Gold members still pay $40 an hour for a private court, compared with $30 for Diamond members. Every PickleHall tier includes unlimited open play. The tiers differ in court rates, booking windows of three to six weeks, and food hall discounts of 5% to 10%.
The public options run on daytime hours. The Eagan Community Center lists open pickleball Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hope Fieldhouse lists court availability starting at 5 a.m. on weekdays and most afternoons until 3 p.m., with the busiest play from 7:15 to 10 a.m.
PickleHall offers two smaller options as well. A Family membership costs $900 a year and covers two adults and two children under 16 in one household. Four courts are set aside for walk-in play and can be booked an hour at a time when they're open, with a waitlist when they're full. Paddle rentals are $5, demo paddles $8, and a ball is $1 and yours to keep. A first-time player who rents a paddle, buys a ball and joins open play would spend $21 before buying a taco.
The food hall charges nothing to walk in and has no membership tiers or booking window.
The opening date has moved, so watch the most recent source
Whenever PickleHall opens, both the food hall and the courts will open with it, and the target date has changed several times:
- September 2025. Minnesota Monthly, citing the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce, reported an expected opening in mid-2026.
- May 11, 2026. Bring Me The News reported that the venue was set to open by late summer.
- June 10, 2026. The city's newsletter said completion was expected "later this year."
- October 5, 2026. The Star Tribune's restaurant roll call said PickleHall plans to open by November 2026.
PickleHall's own FAQ, which is undated, still says the venue is under development with "an anticipated opening timeline to be announced," and it offers a waitlist for updates and early access. No public reason has been given for the changes. Published figures for the building's size also differ: Sun Thisweek reported 56,000 square feet when the project went before the planning commission, and the Star Tribune's May 2026 article said 67,000. The Star Tribune pointed readers to the venue's Instagram account, @PickleHallMN, for construction updates. As of mid-October 2026, "by November" is the most recent published target, and it's only a few weeks off.
It doesn't take long to drive from the post office lot to a new taco counter, and it doesn't take long to hear when a place like this opens its doors. At Michael Finstad, we follow changes like this one at 153rd and Garrett because they change what's within a short drive of home. If you'd like to talk about what new places like PickleHall mean for your corner of the south metro, schedule a free consultation and home valuation and we'll start with what's opening near you.
