Warehouse may hold courts for badminton
Firm proposes sports facility for industrial area in South Hayward
By Matt O'Brien, STAFF WRITER - Tri-Valley Herald.
HAYWARD — Badminton birdies could soon be whooshing through a warehouse near you. In the same month the landmark Holiday Bowl prepares to permanently close its South Hayward alley, a group of South Bay entrepreneurs are planning to make the neighborhood a destination for a different kind of Bay Area recreational craze.
The company that brought the popular 11-court Bintang Badminton Academy to the city of Sunnyvale is now looking at opening up a 20-court badminton center inside a 40,800-square-foot, high-ceiled industrial building in South Hayward, according to information filed at City Hall.
Carl Emura, an associate city planner who admits he hasn't served a birdie in years, said a racquet court architect will meet with Hayward's building code and fire department officials this month to discuss the proposal.
The recreational center would be located at 13780 Hayman St., in an industrial area near the Union City border between Whipple Road and Zephyr Avenue, and would beopen during the evening and lunch hours and on weekends.
And instead of a bowling alley bar, the site would have showers and changing rooms for aficionados who come to the facility to play what can be a rigorous sport. Emura said the Hayman Street site doesn't appear to be the most appealing spot for a recreational center.
"It's largely industrial buildings," Emura said. "It has warehouses and docks within the same complex."
But he said court developers apparently have to find a building with enough height to accommodate badminton playing.
Stella Chun, a representative for the Gahrahmat Family Limited Partnership, the company applying to build the badminton facility, said she was not ready to release information about the company's plans until the court gets the city's final approval.
Firm proposes sports facility for industrial area in South Hayward
By Matt O'Brien, STAFF WRITER - Tri-Valley Herald.
HAYWARD — Badminton birdies could soon be whooshing through a warehouse near you. In the same month the landmark Holiday Bowl prepares to permanently close its South Hayward alley, a group of South Bay entrepreneurs are planning to make the neighborhood a destination for a different kind of Bay Area recreational craze.
The company that brought the popular 11-court Bintang Badminton Academy to the city of Sunnyvale is now looking at opening up a 20-court badminton center inside a 40,800-square-foot, high-ceiled industrial building in South Hayward, according to information filed at City Hall.
Carl Emura, an associate city planner who admits he hasn't served a birdie in years, said a racquet court architect will meet with Hayward's building code and fire department officials this month to discuss the proposal.
The recreational center would be located at 13780 Hayman St., in an industrial area near the Union City border between Whipple Road and Zephyr Avenue, and would beopen during the evening and lunch hours and on weekends.
And instead of a bowling alley bar, the site would have showers and changing rooms for aficionados who come to the facility to play what can be a rigorous sport. Emura said the Hayman Street site doesn't appear to be the most appealing spot for a recreational center.
"It's largely industrial buildings," Emura said. "It has warehouses and docks within the same complex."
But he said court developers apparently have to find a building with enough height to accommodate badminton playing.
Stella Chun, a representative for the Gahrahmat Family Limited Partnership, the company applying to build the badminton facility, said she was not ready to release information about the company's plans until the court gets the city's final approval.
