A little over a year ago, 1019 Central Park Avenue was an empty Buy Buy Baby. This month it holds eight indoor pickleball courts, a pro shop, and a weekend calendar of leagues and clinics. The Picklr Scarsdale opened to the public on October 17, 2026, and held its ribbon-cutting on November 7 with Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner.
On its own, that's one store swapped for another. The pattern is what matters. Over the past few years, the empty boxes along the Edgemont and Hartsdale stretch of Central Park Avenue have been filled with places to work out, swing a club, or play a game, not places to buy things. Feiner said as much in the Town of Greenburgh's grand-opening announcement:
"Central Ave, with fitness centers, two golf simulator businesses and now a Pickleball facility is becoming a destination point for residents who like exercise and recreation activities."
For anyone in Edgemont planning a winter of indoor exercise, the corridor now covers most of the list within a few minutes' drive. Walking between those spots is another matter, and the plan to fix that has a start date.
What changed at 1019 Central Park Avenue
The Picklr took a while to arrive. In September 2025, Scarsdale10583 reported that the vacant Buy Buy Baby space would be retrofitted for eight year-round courts if the Greenburgh Planning Board granted a special permit. The club was already signing up members before the permit came through.
The finished club is 22,000 square feet. It has eight courts, including one championship-sized court, along with professional-grade court surfaces, a pro shop, and space for private events. Two Westchester residents own it. Heather Rhyu owns four Club Pilates studios and a Rumble Boxing studio in the county. Noah Allen has been a tennis professional and coach for more than 25 years.
The programming covers open play at several skill levels, competitive play, private lessons, clinics, leagues, tournaments, and junior programs. The club also books corporate team outings, birthday parties, and group events. Members and non-members are both welcome.
The golf arrived first
The trend didn't start with pickleball. In February 2023, the Town announced two indoor golf simulator businesses for the avenue. X-Golf had Planning Board approval for 870 Central Park Avenue, in the former Walgreens, and Golfzon was under construction at 691 Central Park Avenue. The Town called both part of its effort to revitalize the Central Avenue business district and fill its vacancies.
The two are run quite differently.
- X-Golf Scarsdale, 870 Central Park Avenue: simulator golf with food and drinks, plus leagues, tournaments, lessons, clinics, and private events.
- Golfzon Social Scarsdale, 691 Central Park Avenue: 16 simulator bays with food, cocktails, and beer, plus leagues, tournaments, and lessons. The Golf Wire reported that it was set to open on August 12, 2023.
The same 2023 Town notice placed these simulators alongside the golf already in town: five private courses, the year-round public driving range on Dobbs Ferry Road, and the PGA Tour Superstore at Crossroads Shopping Center.
The gyms fill in the rest of the map
Add the fitness clubs already on the avenue, and the recreation businesses run nearly the whole length of the Greenburgh strip. Here they are in order by street number, which is roughly the order you'd pass them driving north from the Yonkers end:
| Address on Central Park Avenue | Business | What's inside |
|---|---|---|
| 365 | Club Pilates Scarsdale | Reformer Pilates, including beginner Foundations classes |
| 668 | 24 Hour Fitness Scarsdale | 24-hour access, group exercise and cycling, indoor lap pool, whirlpool, steam room, sauna |
| 691 | Golfzon Social Scarsdale | 16 golf simulator bays, food and drinks |
| 870 | X-Golf Scarsdale | Golf simulators, food and drinks, leagues and lessons |
| 1001 | Planet Fitness | Strength and cardio equipment, in-club training |
| 1019 | Orangetheory Fitness Scarsdale | Coached fitness classes, seven days a week |
| 1019 | The Picklr Scarsdale | Eight indoor pickleball courts, pro shop, clinics |
The 1001 to 1019 block now has a gym, a class studio, and a court club almost side by side. One stop there can cover a weekday workout and a weekend game.
24 Hour Fitness has been on the avenue the longest of the group. Westchester Magazine covered its 30,000-square-foot Scarsdale club ahead of a grand opening in December 2017. Today, its indoor lap pool is the only year-round swimming listed among the corridor's fitness businesses.
Getting on a court for the first time
Most of these businesses offer something for beginners. The Picklr is the newest, so it's the one most people are still figuring out. According to the club's Scarsdale page, the options look like this:
- Start with Pickleball 101. It's a free intro class with no experience or equipment needed. The club also runs beginner clinics and introductory sessions.
- Drop in or book ahead. The club offers walk-in open play and advance court booking.
- Pick a membership level if you keep playing. Adult plans start at $149 a month. The Play plan includes eight open-play sessions per month. The Unlimited and Pro plans include unlimited open play, and Pro adds four clinic passes a month.
Club hours aren't printed on the club's own page, so check before driving over for open play.
Nearby, Club Pilates at 365 Central Park Avenue runs Foundations classes for people new to the reformer. Both golf simulator venues offer lessons and clinics, which helps in December, when the outdoor driving range is the only other way to keep practicing.
The sidewalk that would link them
There's one practical limit on all of this. On parts of Central Park Avenue, there's no sidewalk at all. On October 14, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $4.7 million federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant for the Town of Greenburgh to fix that along the avenue.
As the Edgemont Community Council described it, the project fills about 6,150 linear feet of sidewalk gaps, including sections in Edgemont. The goal is a continuous walking route between White Plains and Yonkers. The Edgemont work includes:
- new sidewalks on parts of Central Park Avenue that have none
- a new crosswalk at the existing traffic signal near the Hartsdale Post Office
- ADA-compliant curb ramps
- drainage improvements and pavement markings
The ECC said the grant followed its push for community support earlier in the year, when residents wrote to the Town Board backing the application. According to the Town, construction is expected to begin around 2028, and the ECC plans to help with community outreach as design moves forward.
A related project is further along. In June 2024, the Town received $3,859,742 in Transportation Alternatives funding for pedestrian improvements on Old Army Road, after 69 community members sent letters of support. ECC President Dylan F. Pyne wrote in October that this work should begin next year. Together, the two awards bring more than $8.5 million in federal funding to walking routes in and around Edgemont.
So for this winter and the next, getting to the courts, simulator bays, and lap lanes still means driving. The plan for a walkable route is funded, and the Town's estimated start is around 2028.
I've lived in Scarsdale for more than 22 years and watched Central Park Avenue go through several rounds of change. If you'd like to talk about how changes like these shape daily life near a particular street in Edgemont, Cindy Schwall is glad to share what she knows. Let's Connect.
