West-Side Genesis Health Club To Add Tennis Center

Rodney Steven II has plans for a new $2 million tennis center at his Genesis Health Club at 854 N. Socora. ‘It’s going to be pretty huge,’ Steven says. ‘A full-service tennis facility has never been on the west side — ever.’ The 35,000-square-foot addition will be west of the current Genesis space and house six indoor courts. Steven has seven acres at the site. Most of the property already has proper zoning for his plans. ‘We could build the facility today without rezoning or anything,’ he says. But there are three small pieces of land where homes used to be, and Steven needs to rezone those properties for how he wants to configure the new space. The issue goes before the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission on Thursday. Steven expects to begin building sometime in July. He’s two weeks from beginning construction on a $7 million fitness and tennis center in Salina. ‘They don’t have one indoor court in the whole city of Salina,’ Steven says. He says the two projects will dovetail nicely and be less expensive since he can use a lot of the same plans and materials. Steven has been thinking about a west-side tennis center for a decade. ‘I’m so excited I’m finally pulling the trigger on it,’ he says. Steven remembers growing up and having to drive from the west side to Rock Road to play tennis. ‘It’s tough on a family,’ he says of all the driving. Plans call for the new facility to be ready at the first of the year. ‘I know it’s going to be a good investment,’ Steven says. ’Tennis is something that’s going to be around forever.’”

http://blogs.kansas.com/haveyouheard/2009/06/15/west-side-genesis-health-club-to-add-tennis-center/