Vacant Oceanfront theater to become Padel venue

A long-vacant movie theater at 941 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach has been sold for redevelopment into an indoor padel and hospitality venue. (13newsnow.com) The buyers, operating as BIVI/Padel, paid $6.3 million for the former Beach Cinema Alehouse property. Trade publications identified the partnership as Jason Vickers-Smith and Ahmad Butt. (rebusinessonline.com) Their project, called The Padel Foundry, is targeted to open in early 2027. The plan is to more than double the building’s size and add multiple padel courts, a restaurant, and other social space. (13newsnow.com) Padel is a racket sport usually played in doubles on an enclosed court, with scoring closer to tennis and walls that keep balls in play. The sport has expanded quickly in the United States as clubs look for indoor formats that mix recreation with food, drinks, and memberships. (britannica.com) (thepadelfoundry.com) The address sits on the Laskin Road corridor between the Oceanfront and the North End, near the Cavalier area. Real estate marketing for the site described it as a four-acre property within walking distance of the beach and on a route that carries Oceanfront traffic inland. (loopnet.com) The theater had drawn other redevelopment ideas before this sale. In late 2025, The Virginian-Pilot reported that a developer was seeking a conditional use permit to convert the shuttered building into an indoor padel facility after earlier debate over other possible uses for the site. (yahoo.com) The deal also lands as Virginia Beach pursues more sports-focused development near the Oceanfront. Virginia Business reported in late 2025 that the city was soliciting proposals for another sports venue near the convention and sports center district on 19th Street. (virginiabusiness.com) For now, the old cinema is moving from a dark screen to a racket court. If the schedule holds, the Laskin Road property reopens in 2027 as The Padel Foundry instead of another theater tenant. (13newsnow.com)