Restaurant, pickleball courts, 400 apartments and much more coming to 1 site in NE Lacey
A major mixed-use development called Hogum Bay Town Center is under construction in northeast Lacey, and the centerpiece of the project is named 23 kitchens, which will feature indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, a restaurant and bar, plus fire pits, cornhole and axe throwing, the owners told The Olympian this week.
The goal is to open 23 Kitchens Memorial Day weekend for a Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County-sponsored pickleball tournament.
Where is all of this happening? The address for 23 Kitchens is 2440 Marvin Road NE, but the entire town center site is bordered by Marvin Road, Willamette Drive and Hogum Bay Road.
If you’re still unfamiliar with the location, then perhaps you have seen the relatively new Starbucks off Marvin Road Northeast. That store occupies land within the town center. A Mod Pizza also is about to open there.
Lacey dentist Josh Carpenter and concrete contractor Craig Millsap, originally from Rainier, are the owners of 23 Kitchens.
Six indoor pickleball courts and a pro shop will be contained within a 17,000-square-foot building. There also will be five outdoor courts, plus a 4,000-square-foot restaurant with upstairs bar and outdoor patio.
The restaurant will be cooking rotisserie chicken, prime rib and pork loins, then using those meats in quinoa bowls, sandwiches and salads, said Executive Chef Natasha Amick.
Former Ricardo’s owner Rick Nelsen has been hired to work as a consultant for the restaurant, he said, which includes working with them after it opens as well.
Co-owner Carpenter said he visited a similar development in Wichita, Kansas, and was inspired.
“We need to bring this to the Northwest,” he said.
He said he has a goal of making the area a better place to live and raise a family, a “family friendly place to come and hang out with friends,” Carpenter said.
Why call it 23 Kitchens? Pickleball courts have two non-volley areas on the courts called “kitchens.” Multiply their 11 courts by two gets you to 22. Add the actual restaurant kitchen and that makes 23.
Carpenter and Millsap are the owners of 23 Kitchens, including their buildings, but they are leasing the land from the owners of the larger Hogum Bay Town Center site, which includes Walker John, known for developing apartments in downtown Olympia.
The town center site also will include 400 apartments in a future development phase, said contractor Greg Bailey who has worked closely with John on several of his projects.
Bailey mentioned some other tenants coming to the site. In addition to Mod Pizza, residents can expect to see an International House of Pancakes, or IHOP, a chicken and custard business called Super Chix, a dental practice and a 10,000-square-foot child care center, he said.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published April 21, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Restaurant, pickleball courts, 400 apartments and much more coming to 1 site in NE Lacey."
