Proposed sports complex in Lakewood would bring new use to industrial space
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- Lakewood review of GTW Sports Complex seeks conditional use permit.
- Plan remodels 21,300 sq ft industrial suite into multi-court sports and learning center.
- Project estimates 4,000 youth annually and $500,000 local boost.
A proposed sports complex in a Lakewood business park is undergoing review by the city and is now in a public-comment period.
Since it is seeking a conditional-use permit, the project will face a public hearing, date still to be announced.
Plans calls for a site remodel at 4429 95th St. SW, Building 8B for the project, known as GTW (Game Time Way) Sports Complex.
According to its website, The Game Time Way, “a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012, is building the Game Time Sports Complex.”
It notes that the office areas “will include a learning center and event space.” It estimates the site would serve more than 4,000 youths annually.
According to the city’s project description, “The applicant is proposing to remodel an existing 21,300 square-foot suite into a sports recreation complex featuring basketball, volleyball, pickleball and dodgeball... as well as weight room and a learning center.”
The building is within the Industrial Business Park zoning district, and the city’s description states, “No new buildings will be constructed on the site.”
A conditional-use permit is required to authorize that type of sports/recreation use in an IBP zone, “and to implement measures addressing increased traffic and occupancy while preserving public health, safety, and welfare,” according to the project’s description in the city’s permit portal.
The plans call for adding “spectator seating (approximately 100 seats) and a check-in desk to serve visitors,” operating 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The plans note that there would be “staggered event schedules (e.g., weekend tournaments, weekday classes) to distribute an estimated 200 users and 100–150 additional vehicles throughout the day, minimizing peak-hour congestion.”
The suite the center would occupy has access to 17 parking spaces “within the building’s 47 total spaces, which accommodate typical demand due to staggered usage.”
It added, “To further manage traffic and parking on 95th Street Southwest the applicant proposes marking a portion of the existing parking lot for pick-up and drop-off activities, though this is not required” by city code.
“The applicant will coordinate with the property manager to ensure access to shared parking spaces during peak event times, as needed, to supplement the 17 allocated spaces.”
From dream to Lakewood sports complex
The applicant, Darren De Leon, told The News Tribune in a phone interview Monday that the site would give Game Time’s work the centralized site it needs.
De Leon, in an interview in fall 2023 with The News Tribune, spoke about the necessity of mentoring and helping local kids in sports.
De Leon this week said he’d been thinking about creating such a facility to do that during the pandemic. That dream became a necessary goal for the nonprofit after losing access to a local fitness center, according to De Leon.
Programs for now are occurring at various school gyms and Eastside Community Center.
“We looked at probably about 20 different spaces for the complex, and how we ended up choosing Lakewood was a culmination of things, as far as proximity to the freeway,” he said. “Also the unique space, just due to the sports portions that we wanted to have square footage, and office space. That space in Lakewood Industrial Park ended up fitting real well for us.”
De Leon also co-owns Game Time athletic apparel in Tacoma and said the store will continue operating as his work with the new facility ramps up.
De Leon noted that beyond regular youth sports, the complex would include activities and programs for seniors, home-schooled students and special-needs students.
“We’ll have activities for seniors, a place to meet, and then we’ll also be open to starting an adaptive special-needs sports league as well,” he said.
He noted that revenue would be generated through event rentals, monthly memberships (pricing still to be determined) and concessions. Event rentals could include tournaments, leagues, parties, sports training, sports practices, extended learning opportunity programs, corporate meetings.
As for parking, De Leon stated that the most high-traffic times for the site would be late afternoon.
“Monday through Friday, we don’t typically have a lot of guests and members and youth until around four or five o’clock, and typically that’s when our neighbors’ businesses ends,” he said.
He noted there also is parking behind the building.
An ongoing fundraising drive seeks to reach its first milestone of $200,000 for the initial work of the more-than $800,000 project.
De Leon hopes for an initial rollout at the site next year, regardless of whether funding goals have yet been achieved.
“We’re optimistic on the build-out, and any community or public help would be appreciated,” he said. “However, it won’t halt our end, and what we plan to do.”
To donate or offer comment
- The sports complex project has an online fundraising campaign for those who wish to contribute. The campaign initially is working toward a $200,000 goal to help establish the new center. The money, according to the fundraising promotion, would go to the wood flooring installation for the site’s courts, “a key part of the $822,000 buildout.”
- Public comments on the project will be accepted by the city of Lakewood until 5 p.m. Nov. 24. For more information, go to the city’s project page online.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 5:15 AM.
