The building, at 10 W. Andrew St., just off South Queen Street, will soon be the site of tense, guns-drawn, room-to-room searches and Wild West shoot-outs.

And, even after Red Rose Paintball opens on Nov. 1, owner Kevin Weems said the action will be kept quietly behind closed doors.

The warehouse, part of the former Queen Dairy complex, is open and empty, said Weems, a businessman who also owns the Lancaster Door Service, a residential and commercial garage door service.

The warehouse, at 11,000-square-feet, will be perfect for the city’s first indoor paintball arena, Weems said Wednesday. The open floor plan will allow him to set up various Hollywood-style sets and props — such as a 19th Century western town — to suit the event or group.

Weems, 42, said he hopes to tap a growing interest in the game, where competitors with compressed air guns, or markers, shoot balls of gel paint at each other. Paintball teams have formed leagues and travel to different venues for competitions.

There is an existing indoor paintball facility in a former factory in Manheim and at least two outdoor paintball sites, in Quarryville and Conestoga.

Weems, of East Lampeter Township, hopes paintball players will come from those sites and Harrisburg, Reading and elsewhere for organized three-on-three and five-on-five competitions.

He also plans to host birthday parties, corporate groups and law enforcement personnel who may wish to practice in an urban environment.

Although he expects to mostly host the private parties and organized events, Weems said he will also have walk-in hours and he plans to have “neighborhood nights” to attract customers from the surround area with lowered fees.

Weems has not yet set his prices, but he anticipates charging a $10-15 entrance fee and a $12-$15 gun rental fee for those who do not bring their own paintball gun.

On the opposite side of Andrew Street, Weems plans to renovate a smaller building, at 362 S. Queen St., for offices, restrooms and a marker rental counter for Red Rose Paintball. The 3,000-square-foot building will also house a target shooting range where people can try out their guns, he said.

That property also has the 25 parking spaces required under the city zoning law.

Weems is in the process of purchasing both buildings. According to county property tax records, they are owned by Victor Despard III. The larger building has an assessed value of $163,300, while the smaller building is assessed at $63,300.

Weems received zoning approval for the operation Monday evening from the city Zoning Hearing Board. No one spoke in opposition to his plans. The only condition set by the board was to limit Weems’ hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, said Walter Siderio, city zoning officer.

Weems said the sport is all new to him.

“I have never played paintball in my life,” he admitted.

It was the interest in the game that he has heard from others that got his attention, he said.

“I’ve been seeing paintball on ESPN. Friends play it, especially kids of our friends,” he said.

Weems said he plans to power-wash the sidewalks and otherwise fix up the buildings. He wants to be a good neighbor in the help the depressed area rebound.

“I’ve been hearing about the city revitalizing and I thought it would be great opportunity to be a part of that,” Weems said.