Life Time representatives held two public meetings last week to discuss their proposed $30 million fitness center that would be built on a 6.8-acre site at The Farm in Poway residential development.
Overall, indoor and outdoor space for the one-story fitness center, which includes plans for a bistro and cafe, spa, and possibly pickleball or tennis courts and swimming pool, would be just under 100,000 square feet, officials said.
The first meeting was Nov. 1 at Poway City Hall council chambers. The second was hosted by the Green Valley Civic Association, an organization that represents northern Poway, on Nov. 2 at Incarnation Lutheran Church.
Bob Manis, the city of Poway’s director of development services, was at both meetings.
Life Time was expected to have an application hearing at the Dec. 5 City Council meeting, but the company has requested a postponement so they can prepare additional information for the public, said Megan Eaton, Life Time’s senior director of real estate development.
No formal council action is required to postpone the item because the public hearing had not yet been advertised, said Rene Carmichael, Poway’s community outreach coordinator.
Community members have complained to the City Council this year about what they say are broken promises and unmet expectations regarding The Farm and the proposed Life Time fitness center. In 2020, voters approved plans for a 2,953-square-foot fitness center at The Farm, not the 30,500-square-foot fitness center currently being proposed, they said.
Eaton, who spoke at both meetings, said Life Time has 170 clubs in the United States and Canada and aims to add 10 to 12 new clubs to its portfolio each year. She said Life Time had been eyeing the Poway region’s market for the past decade. The Farm location aligned with the Minnesota-based company’s target demographic so its executives reached out to The Farm’s developer, Eaton said.
“We saw a parcel appropriate for an athletic club right in our target demographic,” she said at the GVCA’s meeting. “We’re excited to be part of this community.”
Life Time is investing roughly $30 million in building the fitness center on a 6.8-acre site in the middle of The Farm, Eaton added.
“We would not be investing $30 million if we were not completely confident that we would get a return on our investment,” she said.
Of the total 100,000 square feet for the project, indoor areas would take up 33 percent of the space and outdoor areas would take up the remaining 67 percent, said Steph Griffin, Life Time development manager.
Life Time Vice President of Club Operations Brian Gaeta, second from left, talks to visitors at a Nov. 1 Open House meeting.
(Julie Gallant)
If approved, The Farm fitness center could open in 2026, Eaton said. The facility’s indoor space would be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and outdoor spaces would be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The center would have from 2,000 to 3,000 members with memberships starting at $299.
“We’d like to hear what you would like to change about the project to make it something you want,” Eaton told a group of about 100 attendees at the Nov. 1 meeting. “We’d like to work with you on the programming and hopefully move forward.”
Poway resident Jana Johnson, a founding member of the Poway Voices community group organized this year to provide information about existing and proposed developments in Poway, expressed opposition at the Nov. 1 meeting.
“People are not against Life Time in Poway, just at this location,” Johnson told the Life Time representatives. “If someone could consider that. This is about Life Time coming in.”
Wendy Hummel, a 35-year Poway resident, asked the speakers for more clarity.
“Everyone is so emotional and vested,” Hummel said. “We need more information, more meetings with the city and direct honesty with the group. You’re way too big. Traffic will be enormous. You need to be way more crystal clear for the entire community.”
Renderings displayed at a Life Time Open House meeting show what a fitness center at The Farm development could look like.
(Julie Gallant)
Manis, the city’s director of development services, said Life Time has the right to propose a project on private property. City staff will review Life Time’s proposal and make a recommendation to the City Council, which can vote to approve or deny the project.
Items the council is scheduled to consider are an amendment to The Farm Specific Plan, which includes addressing square footage of the project; a Conditional Use permit, which is needed to allow alcohol sales at the proposed bistro; and a Design Review, which considers aspects such architecture and a site plan review of the actual development, Manis said.
If the council approves the project, Manis said city staff is recommending it be approved by voters citywide in the November 2024 election.
“Technically, the council could say that it should not go to a vote,” he said. “I cannot speak for the council’s actions. We’re obligated to take it to a decision point by state law.”
If the council gives its green light, the city attorney would draft the ballot language, which would also be approved by the council, Manis said.
If the council denies the project, Life Time could gather signatures on a petition and potentially have the project placed on the ballot, Manis said.
Attendees at the two meetings expressed concerns over the potential for noise and traffic from the fitness center.
Griffin said Life Time is conducting a noise study and will share results of that later with the community. Factors being considered to mitigate noise are mainly landscaping, location within the site, and distance from other buildings, Griffin said.
The noise study includes all of the activities and programming involved with the project and takes into account the use of the building, she added.
Regarding traffic, Eaton said Life Time staff are analyzing traffic studies and plan to provide accurate traffic information in the future.
Life Time is proposing to build a $30 million fitness center facility at The Farm.
(Julie Gallant)
Eaton said The Farm fitness center is planned to have 246 parking spaces, which is more than the San Clemente Life Time fitness club’s 218 parking spaces even though The Farm club is expected to have 30 percent fewer members.
Edward Michell told the Life Time representatives at the Nov. 1 meeting that he’s looking for The Farm to provide what was promised — a rural residential community with homes on minimum 1-acre lots and an equestrian trail.
“That’s what we want,” Michell said. “We don’t want the bars and the pickleball courts. A horse going by, that’s a good noise. I don’t know if you can compromise my dreams and your plans but we will fight.”