Why you should Vote NO on Measure H - LifeTime Fitness

(September 2024)

In this November’s election, you will be asked to vote on Measure H, which would allow Lifetime Fitness to build a 30,500-square-foot commercial gym at The Farm, instead of the smaller club that voters approved in 2020. The Poway City Council has approved the ordinance, pending at least 50 percent voter approval. The ballot measure reads:

GVCA opposes the Measure for the following reasons:

Broken Promises – In 2020, Poway voters approved the Farm Specific Plan (Measure P) with a clear vision for the future of their community. This plan included a smaller, community-focused fitness facility to serve local residents. Now, Life Time Fitness, a large, publicly traded company from Minnesota, is seeking to increase the size of the proposed facility to 30,500 square feet. This drastic change undermines the original spirit of the project and strays from what voters approved.

Community Needs – The Life Time Fitness proposal does not align with what Poway residents were promised. The Farm was supposed to be a development that balanced residential homes with open space, providing amenities that would benefit the immediate community. Instead, Life Time Fitness aims to serve a much larger population, drawing members from neighboring cities. This regional facility was not part of the original plan, and it doesn’t reflect the community’s needs or desires.

A recent survey conducted by the GVCA asked over 4,000 households in Poway for feedback, and of the 440 respondents, more than 80% opposed this project. The community’s voice is clear—this 30,500 square foot commercial facility does not belong in our neighborhood.

Traffic and Safety Concerns – The proposed Life Time Fitness would bring up to 2,000 members, many from outside Poway, who would access the facility via Goodeve Drive, a narrow, 25 mph residential street. This road is not equipped to handle such an influx of traffic, especially with its limited infrastructure, including a single sidewalk, numerous driveways, and a nearby playground. Safety should be the top priority for our community, and the influx of traffic could pose significant safety risks for residents, especially children.

Neighborhood Impact – Building a 30,500 square-foot commercial facility in a residential neighborhood would be disruptive and harmful. The scale of the facility would create congestion, noise, and other environmental impacts, ultimately diminishing the quality of life for nearby residents. This kind of overdevelopment doesn’t fit the unique character of north Poway or the original intent of The Farm, which was to blend housing with open space, not overwhelm it with commercial activity.

Unintended Consequences – Approving Measure H could set a precedent for future large-scale developments on land zoned for Open Space Recreation. Voting No on Measure H helps protect Poway from overdevelopment and ensures that future projects stay true to the community’s original vision.

Conclusion – For the safety, character, and quality of life of our community, we urge you to Vote No on Measure H. The proposed Life Time Fitness facility is too large, too disruptive, and does not reflect the promises made to Poway residents. Let’s protect the quality of life in Poway and keep our neighborhoods safe and community-focused.

GVCA Opposes the LifeTime Fitness Club
proposed for The Farm in Poway

(July 2024) The Green Valley Civic Association (GVCA) opposes the proposed 30,500 square foot Life Time Fitness club at The Farm development in Poway. As a community leader for over 60 years, we believe this proposal does not align with the community’s long-term vision and needs. We have urged Poway City Council NOT to approve modifications to “The Farm” Specific Plan, which currently allows for a 2,953 square foot fitness club.

WHY WE OPPOSE THE LIFETIME CLUB

The significant 10x increase in the size of the proposed LifeTime club raises serious concerns, particularly regarding traffic safety. A critical issue is that Goodeve Drive, a 25mph residential street, would serve as the main access point to this commercial development. The additional traffic generated by such a large facility would pose a danger to residents, especially children playing in their yards and at the neighborhood park on Goodeve.

Moreover, our recent survey completed by over 440 local residents revealed that nearly 80% are opposed to the Life Time proposal, with 72% preferring the originally approved 3,000 square foot fitness club. Only 37% of respondents expressed any interest in seeing other proposals for the site. These numbers clearly indicate that the majority of the community does not support the Life Time Fitness plan and values maintaining the integrity of the Specific Plan.

SURVEY RESULTS

We believe, a smaller, community-focused fitness club, as originally envisioned in the Specific Plan, would be far more appropriate, and beneficial for the residents of The Farm, and Poway as a whole.

CITY COUNCIL HEARING

The City Council of Poway will hold a meeting on Tuesday, July 16th at 7 pm at Poway City Hall, located at 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway. The agenda includes two significant items related to LifeTime:

1. Agenda Item 18: A public hearing on the proposed Specific Plan Amendment, Development Review, and Conditional Use Permit. This proposal is for the construction of a 30,500 square foot recreation club and accessory uses. To be effective, it requires approval by at least 50% of the voters as per “Prop FF”.

2. Agenda Item 19: Staff’s report for consideration of placing the measure on the ballot for the General Municipal Election on November 5, 2024.

“The CLUB” as approved in the Farm specific plan

The Farm in Poway development, as approved by voters in 2020, incorporates several commercial venues and amenities, in addition to the 160 residential properties. The commercial space is slated to included a total of up to 30,000 gross square feet of non-residential buildings of which 2,953 sf is for “The Club”. The mix of uses (residential and commercial) within the approved specific plan area shall not exceed 2,524 New Net Average Daily Trips. Uses may consist of educational, social and recreational uses such as event barns, social clubs, fitness clubs, restaurants including brewpubs and wine bars, boutique retailers, bed and breakfast or boutique hotel, classrooms, a butterfly vivarium, educational greenhouses, and similar facilities. Outdoor dining, a small grass amphitheater for outdoor performances, athletic fields/courts, swimming pools, parks, a dog park, trails, events, and other outdoor land uses are also permissible.

Life Time Fitness Proposal

By far, the most significant change from the approved plan is the size of the proposed fitness club. Originally slated for a 2,953sf fitness club with 916sf covered patio area, Life Time’s proposed is for a 30,500sf fitness club. The project would be managed by Life Time Group Holdings, a publicly traded corporation which operates athletic country club facilities around the country (ticker symbol LTH).

As summarized from Life Time’s March 2024 application for a Specific Plan Amendment, the proposed changes include an approximately 30,500-square-foot building for a recreational club, a 12,450-square-foot outdoor fitness area, a 1,834-square-foot outdoor spa area, approximately 10,555 square feet of lighted recreation courts, and a variety of other outdoor spaces that feature a leisure pool, lap pool, amenity deck, shaded dining area, a kids area, and 246 parking spaces as well as 4 motorcycle and 6 neighborhood EV parking spaces.

A chart at the end of the page compares the space planned for different commercial areas in the original plan and the latest proposals. Also provided are documents on environmental impact and traffic studies.

Specific Plan modification approval process: The Life Time proposal was discussed at a pre-development conference held during the city council’s regular meeting in March 2023. From that meeting, it is our understanding that a significant change to the Specific Plan must be approved by public vote. It is anticipated that in July 2024, Life Time will ask City Council to approve the proposed amended specific plan, subject to voter approval at the November 2024 election. If approved by a majority public vote, the amended plan would become effective.

Traffic: Life Time provided an updated traffic study using the same methodology as that used for The Farm. While we are not experts in evaluating such reports, the total trip generation for entire approved specific plan is 2,524 average daily trips (ADT) as compared to 3,037 ADT with the Life Time club. The difference is 513 ADT increase from that of the approved club. Looking at just the club aspect, the approved club is 180 ADT while the Life Time club would generate 915 ADTs. Life Time estimates that 60% of its members will be within a 13 minute drive and expect a large percentage to be from Poway.

Size: While the building site of 6.87 acres has remained the same, the increased size of the proposed fitness club of 30,500 sf is multiples larger than the 2,953 sf club approved in the specific plan. The Life Time building will one-story and of a farmhouse and modern agrarian design that is less than 35’ at its tallest point. For sake of comparison, the old StoneRidge clubhouse and ancillary buildings comprised approximately 31,000 sf.

Hours of Operation: Indoor operations 5am to 10pm and outdoor operations 7am to 10pm.

Memberships: We understand that memberships will be available for purchase by the public and as a private facility will offer members a host of amenities and programs which are further described below. Membership pricing will vary based on family size, and special pricing might be available for seniors and/or other select groups. Life Time has not finalized anticipated membership and pricing.

Fitness club amenities: For residents who choose to become members of Life Time, the amenities include fitness floors with workout equipment, locker rooms, group fitness, a lap pool and leisure pool, 6 pickleball courts, food and beverage service, senior and children’s programs, and other amenities. The sport courts have changed from tennis courts to pickleball due to popularity. Life Time says some areas of the club such as the cafe would be open to the public and discounts for some medical and Medicare insurance plans may be available. The Life Time facility will be much more comprehensive than a health club such as 24-Hour Fitness. You can read about features of Life Time’s La Jolla facilities at www.lifetime.life/life-time-locations/ca-la-jolla.html.

StoneRidge Country Club in comparison

Below is an aerial overlay showing the approximate footprint of the StoneRidge Country Club compared to the proposed Life Time Fitness club. StoneRidge was more sprawling with parking and tennis courts while Life Time’s building is rectangular and parking more consolidated.

OTHER COMMERCIAL Uses

In addition to the fitness club, a variety of shops and restaurants are planned for The Farm, although few final decisions have been made at this point. These would be located in the areas referred to as “The Barn” and “The Social,” in the chart below. The structures will be located near the southeast corner of the development, just north of Espola Road. According to the proposed changes, total square footage allocated to these amenities is now expected to be over 16,000sf, including over 5,000sf of patio space. We understand that numerous configurations are under consideration, including a coffee shop, one or more restaurants, micro-brewery, cheese shop, chocolate shop, bottle shop, and others.  

Just north of the Barn and Social areas will be the Butterfly Vivarium and Greenhouse. We understand that the Vivarium will essentially be an area of about 6,000sf enclosed by netting to house a garden and butterflies, and the Greenhouse will be a latticed area of about 2,000sf where plants can be stored away from too much sunlight. 

A small office/maintenance building and restrooms are to be located adjacent to the Vivarium, and a proposed 3,500sf Classroom has been removed from the plan.

Modifications from the original plan have been made to these facilities to accommodate the proposed larger fitness club plan.

OUTDOOR PUBLIC AMENITES

Finally, we understand that space allocated to outdoor amenities such as the walking/biking trails, parks, flower field, etc. are essentially unchanged from the original Specific Plan.

Summary of Commercial SPACE at The Farm

STAY INFORMED

We hope you will find this information useful. Please know that GVCA and its volunteer board members are not affiliated with The Farm in Poway development. We will continue to share information with our members.

Questions and comments can be addressed to:

The Farm, Kevin McNamara, email: McNamarainvestments@gmail.com

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