Voters to decide the fate of proposed fitness center at Poway’s The Farm

Poway City Council members have agreed to let voters decide in the Nov. 5 election whether a 30,500-square-foot Life Time fitness center should be built at The Farm residential development.

The Minnesota-based fitness company has proposed a recreational fitness club with two swimming pools, pickleball courts and tennis courts, a fitness center, cafe with bar, a day spa and some retail on 6.87 acres at The Farm.

The Farm is a relatively new 117-acre residential subdivision with about 160 homes, most of which have been sold by Lennar Corp., at the site of the former StoneRidge Country Club north of Espola Road between Valley Verde Road and Cloudcroft Drive.

Poway voters approved The Farm project in the November 2020 election, but the ballot included a proposal for a 2,953-square-foot fitness center with 2.3 acres for combined indoor and outdoor recreational activities.

The Life Time fitness center, as proposed, is 10 times the size of the plan on the 2020 ballot, and the change requires a Specific Plan Amendment, according to a city of Poway staff report. Additionally, the revised plans call for a Development Review modification for changes to the site and a Conditional Use Permit to address hours of operation, noise control and alcohol sales.

Council members at their July 16 meeting approved the amendment and modifications on a 4-1 vote, with Council member Anita Edmondson opposed. The council then unanimously voted to put a measure on the ballot that asks whether voters want to change The Farm in Poway Specific Plan to allow the development on 6.87 acres, including 2.3 acres of recreational space.

Edmondson, whose council district represents The Farm neighborhood, said on paper the “The Club” fits the vision of The Farm, and the fitness center offers attractive amenities, but the size of the commercial operation does not fit the spirit of the original plan or the neighborhood.

“The location is in a residential area that is not designed to accommodate a large commercial activity,” Edmondson said before voting no. “In my mind, this major modification is just too major to move forward.”

Steph Griffin, Life Time development manager, said The Farm was approved in 2020, three years after StoneRidge closed. Life Time is proposing to build a new fitness center there to meet the social and recreational needs of The Farm residents and those living in surrounding neighborhoods, and to fill a void created by the shuttered golf course and country club, she told council members and the 200 people in the audience.

In addition to a fitness center, pools, tennis and pickleball courts, she said Life Time can offer dance classes, child care, senior activities, nutrition programs and running and biking clubs, among other things, Griffin said.

Life Time’s $30 million investment will generate about $70,000 to $90,000 in annual property tax revenue for the city, Griffin said. Life Time is also paying the costs to place the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot, she said.

“The Club meets the vision of The Farm and creates social and fitness amenities for its residents and the surrounding communities,” she said. “We will have more indoor programming as a result of feedback and the indoor and outdoor uses will be consistent with The Farm Specific Plan. We will ensure other uses in The Farm are not compromised.”

The Life Time item drew 14 speakers –- two in support of the project, one neutral and 11 opposed -– and nine written comments, all in opposition to the project, Mayor Steve Vaus said.

StoneRidge neighborhood resident Chris Prine said he objects to another election that he said “pits citizens of StoneRidge against Life Time, which has unlimited funds,” Prine said The Farm Managing Partner Kevin McNamara proposed one-story, ranch-style homes compatible with the surrounding homes along with tennis courts, not two-story homes and pickleball courts.

Steven Stone, president of the Green Valley Civic Association, said his organization mailed a survey to 4,000 households in North Poway and of the 440 responses received, 340 respondents were opposed to the Life Time proposal. Stone asked the council if they would approve a 30,000-square-foot project elsewhere in Poway if it was accessible by a street in a 25 mph zone.

“The GVCA urges the Poway City Council to consider the long-term implications,” Stone said. “A smaller fitness club would be more appropriate and far more beneficial to the residents.”

Vanessa Springett said she supported The Farm proposal in 2020 when she thought it would include a small swim and tennis club. Springett said a potentially large fitness club membership could adversely affect the residential neighborhood.

“Please send a clear message to the developers that they will be held accountable to build what was proposed,” she said.

Sterling Miles, a resident of The Farm, said as a former member of a Life Time fitness center in La Jolla, he is an advocate for the project and believes an alternative small fitness center on a large property that would charge low fees is a bad business model.

A company such as Life Time has the money and know-how to successfully operate the proposed fitness center, he said.

Neighborhood resident Dale Davis said he objects to the project and to the way the “city in the country” is being developed with dense projects such as condos and apartments on Poway Road.

“I hope you let voters decide what is right for the city of Poway,” Davis said before the council voted to put the measure on the ballot.

Council member Caylin Frank said if the measure fails, a different project may take its place with less oversight, be more disruptive and less beneficial to the community. The better, more transparent choice is to allow voters to vet the project, Frank said.

Once the project is voted on, the decision would be made and the council would not review the proposal again, Vaus said. If Life Time gathers voter signatures to place the measure on the ballot — as some speakers suggested — the city might not have control over the ballot language and may be responsible for paying the costs, he said.

“I want to make clear that approval of the ordinance does not indicate the council supports the project, but it will allow the public to decide whether to allow the project to proceed,” Vaus said. “I want all voters and residents to be heard. This is the best way to settle the issue.”

Originally Published: July 17, 2024 at 3:36 p.m.