Life Time Fitness, Chanhassen, Minnesota, recently announced it will repurpose a Minneapolis-area Simon Property Group shopping mall into a three-level, 120,000-square-foot athletic resort, slated to open in early 2019.
The new facility will occupy the current J.C. Penney store space within Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota. Edina is a suburb of Minneapolis and one of the wealthiest cities in Minnesota, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. The project is part of a larger collaboration between Life Time Fitness and Simon to re-imagine mall spaces as "healthy lifestyle villages," a media release said.
“This project with Life Time is part of a larger vision for Southdale Center – to create a connected community epicenter,” Michael McCarty, Simon’s executive vice president of development operations, said in the release. “With new nearby apartments, the recently opened Hennepin County Service Center, a hotel coming soon, and this athletic resort on the way, Southdale is realizing that vision.”
The focus of future Life Time Fitness-Simon projects will be “healthy living, healthy aging, healthy entertainment,” the release said. The sites will feature designated spaces for shopping, socializing, exercising, and even health clinics and residential spaces.
“We have long looked for the right opportunity to bring Life Time to the Edina community and serve area residents with an unparalleled experience,” Bahram Akradi, Life Time Fitness chairman and founder, said in the release. “Our focus is to develop all-inclusive destinations that encompass the full spectrum of daily life for thousands of individuals, couples and families of all ages.”
More details on the Southdale project will be announced later in 2017, the release said.
Life Time Fitness currently operates 23 facilities within the Twin Cities metro area and 127 across North America.The company ranked No. 3 on Club Industry’s Top 100 Health Clubs of 2016, just behind 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness. Club Industry estimated Life Time Fitness’ 2015 revenue at $1.354 billion.