The Forum Athletic Club to open in midtown.
Atlanta-based The Forum Athletic Club plans to open a second metro location next year at Ponce City Market in midtown. The new facility will be located in the project's Southeast wing and will be a little over 11,000 square feet, about half the size of the existing location at Lenox Square. The approximately 23,000 square foot Lenox Square gym is located on the mall's Plaza Level, most easily accessible from the mall's Lenox Road parking garage.
Atlanta-based The Forum Athletic Club plans to open a second metro location next year at Ponce City Market in midtown. The new facility will be located in the project's Southeast wing and will be a little over 11,000 square feet, about half the size of the existing location at Lenox Square. The approximately 23,000 square foot Lenox Square gym is located on the mall's Plaza Level, most easily accessible from the mall's Lenox Road parking garage.
A Forum representative indicated the current plan is to have the new location open by late next spring or early next summer. As it is about half the size of the Lenox location, additional offerings like cyc fitness, indoor cycling, will not be offered in the Ponce City Market location.
As anyone who has visited Ponce City Market knows, one has no choice but to pay to park at the complex with no validations offered for purchases. It will be interesting to see if this policy is tweaked or adjusted for those that may become members of the new gym.
The Forum Athletic Club previously operated another location in Johns Creek on Medlock Bridge Parkway, but they sold it this past September. Interestingly, the buyers were two entrepreneurs, Geoff Dyer and Tony Scrimale, who converted the 32,000 square foot gym into a Crunch fitness facility. The duo plan to invest $2 million and officially reopen the facility as "Crunch Johns Creek" in January. Crunch previously operated a number of locations in metro Atlanta including gyms at Parkway Pointe near Cumberland Mall and Tower Place in Buckhead, but both closed in 2009 marking the brand's exit from the market.
Smaller gyms like The Forum and national outfits like Crunch have had a tough time fending off competition on both ends of the fitness spectrum. Lifetime Fitness and LA Fitness have both built larger, newer, more upscale facilities in Atlanta and elsewhere capturing huge market share. On the lower end, smaller gyms like Workout Anytime offer lower membership fees and provide 24-hour access to their facilities.
What gym experience do you prefer? What are your thoughts on having to pay to park at Ponce City Market with no validation offered for purchases? Are you excited for the return of Crunch to metro Atlanta?
Please share your thoughts below.
1 comment:
Pretty sure PCM clarified on one of their social media accounts that it's up to the tenants to validate parking and that that's something they're working on with current/future tenants.
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