Life Time seeks zoning change, Coral Springs board requests traffic light study
The Life Time luxury gym slated to be built on the site of the former Heron Bay golf course clubhouse is working its way through the approval process, with next steps to go before the Coral Springs City Commission.
But before everything is approved, the Planning and Zoning Board has requested additional traffic study details to determine whether a new traffic signal is needed.
The developers are seeking a change in the zoning of the current and future land use to allow them to build a two-story, 86,750-square-foot fitness club that’s expected to include a cafe, pools, workout studios, courts, a spa and other amenities.
The new Life Time, advertised more as an “athletic country club” than a standard gym, will be built on a roughly 13-acre property assembled from two parcels, one owned by the City of Parkland, and the other by the North Springs Improvement District.
Life Time is going through the entitlement process with both entities to develop the site, documents show.
On the property, located next to a Marriott hotel, is the burned-out shell of the former Heron Bay golf course clubhouse, which sat vacant for years before catching fire in December. The City of Parkland will demolish what remains of the structure.
The property has a future land use designation of residential moderate and is currently zoned as a golf course. The developers are asking for it to be rezoned to Community Business B-2 for commercial uses.
At an April 13 meeting, the city’s Planning and Zoning Board recommended moving the amendments forward for reading at the May 20 City Commission meeting, pending any holdups. An exemption to the landscaping code is expected be read at a later commission meeting.
The board also noted, “An additional condition was included for the Petitioner to submit a preliminary signal evaluation study to assess the need for a signalized intersection at Heron Bay Boulevard and NW 118th Avenue prior to the City Commission meeting.”
Additional traffic is one of the concerns Heron Bay residents have raised with the new gym, with some saying the current intersection is dangerous.
There’s a two-way stop for traffic at the intersection, which leads to the Mariott at the north point and the Sawgrass Center containing a Publix, Shell gas station and other businesses at the south point. There are two lanes of traffic in each direction on Heron Bay Boulevard, with a 35 mph speed limit.
Drivers exiting the new Life Time to leave Heron Bay would have to turn left across several lanes of traffic that don’t have a stop sign.
The traffic study notes the developers have proposed adding an extra right turn lane exiting the property, but also mentions that improvements to the Sawgrass Expressway interchange at Coral Ridge Drive are expected to accomodate some of the traffic increases into the area outside Heron Bay.
The city’s traffic consultants reviewed Life Time’s traffic study and said the business’ consultants addressed their comments, leaving no further questions.
The gym has responded to comments and concerns from the city and residents, including by redefining the look of the exterior to be more cohesive with the rest of the Heron Bay community and creating additional buffers to dampen sound.
