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This election season, Poway residents are weighing in on a local ballot measure that proposes putting a 30,000-square-foot Life Time fitness center in a residential development called The Farm.
The measure, called Measure H, is proving to be a controversial one with critics arguing that the proposed fitness center would be too large for the area and breaks promises made to residents.
In the 2020 election, Poway residents approved The Farm project, a 117-acre residential subdivision that included plans for about 160 homes, community gardens, an event space, hiking trails, a dog park, a 3,000-square-foot fitness club and more. The development is in northern Poway at the site of the former StoneRidge Country Club.
In Poway, any proposals that would increase the residential density on certain types of land has to be approved by voters. That’s a result of Proposition FF, which voters approved in 1988.
Coverage of news and issues in northern San Diego county.
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The Farm: Regarding the 2020 proposal, some residents who supported it said they were attracted to the idea of a luxury home development with a small-town feel. But, some residents told Voice of San Diego, they were expecting the commercial entities, like the fitness club, to be filled by local small businesses.
Now, instead of the proposed 3,000-square-foot fitness club that voters approved in 2020, The Farm could be getting a luxury fitness center 10 times the size of the original proposal and operated by a huge corporation.
Life Time, a Minnesota-based fitness company that has hundreds of fitness centers throughout the United States and Canada, has proposed a recreational fitness club with two swimming pools, pickleball courts and tennis courts, a fitness center, a cafe with a bar, a day spa and some retail shops that would all sit on 6.87 acres of The Farm.
Proponents of Measure H say North Poway deserves a high-quality fitness center that offers the kinds of amenities and perks that Life Time would offer to residents. The $30 million facility would also generate $70,000 to $90,000 in property tax revenue for the city each year.
Supporters also argue that there was a lot of opposition to The Farm when it was originally proposed years ago, but the area turned out to be largely successful.
Critics of the measure say that if voters approve Measure H, the area could see a big bump in traffic and noise as residents from across Poway, and possibly neighboring North County cities, travel into the neighborhood to use the fitness center.
They also say this plan just isn’t what they signed up for in 2020.
Steph Griffin, senior development manager at Life Time, provided a statement via email.
“We designed our project to minimize impacts on surrounding residents, and an independent traffic study confirmed it will not create any significant new traffic impacts,” the statement said in part. “Measure H delivers an amenity for the entire community that generates property tax revenue plus sales tax revenue.”
Read the full statement from Life Time here.
In July of this year, the Poway City Council voted 4-1 to approve the developer’s plan for the larger facility, pending approval by a public vote. The council then voted unanimously to place the measure on the ballot.
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus said at the meeting that approval of the developer’s modifications was not an indication of the council’s position on the project itself, and that voters will ultimately make the decision.
Councilmember Anita Edmondson was the only “no” vote in the discussion to approve the facility’s modifications. Edmondson represents the district where The Farm is located.
“The location is in a residential area that is not designed to accommodate a large commercial activity,” Edmondson said at the meeting. “In my mind, this major modification is just too major to move forward.”
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Tigist Layne is Voice of San Diego's north county reporter. Contact her directly at tigist.layne@voiceofsandiego.org or (619) 800-8453. Follow her… More by Tigist Layne
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