Life Time Fitness, headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, has approached the village of Lake Zurich about building a high-end 24-hour resort-like fitness center at 880 North Old Rand Road, the former location of Hackney’s restaurant Lake Zurich.
Life Time Fitness is proposing a three-story 24-hour health, athletic and recreation center with two outdoor pools with limited hours. The Lake Zurich location is likely to be built as an Onyx level club, similar to the fitness center in Vernon Hills, Old Orchard, and Burr Ridge in the Chicago area. Other clubs in Chicagoland are two-story Gold level clubs, about 105,000 square feet. The 3-story Lake Zurich building would be about 125,000 square feet and feature cardiovascular and resistance training areas, as well as studios for cycling, yoga, Pilates and more. The Life Time Fitness facility also would include dance, art, music and tumbling studios for children.
An outdoor lap pool would be open dawn to dusk, and an outdoor recreational pool would be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the summer.
Mayor Tom Poynton announced the proposal Monday night as a village board meeting was wrapping up.
“It’s good news for that site. I think initially from what I know about Life Time [Fitness] it could be a good benefit for the neighborhood, but we’ll see.”
— Mayor Tom Poynton, Lake Zurich
According to the project overview Life Time submitted to the village, the Life Time hopes to create a luxury resort and country club-type fitness center experience, constructing large lounge areas for socializing and relaxing, and using expensive building materials. Onyx-level clubs utilize more expensive building materials. The Vernon Hills location outdoor pool has the appearance of a resort. The plans include a full-service salon and spa as well as two cafes, one indoor and one outdoor.
Representatives from Life Time Fitness will present the plan to the village board at the Village of Lake Zurich August 21 meeting, as part of the village’s courtesy review process.
Life Time Fitness will also host a meeting with residents living near the former Hackney’s site to detail the plans and answer questions. The neighbors meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at the Lake Zurich Police Department, 200 Mohawk Trail.
Life Time Fitness currently has nine locations in Chicagoland — three Onyx Clubs and six Gold Clubs. Currently Life Time Fitness has 124 Life Time Fitness facilities in 27 states, and three Life Fitness facilities in Canada.
Private equity investors took Life Time Fitness private from a publicly-traded company in 2015.
The company was founded by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bahram Akradi, and was incorporated in 1990 as FCA, Ltd., a Minnesota corporation. The Life Time Fitness name was registered in 1992. The first Life Fitness Center opened in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
While Hackney’s in Lake Zurich and Wheeling have closed, the well-known restaurant with famous onion rings, rye bread and big burgers, still has four locations in Chicagoland. Hackney’s in Lake Zurich closed in March 2017 after almost 48 years of operation. The Lake Zurich closure followed closure of the restaurant location in Wheeling, Illinois on Milwaukee Avenue.
According to Hackney’s official website, the restaurant company’s history in the north and northwest suburbs dates back to January 1920, when Jack Hackney and his wife, “Aunt Bebe”, served hamburgers and beer on the back porch of their house in Glenview during the Prohibition era. Glenview continues to be the location of two Hackney’s restaurants — one at 1241 Harms Road, and one at 1514 East Lake Avenue. There is also a Hackney’s in Palos Park at 123rd and LaGrange Road, and in Printer’s Row neighborhood in Chicago at 733 South Dearborn Street.
LifeTime Fitness plans at Lake Zurich Hackney’s site
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