A popular gym chain founded in the 1980s — with hundreds of locations across the country — will soon shutter a Sarasota location.
LA Fitness at The Crossings at Siesta Key, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, will close April 6.
Members received an email informing them that they can use the LA Fitness at 4057 Cattlemen Road, located about five miles to the east.
An employee who answered the phone at the Crossings gym confirmed the closing date.
Representatives of the parent company, Fitness International LLC, in Irvine, California did not respond to a query by deadline.
Benderson Development, which purchased the former Dillard’s property in 2014 for $10 million, acquired the majority of the former Southgate shopping center in 2022 for $25.1 million.
The Southgate Shopping Center opened in 1957.
It became an enclosed mall in 1988.
Saks Fifth Avenue became an anchor tenant in 1996 and later moved to University Town Center Mall in 2014.
In 2024, the Sarasota City Commission approved a comprehensive plan amendment that would allow the 33.95-acre commercial center to be developed as a mixed-use complex including residences.
What was unique about the LA Fitness at The Crossings at Siesta Key?
When Fitness International LLC opened in 2017, it turned the former Esporta Fitness facility into an LA Fitness prototype with a three-lane swimming pool and a fresh, earthy interior.
In addition to offering child care, the center had facilities for volleyball and basketball, as well as more space for personal training clients and extra space for its members to gather.
What is the future of The Crossings at Siesta Key?
The 2024 comprehensive plan amendment laid the groundwork for Benderson Development to create a mixed-use center similar to what Torburn Partners envisions for Sarasota Square Mall.
A city of Sarasota spokeswoman noted by email that while the comprehensive plan amendment opened up a path for Benderson to redevelop The Crossings at Siesta Key, the land would still need to be rezoned.
As part of the approval process, 10% of future housing units would be designated as attainable housing units for at least 30 years, under the guidelines established by the Live Local Act.
Of the first 400 homes built, at least 20 would be attainable units; of the first 450 homes, at least 50 would be attainable; of the first 750 units, at least 85 would be attainable.
At the applicant’s proposed density of 25 units per acre, a maximum of 848 homes would be built on the shopping center site.
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota gym closing after nearly a decade. Here’s what we know
Reporting by Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
