Planet Fitness, pizza coming to Oakshade Town Center
Also, Natalie’s Corner has a debut date, another business in The Davis Collection opens, and FIT4MOM Davis changes hands
→ No Safeway expansion: The discount gym chain Planet Fitness is starting work to fill the former Rite Aid space in South Davis, at 2135 Cowell Blvd.
This, after the Davis City Council approved plans in August that would have allowed the adjacent Safeway to expand into the space and add a pharmacy. The move lifted the 40,000-square-foot limit for Davis grocery stores.
That request to the city came at the urging of Regency Centers, the owner and operator of Oakshade Town Center on Cowell Boulevard in South Davis. At the time, the center had two of the largest retail vacancies in Davis, after the closure of OfficeMax (21,000 square feet) and Rite Aid (17,500 square feet). Since then, the outdoor discount retailer Sierra signed a lease and is filling the old OfficeMax space. As I reported on Friday, Sierra will open on Aug. 9.
Planet Fitness is a low-cost health club that doesn’t offer group exercise classes or other frills. Designed for workout newbies who don’t want a big commitment, it trains members on how to use the equipment for a full-body workout.
In 1992, brothers Michael and Marc Grondahl founded Planet Fitness in Dover, N.H., its press kit says.
“In the beginning, the gym had heavy free weights, juice bars, group exercise classes, daycare and more,” a news release said. “It was essentially a place where the fit got fitter, and like every other gym in its small hometown, it was fighting for the same customer by catering to the approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population in the U.S. who worked out and belonged to a health club.”
In 1993, the owners realized there was a greater opportunity to serve the 80% or more of the population who didn’t belong to a gym. They created a “non-intimidating, low-cost model” that focuses more on what it says first-timers and casual gym goers desire: cardio, circuit training and light free weights. Because more room was made for cardio machines, they didn’t have to put time limits on popular equipment.
What’s funny is it calls itself a “judgement-free zone.” Initially, it didn’t realize that it misspelled judgment. “We considered changing it but we think it makes us different, and really fits with our judgement-free personality,” it acknowledged in its press kit. (Explaining it doesn’t make it less annoying to sticklers like me.)
Planet Fitness offers locker rooms with showers. Memberships can be upgraded to include use of massage chairs, tanning beds and other discounts.
Its press kit says it has 2,741 locations, including in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, Australia and Spain. The chain has two other locations in Yolo County: in Woodland and West Sacramento.
The price for the Woodland gym is $15 a month, with $50 in initial startup fees and no commitment. The upgraded package (massage chairs and tanning) is the same startup but $24.99 a month, and adds free guests, and access to any Planet Fitness worldwide.
I sent a message this morning to its public relations team, asking if it had an anticipated opening date for the Davis gym. I did not hear back.
→ Water park grand opening: This morning, the city of Davis announced plans for the grand opening of Natalie’s Corner Splash Pad. It’s at the north end of Central Park, at Fifth and C streets.
The grand opening “Making a Splash for Natalie” celebration is from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16. The event is hosted by the city of Davis and the Natalie Corona Committee.
World-renowned journalist Bob Dunning will emcee the affair, which will feature remarks by Vice Mayor Donna Neville and former state Sen. Lois Wolk, chair of the Natalie Corona Committee. Light refreshments will be available.
Construction of Natalie’s Corner and related improvements to the lawn area of Central Park started last August.
Officer Corona was killed during a traffic stop on Jan. 10, 2019. A committee was formed in 2020 to recommend a place of remembrance for her. In 2021, the city received $2.7 million from the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Grant Program to renovate the north portion of Central Park. In late 2022, the Davis City Council authorized the naming of the splash pad as “Natalie’s Corner” and approved that the committee assist in raising funds for the project, a city news release said. The committee raised more than $550,000 so far. To learn more, visit its website.
The free splash pad will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily during the summer. Barbara Archer, public information officer for the city, clarified it will be open from the end of May to the end of September each year.
“We will need to see if this needs adjustment, particularly since the sun sets around 6:50 p.m. at the end of September,” she said. “If we notice an increase in high temperatures, we could extend operating hours later into the year. The same applies if temperatures rise earlier in May; we will make the necessary adjustments. If we open outside of our regular season, we would operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
In a news release, the city outlined what the splash pad includes:
An interactive water feature and gathering space for all ages.
An ultraviolet disinfection system, reducing the need for chemical treatment of the water, and allowing for safe water reuse.
Biofiltration basins to capture storm water and increase groundwater recharge.
New pollinator gardens and educational displays.
Public art honoring Officer Corona.
Benches, picnic tables and low-wall seating.
Shade structures.