Lake Zurich Life Time Fitness work resumes, with an expected fall 2022 opening date

After months of pandemic-induced stoppage, work has resumed at the Life Time Fitness site in Lake Zurich, and village officials said the long-anticipated complex is now on track to open in October 2022.

Progress on the luxury fitness center, being built on the site of the razed Hackney's restaurant, kicked off in 2019, but construction was halted in March 2020 for health-safety concerns. Aaron Koehler, director of development for Life Time Fitness, told the village board during an update in January that about 40% of the work was complete when they stopped.

But now the construction site, northeast of the intersection of Rand and Old Rand roads near the village's namesake lake, is abuzz with activity. And in the coming days, work will begin on the roads surrounding the site.

Kyle Kordell, the assistant to the village manager for Lake Zurich, said Life Time workers will begin pavement work on Old Rand Road around Aug. 1. It is expected to take about a month and a half.

While the Life Time crews are working, IDOT crews will also be working at the intersection along Rand Road. To accommodate the roadwork crews, temporary traffic signals will be installed and flaggers will be out to direct traffic.

The project has been a long time coming. Koehler first presented the plan to village officials in 2017. The initial plan called for a 60-feet-tall, three-story building to be built close to nearby homes.

The project then underwent a lengthy public review featuring several standing-room-only meetings where many neighbors strenuously expressed their opposition.

The final design plan calls for the building to be a 40-feet-tall, two-story facility with a full basement. Because of complaints the fitness center would disturb nearby residents, the proposed building was moved toward the southwest corner of the Hackney's property to be closer to the intersection.

Planners also added more greenery to screen the Life Time property.

That plan was approved unanimously by the village board in May 2018. Work at the site began with a groundbreaking ceremony in July 2019. After work was paused, rumors were flying in town that the project was dead.

To reassure residents that was not the case, Lake Zurich board members invited Life Time officials to a meeting in January to provide an update.