Holland - Holland Township’s historically under-occupied Holland Town Center today announced a major incoming tenant.
An independent Planet Fitness franchisee is finishing construction for a 22,000 sf fitness center in the Holland Town Center, 12330 James St., Holland MI
“We are trying to reach a broad population in Holland, from college students to mature adults who have never used a gym,” the franchisee wrote in a statement attributed to Russel Lewis, general manager of the Holland location. “Many of our members have been away from a health club or are somewhat put off by the traditional definition of a gym.”
The New Hampshire-based Planet Fitness franchise has more than 500 locations nationwide. The co-ed clubs, which are open and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, are marketed as non-intimidating workout environments.
Originally an outlet mall called the Holland Outlet Center, the property was purchased in July 2009 for $2.8 million by the Virginia-based SugarOak Management, a property development firm, according to Holland Township records.
The property’s retail slots were less than 50 percent occupied in 2009, said Holland Town Center spokesman Drew Durham. Today, he said, occupancy is about 65 percent.
“They’ve invested quite a bit of money to upgrade that,” Durham said. “They purchased it extremely cheaply.”
A new access road built in 2010 provided closer access to shops on the west side of the open-air mall. The company also has begun re-building the shop facades throughout the mall, Durham said.
The vision is to create a “user-friendly, mixed-use” development with a variety of service, retail and office tenants,” he said.
Two of the original factory outlet tenants, GAP and Carter’s Children’s Wear, still are in the development.
Planet Fitness has opened a small office on site to pre-sell memberships, which start at $10 a month.
When construction is finished, the tenant will occupy the building on the southwest side of the center. A grand opening event is being planned for early July.
About SugarOak -
SugarOak is a full service real estate company offering investment, management, and construction services across multiple property types. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, SugarOak has ownership interests and management portfolios across the US and Canada.
