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By Sandra J. Pennecke
sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
What will be the largest Onelife Fitness ever built is under construction in the Red Mill area of Virginia Beach.
The 80,000-square-foot facility will be in part of the former Kmart on General Booth Boulevard which closed last year. It is slated to open on Valentine’s Day.
The build-out project, which began this past summer, will cost about $5 million plus another $2 million for equipment.
Big Lots opened in the other portion of the 130,000-square-foot building in the Dam Neck Crossing shopping center in November.
The shopping center, which has hundreds of parking spots, is undergoing a rebirth, said managing partner Jerry Donnelly.
“We were looking on this side of town,” Donnelly said. “There are a lot of green spaces and a lot of residents here so it seemed to fit our model pretty well. It’s strategically located and was a perfect opportunity.”
A Pizza Hut and KFC were both redone recently in anticipation of the growth under way. A Cookout restaurant will soon join the others along General Booth Boulevard. In addition, Oceana Nutrition Center recently opened, Juice Café is being built and Warrior’s Taphouse will open this month.
Onelife’s mega center will have 110 employees. An outsourced physical therapy office will also be on site.
The top-of-the-line center will feature different sections for every workout possible. Included are: free weights; cardio, circuit and functional training; an indoor pool; kids’ splash zone; explosive performance athletic training; Pilates, yoga and spin studios; two basketball courts; a turf workout area; and hydro massage beds.
“We pretty much have it all here … it’s just the sheer size of it,” Donnelly said. “We have found here in 757 that people want something that’s affordable, but yet it’s top-of-the-line as well … in Hampton Roads people know what Onelife Fitness is. We have our own standard that we need to maintain.”
A 15-foot cinema screen will show current movies as members do their cardio workout.
Kmart’s former lawn and garden area is being transformed into the explosive performance athletic training area for team training and next level personal training as well as an outdoor workout terrace.
Prior to the club’s opening, new members can use a sales/preview center which is perpendicular to the club. It has a full strength-training circuit, 40 cardio machines, a spin room and other features that will be in the mega center.
“You can join now and start now,” Donnelly said, noting a basic membership, which includes group and core classes, is $29.99 per month.
Donnelly, who has worked for Onelife for more than 20 years, knows opportunities when he sees them.
He began working at the front desk at night while going to college for social work at Radford University. That’s where he met his wife, Sandy, who also works for Onelife as a regional recruitment manager.
“Part of our success is that we care,” Donnelly said. “We care about the members and we thrive to deliver the ultimate fitness experience to every member on every visit.”
Created by U.S. Fitness founders Kirk and John Galiani, the Onelife brand was started in the Princess Anne area of Virginia Beach about 15 years ago.
“Originally we moved here as Gold’s Gym and then we left Gold’s Gym and created Onelife about nine years ago,” Donnelly said.
There are six Onelife Fitness centers in the area, including Princess Anne, Greenbrier, Chesapeake Square, Monticello Avenue in Norfolk and two in Newport News.
There are eight Onelife centers in Atlanta and more than 30 in the Northern Virginia/D.C./Maryland area.
“We’re maintaining steady growth by building new clubs and improving upon our existing clubs to offer the best value,” Kirk Galiani said. “We’re always pushing forward to ensure our members have all the tools and resources they need to achieve their fitness goals.”
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