Proposed gym at site of beloved Santa Rosa movie theater site up for discussion

Editor’s note: The Santa Rosa zoning administrator on Thursday delayed a decision on an application for a minor conditional use permit to open a Planet Fitness at the cinema site to July 18 after asking the project team to revise its design to make it more compatible with the look of the surrounding commercial area.

___________

Dozens of cardio machines, bench presses and other gym equipment could soon replace theater screens at the beloved Summerfield Cinemas in east Santa Rosa.

City planning officials on Thursday will consider a request for a minor conditional use permit and minor building modifications to open a Planet Fitness at 551 Summerfield Road that is all but guaranteed to be approved.

The tenant change, which raised alarm among neighbors and moviegoers when a public notice was circulated early last month, appears to come as the shopping center where the theater is located also changes hands.

A broker representing the property said it’s under escrow with a buyer from San Mateo.

The 4.22-acre Lakeside Shopping Center features 45,000 square feet of retail space across nine buildings and has 11 tenants, including Mary’s Pizza Shack, a preschool, and other businesses.

The sale could have wider implications for other long-term tenants, though to what extent is unclear.

Community members can weigh in on the gym proposal in person during the Zoning Administrator meeting 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the old council chamber building, 637 First St. The meeting can be livestreamed via Zoom but online comments won’t be taken.

Plans for Planet Fitness were first submitted to the city in September 2023.

The project calls for renovating the 14,200-square-foot cinema building, upgrading plumbing, electrical and mechanical equipment, and installing new windows and wall siding on the street-front facade — work valued at $2.5 million.

A layout of the floor shows about 60 pieces of cardio equipment in the center of the gym, bench presses and weight training equipment along the north side of the building, a studio with bikes, locker rooms and other amenities.

The Summerfield location represents an expansion in Santa Rosa for the chain, which opened its first franchise on Santa Rosa Avenue last July.

The gym is expected to be open daily, from 5 a.m. to midnight Mondays, 24 hours Tuesday through Thursday, midnight to 10 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, according to the application.

The city’s Zoning Administrator was expected to review the application during a May 16 hearing but a nearby business owner filed a request for a formal public hearing.

“We believe that allowing such a large chain gym in that location … detracts from the community focused independent small district that the current businesses have worked hard to develop and maintain,” wrote Trinity Winslow, owner of Aquariuz Sewing, in a request filed on behalf of her and three other businesses in the vicinity.

Winslow, whose tailoring shop is off Montgomery Drive in a strip center behind the Lakeside Shopping Center, she doesn’t want to see the theater close and replaced with a chain retailer.

The gym would take away from the atmosphere locally-owned businesses in that corner of east Santa Rosa have sought to cultivate, she said, and she criticized the gym franchise for having a business model that she described as impersonal.

“I don’t think it’s going to add anything positive to our district,” she said.

Thursday’s approval is mostly a formality.

The property is zoned for neighborhood commercial use and the proposed Planet Fitness complies with the site’s land-use designation, according to city documents.

City planners wrote in their recommendation for approval to Zoning Administrator Kristinae Toomians that the gym is compatible with the surrounding retailers and commercial tenants and they concluded all necessary findings to approve the permit can be made.

As the administrator, Toomians, who is appointed by the city planning chief, has the authority to act on applications for administrative permits and applications for minor projects or projects that qualify for reduced review, such as this one.

It’s not clear what Thursday’s decision means for theater operations at Summerfield Cinemas or when Planet Fitness proposes opening.

Dan Tocchini, whose company owns and operates the theater, along with the Roxy Stadium 14 in downtown Santa Rosa and Airport Stadium 12 near Windsor, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

He previously told The Press Democrat that his lease with the property owner — the Duggan Family Limited Partnership — remained active but he declined to comment further on the Planet Fitness proposal and implications for his business.