A proposal to build a fitness center and some housing at 1189 Lydia Drive in St. Joseph Township has been put on hold by the St. Joseph Township Planning Commission.
At a Tuesday meeting, planners heard from Karan Singh, the owner of Power Strike Fitness on Hilltop Road. He told us he’d like a new location for his business while adding to the area’s housing availability.
“We’re proposing two townhouse buildings, four units each, and then the gym location on the second parcel,” Singh said.
The gym would also have two apartments on the second floor.
Singh said he wants to offer housing options to people moving into the area to work for entities like Whirlpool, Leco, and the hospital.
“There is a shortage of housing in our area. There always has been. You can call apartments around here. There’s a waitlist. We’re trying to help that out for anyone moving into our area, bringing in more business to the St. Joe community as well.”
Under the proposed plan, Singh would keep the current Power Strike Fitness location and turn it into a recovery center, which he said is like a spa for people who have just worked out.
However, residents at Tuesday’s meeting had issues with the plan. They included traffic. Many complained it’s already too dangerous to turn to and from Lydia Drive to Niles Road without a new development there.
The development would rely on Lydia Drive for access.
The planning commission tabled the developer’s request for a special use permit and asked them to come back with a more refined plan that would also address parking. Singh told us he would do so.
