Making Way For the New Life Time Fitness in Bloomfield Township

Demolition is well under way for the new Executive Life Time Fitness that will open next year in Bloomfield Township.

Crews began knocking down the collection of old and vacant offices on the stretch of southbound Telegraph Road near Long Lake Road earlier this month, and now the structures are reduced to just piles of broken concrete and wooden shards.

It is the second phase of demolition and construction near the corner following the completion of the new Max Broock in the building next door in the 4000 block of Telegraph Road. The buildings once housed 

Some parking for patrons will be available in front, but the majority will be behind the building with access to Dublin Drive.

Patti Voelker, Bloomfield Township's director of planning, said the demolition will continue throughout the summer, and that construction on the 70,000 square-foot Executive Life Time Fitness will begin shortly after. The facility will have a smaller footprint than the chain's typical buildings, but will offer a cafe, salon and spa services. 

It's part of the Diamond Executive fitness club model targeting more affluent communities with multiple amenities that current Life Time facilities do not offer, including the spa, a five-lane, 25-meter lap pool, and child care. Members will be allowed to access any other location in the chain, but only Diamond Executive members can use the future club in the township, according to the company website. It will be the first in Michigan, and there are only two other Diamond Executive clubs in the country.

While some residents have expressed excitement over the new business, the visible demolition along Telegraph Road caused some to reminisce.

"Bring back Thomasville Furniture....now that was a great store," reader Mark Steven wrote on the Bloomfield-Bloomfield Hills Patch Facebook page.

The target opening date is in the summer of 2014, Voelker said.