The Homewood Village Board approved special use permits at the March 10 meeting, allowing two fitness studios to open along 183rd Street in the village’s downtown transition zoning district.
One permit allows Monique Gill of Hotworx fitness studio to operate at 2000 W. 183rd St., while the other permits a yoga and Pilates studio at 2139 W. 183rd St. Both uses are classified as indoor commercial places of assembly under the village zoning ordinance and therefore required special use approval, said Angela Mesaros, Homewood director of economic and community development.
The Hotworx studio will occupy a 2,348-square-foot tenant space in a multi-tenant commercial building that was formerly Family Video. The national fitness chain offers infrared sauna-based workouts combining heat, infrared energy and exercise in short sessions. The studio will include 10 sauna workout rooms designed for small group classes, and accommodate up to three people per sauna, Mesaros said.
The business will operate with 24-hour member access, with staff scheduled during peak activity periods. Staff hours are planned for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The studio is expected to employ three to five part-time employees and one full-time manager, she said.
Parking for the Hotworx location meets zoning requirements. Village regulations require one parking space for every 300 square feet of commercial space. The 7,085-square-foot commercial center requires 23 spaces, and 40 spaces are available in the shared lot, Mesaros said.
The Homewood Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the request Feb. 26 and voted 5-1 to recommend approval, with one commissioner expressing concern about the studio’s 24-hour operation, she said.
The second special use permit allows Larissa Shipps to open Purposeful Flow Wellness, a yoga and Pilates fitness center at 2139 W. 183rd St., in the same building as a Domino’s Pizza. The space was previously used as a paint and carpet store and has been vacant since 2014, Mesaros said.
The fitness center will primarily offer yoga and Pilates classes in an open studio layout with equipment placed along the sides of the room. Shipps plans to renovate the interior, including installing an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom. Entry to the studio will be from the rear of the building through the shared parking lot, while the front door facing 183rd Street will be used as an emergency exit only, Mesaros said.
The business is expected to operate from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to noon on Sundays, with most classes lasting about 50 minutes, she said.
Parking requirements for the building call for eight spaces for the fitness studio. There are 14 spaces available in the shared lot with Domino’s. Because the combined uses require 15 spaces, the applicant must obtain an administrative variance to reduce the requirement by one space, which is allowed under the zoning ordinance, Mesaros said.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the request following a public hearing on Feb. 26, she said.
