Plans Moving Ahead On Middletown Life Time Fitness Complex

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — After a legal challenge was thrown out in court, plans are moving full-steam ahead on the Middletown Life Time Fitness.

This is the luxury fitness complex — a three-story building with two pools and a beach club at ground level — that will be located on Half Mile Road, just off Exit 109 on the Garden State Parkway. It will be located at the site of what is currently an empty office building; that building is currently being torn down and demolition is happening now, said Natalie Bushaw, a spokeswoman for Life Time.

However, she said it was still too early to give a date for when the Middletown Life Time will open.

"Demolition and other work starts first," said Bushaw. "We don’t have the timing yet for completion based on a number of factors."

Once it opens, this will be a 120,000-square-foot, three-story fitness and wellness complex. The Life Time company says don't call it a mere "gym" and markets it instead as a resort-style pool club.

"Think resort-style: Pools, lounge chairs, bistro, etc.," said Bushaw previously. "What we hear often from members is we're 'Today's modern country club without the golf.'"

Memberships at Life Time Fitness start at about $160 per month.

Life Time first presented their plans to Middletown in 2018. The Middletown Township Planning Board changed the zoning on that site to allow Life Time to be built.

As the Asbury Park Press first reported, Life Time faced a legal challenge from a local periodontist, Dr. Anthony DiCesare, who owns DiCesare Periodontal and Implant Center on Half Mile Road.

However, in February of 2021 a judge dismissed DiCesare's lawsuit, allowing development of the Life Time site to move forward.

"I'm going to keep fighting them," DiCesare previously vowed to Patch. "I plan to appeal. I know I am only an annoyance to them and these are people with huge pockets. But I'm going to take this as far as I can go."

DiCesare said traffic along Newman Springs and Half Mile Road will only get worse should Life Time be built. He also said this is part of an overall problem of increasing traffic and development coming to Middletown.

"Drive along Rt. 35 by Circus Liquors," he said last year. "The traffic is horrible and the town is operating off the principle that if (a new development) brings more money to the town, it will be approved and to heck whatever happens."

The Middletown location would be the sixth Life Time site in New Jersey (there are existing Life Time gyms in Bridgewater, Bergen County/Montvale, Berkeley Heights, Florham Park, Mount Laurel and Princeton).

First Patch report on the Middletown Life Time: Luxury Fitness Complex Life Time Coming To Middletown (March 2021)

Get great local news. Sign up for Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com