Politics & Government
Equinox Buying Beverly Hills' Sports Club/LA
Also, the City Council supports Equinox's construction plans for a location at 9465 Wilshire Blvd.
The in Beverly Hills, whose members include Mayor Barry Brucker, Councilwoman Lili Bosse and other city officials, is being sold to its rival, Equinox, the club said Thursday.
In a letter released to members, the management of the club wrote that it has "decided to enter in an agreement with Equinox to sell the Sports Club/LA clubs in West L.A., Beverly Hills, Orange County and Rockefeller Center [in New York City]."
The sale is not yet final, but is expected to close in September or October. Sports Club/LA management said "the transition should be seamless" for members.
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The undated letter is signed by company Chairman and co-founder Michael Talla, President and co-founder Nannette Pattee Francini and CEO Rex Licklider.
Employees at the Beverly Hills Sports Club/LA said they had no additional information about the planned sale and that they had not been informed of it before the announcement.
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It is not clear whether the news will change to open a three-floor, 37,000-square-foot facility at 9465 Wilshire Blvd. On Aug. 2, the City Council unanimously denied against the sports club's proposal to make facade changes to the ground floor exterior of the Wilshire building.
Appellants Ron and Sharon Gart, who lead a group called Neighbors Organized to Protect the Environment, or NOPE, had challenged the Architectural Commission's approval for a new pedestrian entrance, new signage, the installation of window film to obscure exercise areas and new landscaping, according to a Community Development Department staff report.
"We continue to believe that this project does require environmental review under [the California Environmental Quality Act] and we do believe that the project will have a substantial adverse impact on the historic resource," said attorney Todd Elliot, who represents the appellants.
Those opposed to Equinox's design plans claim the Wilshire Boulevard building, which was built in 1960 and designed by renowned commercial architect Victor Gruen, is a historic structure and should not be altered.
Council members reiterated their support for the Equinox project before rendering their decision to deny the appeal. The fitness club has hired Gruen Associates, the firm started by Victor Gruen, to design the alterations to the building.
"Why should we be concerned with a few reversible changes on a Gruen done by Gruen's own firm?" Councilman John Mirisch said.
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