1 /5 Image Wars: I’m extremely disappointed with how this gym continues to impact our neighborhood. Rather than providing adequate parking for their members, they’ve turned the public park’s limited parking across the street into their unofficial overflow lot. This pushes out local families, blocks access, increases traffic near children, and creates unnecessary safety risks.
Last weekend was a perfect example. Families attending a youth soccer tournament couldn’t find parking because gym members had filled up the park’s lot. Parents were forced to park farther away and walk with kids and equipment. One parent even saw a handicap space being taken by an individual that immediately went across the street to the gym. We have been collecting video of these people doing this and not using the park so hopefully action can be taken.
What makes this even more frustrating is the lack of sensitivity toward the community that actually lives here. This park is a central space for our largely Hispanic neighborhood, yet it’s being overwhelmed by mostly white gym members who are encouraged to treat it like their private facility’s parking extension. It feels like another example of outside businesses benefiting at the expense of the culture and people who call this area home.
Public parks should serve the surrounding residents first — not be absorbed by private profit. I hope management steps up, takes responsibility, and respects the community they’re operating in. Until they do, it’s hard to support a business that refuses to respect the neighborhood around it.
