Fitness enterprise Club Studio could be Edens Plaza’s second largest tenant

Plans for what could soon be the second largest tenant inside Wilmette’s Edens Plaza are sprinting forward. But a decision from a village advisory body may bench at least one of the applicant’s requests.

Wilmette’s Appearance Review Commission during its Monday, April 7 meeting considered several requested site improvements associated with a project from the shopping center’s ownership that will bring a new fitness facility to the former Bed Bath & Beyond space. 

WS Development, the Boston-based developer that owns Edens Plaza, plans bring in a 35,000-square-foot “high-end health club facility” along with three additional new tenants that will spread across the remaining 5,000 square feet of the now-vacant space, as first reported by The Record. 

Storefront and entrance modifications, landscape and site improvements, and a sign variation request for a wall sign on the exterior wall of Walgreens were all elements included in the request that appeared in front of commissioners Monday night. 

The commission voted to recommend approval of all aspects of WS Development’s plans with the exception of the request to add the exterior wall sign. Commissioners Jeffery Saad, Douglas Johnson, Richard Brill and Chair Devan Castellano all voted against, while Nada Andric abstained. 

The request specifically asked for a variation so the new fitness facility, Club Studio, could display a wall sign on the south elevation of the Walgreens storefront, facing Lake Avenue.

The request runs counter to a Wilmette sign ordinance for Edens Plaza that allows one internally illuminated or backlit wall sign on each exterior wall of the premises in which the tenant is located, according to a village memo from Kate McManus, who is part of Wilmette’s community development department. 

Per the memo, the request required a variation because the sign would be located on Walgreens’ tenant space. 

‘A precedent issue’

Several commissioners stated their opposition to the request in large part because of what they described as a potential precedent-setting decision.

Officials said during the meeting that there is no other known occurrence in Wilmette where a tenant utilizes a facing wall that isn’t their property and is not on the leasable area of the property they are occupying. 

“I think there are issues of precedent,” Johnson said. “It would be difficult for us, I think, to disallow future ones if we go down this path not just for this local sign ordinance but across the village.”

Saad also said he sees the request “as a precedent issue as well,” adding that he did not feel the hardship standard was met either.

Representatives from WS Development argued that Club Studio’s location within an existing multi-tenant building limits the signage that can be placed on the exterior walls and limits its ability to attract and conduct business on the property. 

They also described the request as a “slippery slope,” saying they wouldn’t always advocate for such signage but felt it necessary given the unique characteristics of the site. 

Caitlyn Culbertson, an attorney with the firm representing WS Development, said placing signage on a significant roadway like Lake Avenue is necessary to “attract high-end users” and will “provide Club Studio with an advantage over nearby competitors.” 

“The variation is necessary to achieve a highly visible exterior for what will be the second largest tenant in the center and to ensure that drivers passing by will take notice of this new and exciting anchor tenant in the Edens Plaza shopping Center,” Culbertson said. 

The request now heads to Wilmette’s Village Board with a negative recommendation. Trustees will have the opportunity to either affirm or reverse the commission’s recommendation. 

Wilmette’s Zoning Board of Appeals during its April 2 meeting approved a special-use request for the facility.  

Inside a Club Studio

Documents detailing the project describe Club Studio as a facility that offers members “a cutting-edge fitness experience with boutique fitness classes, luxury amenities and wellness services together in one gym.” 

Club Studio opened seven locations, predominantly in California, in 2024, according to a memo from attorney Peter Friedman. The brand plans to increase to more than 30 locations across the United States by the end of this year. The Wilmette storefront would be Club Studio’s first in Illinois.  

“Club Studio will create a state-of-the-art health club within a modern and elegant interior space for Wilmette residents and the surrounding North Shore community,” Friedman says in a memo sent to the commission. 

Per the memo, the location will feature five fitness studios inside, a free weights section, strength, functional training and cardio areas, and recovery services such as cryotherapy and red-light therapy, a MedSpa, and a juice bar. 

WS Development representatives said they have not yet secured tenants for the additional spaces but are “very confident” they’ll have the spaces leased quickly, adding that they’ve received a lot of interest already.

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