By: Krug Stillo

Brooklyn’s long-maligned Gowanus Canal — once mocked for its foul odor and toxic sludge — is about to gain an unexpectedly glamorous new neighbor. Life Time, the high-end operator behind more than 185 “athletic country clubs” nationwide, has signed on to anchor a sprawling wellness complex at 175 Third St., the New York Post reported.

The new club, slated to become one of Life Time’s largest New York City locations, will span an enormous 85,000 square feet across three indoor levels. It will also feature a stunning 13,000-square-foot rooftop pool deck overlooking the newly revitalized canal, according to the New York Post. The project marks one of the company’s most ambitious expansions in the city — and underscores just how dramatically the once-notorious waterway has been reimagined.

The center will sit inside what is expected to be the largest building in Gowanus. The development, part of Charney Companies’ and Tavros’ broader Gowanus Wharf campus, encompasses five new buildings rising along the canal. Thanks to a major rezoning push to create 9,000 new rental apartments — coupled with a massive federally backed cleanup effort — developers and tenants have flocked to the corridor, transforming the previously blighted area into a surprisingly appealing waterside destination, the New York Post reported.

Rosie Tilley, who heads development for Charney, said Life Time’s entry into the project elevates the entire vision for 175 Third St. She praised the brand’s reputation for “quality and excellence,” noting that its presence will help shape the emerging neighborhood’s identity.

Life Time’s chief of property development, Parham Javaheri, echoed that sentiment, calling 175 Third St. “the marquee building we were looking for in Gowanus,” according to the New York Post. He said the complex represents a “mega-deal” for the company and revealed several marquee amenities: three indoor pickleball courts, an elaborate “wet suite” with saunas, steam rooms, infrared therapy, and cold plunges, plus the all-season rooftop pool deck.

Javaheri recalled first noticing the property — then a raw development site at Third Avenue and Third Street — even before the COVID pandemic. “Someone’s going to buy this site and we will be the retail at the base,” he remembered thinking, explaining that the location was ideally positioned to draw members not only from Gowanus but also from nearby Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. A later meeting with developer Sam Charney at the ICSC retail conference sealed the partnership, the New York Post reported.

Construction on 175 Third St. is still in its early stages. Excavation has just begun for what will ultimately be a 1.1-million-square-foot mixed-use giant with 1,100 apartments. Developers Charney and Tavros remain among the most active players in Gowanus, with more than 2,200 units in progress across the neighborhood. Architect Bjarke Ingels’ BIG studio was tapped to design the building, replacing a previous version commissioned by former site owner Aby Rosen.

The new Life Time facility is expected to open in 2028 — adding yet another symbol of Gowanus’ dramatic transformation.