When Is Life Time Opening in Forsyth County? Where the Post Road Club Stands

Life Time has not announced an opening date for its Forsyth County club, but the project just took its first construction step. On October 12, 2026, a site development permit was filed with Forsyth County for the roughly 17 acre property at 7127 Post Road, near Post Road and Highway 9, and the fees are now paid (SD260076). County staff review of the site plans is scheduled for October 23.

This will be the first Life Time in Forsyth County and, according to the company, its tenth in metro Atlanta. Below is what the county has approved, what the club will include, what still has to happen before construction, and why this piece of land waited more than 20 years for a user like this.

Where the permit stands

A site development permit is what lets a builder clear, grade and install the roads, parking, utilities and stormwater on a property. It comes before the building permit. Forsyth County’s record for SD260076 shows it was applied for October 12, passed the county’s automated first review on October 13, and now shows a status of fees paid. The full staff review is scheduled for October 23. After that, the plans need the district commissioner’s approval before the county issues the permit.

The building itself will need its own commercial building permit. As of October 22, 2026, the county has no building permit on file for this property. That is the next record to watch. The land has not changed hands yet either. Forsyth County assessor records checked October 22, 2026 still show the 17.3 acre parcel under the owner who has held it since 2006, and Crawford Lands confirmed on October 19 that the land had not sold. A closing on the land is usually the signal that construction is close.

How it got approved

The zoning work moved quickly by Forsyth County standards, mostly because the land was already zoned for commercial use.

The board first had the case on its July 23 agenda and took final action on August 20. Life Time also asked for a height variance to allow a 53 foot roof section over the main entrance, with the rest of the roof at 46 feet, according to Forsyth County News.

What the Forsyth County Life Time will have

The plans approved by commissioners show a 100,000 square foot indoor club, a 49,533 square foot outdoor recreation area and 619 parking spaces on 16.977 acres. Life Time associate development manager Ross Stickler told the Planning Commission the club will have the company’s full set of amenities. Inside: a fitness floor with cardio equipment, group studios for Pilates and cycling, a full service spa, a cafe, on site childcare, and a wet area with steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, cold plunges and indoor pools. Outside: a full size lap pool, a family leisure pool with a waterslide, and an outdoor bistro.

The closest Life Time clubs today are in Johns Creek and Alpharetta.

What the Post Road widening means for getting there

Post Road is about to be under construction for years, so plan on the road getting harder before it gets easier.

Forsyth County is widening Post Road from two lanes to four between Highway 9 and Highway 20, in two pieces. The southern piece runs 3.64 miles from Highway 9 to Kelly Mill Road, right past the Life Time site. It adds a 16 foot raised median, a five foot sidewalk on the west side and a 10 foot multi use trail on the east side. The pre bid estimate is about $94.4 million, with $83.3 million from a GDOT grant and other state and federal money. The county has its final design and all of the right of way for that segment.

At the Forsyth County Chamber’s Transportation Summit on October 14, GDOT’s District 1 engineer said that phase is in the construction bid process, with work scheduled to begin early next year. Earlier county estimates put completion by the end of 2031. The northern piece, Kelly Mill Road to Highway 20, is still in early design with no construction money identified.

Highway 9 is changing at the same corner. GDOT’s segment from McFarland Parkway to Post Road is under construction as part of the 10 mile Highway 9 widening, with the full corridor scheduled to finish in December 2028.

The practical read: the club, the Post Road widening and the Highway 9 work are likely to overlap. Members who join in the first couple of years should expect lane shifts at this intersection. Once both roads are four lanes with medians and turn lanes, this becomes one of the better connected commercial corners in west Forsyth.

What this site says about land in Forsyth County

The most interesting part of this project is how long the land waited.

The property was zoned commercial around 2002 as the business half of a mixed use plan. The townhomes on the northern part of the original tract got built. The commercial half never did. Life Time’s zoning attorney, Ethan Underwood, told the Planning Commission that for two decades people tried to convert the remaining land to more homes, and commissioners kept saying no. “The commissioners have said, no, they want it to be a commercial site,” Underwood said, according to Forsyth County News.

Three takeaways for anyone who owns land in this county.

First, Forsyth County protects commercial zoning at intersections. A tract the county has planned for commercial use is hard to turn into homes, even when commercial demand is slow to show up. Owners should price that in, both ways: the residential exit may not exist, but the commercial use is protected for when it arrives.

Second, roads bring users. This site sat through two decades of growth. The user came as Highway 9 widening reached Post Road and the Post Road widening got funded. Big box and destination users underwrite a site on where traffic will be in five years, not where it is today.

Third, existing zoning is speed. Life Time went from filing its conditional use permit on March 31 to approval on August 20, under five months, and filed its site permit seven weeks later. Compare that to Forsyth Town Center, where Whole Foods goes from its conditional use permit in September 2022 to opening in February 2027. A tract that already carries the right base zoning saves a buyer months or years, and buyers will pay for that.

For the rest of what is under construction in the county, see our 2026 projects to watch roundup and our post on when Whole Foods opens in Cumming.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Land not yet sold as of October 19, 2026, confirmed by Crawford Lands.

Forsyth County plan SD260076, site development permit, 7127 Post Road, parcel 038 245: https://css.forsythco.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/plan/2cfee9ad-b415-42a7-9344-9c01fffe8773

Forsyth County Board of Assessors parcel record, 038 245, 7127 Post Rd, 17.3 acres, zoned CBD, checked October 22, 2026: https://qpublic.schneidercorp.com/Application.aspx?App=ForsythCountyGA&Layer=Parcels&PageType=Search

Life Time, Coming Soon clubs, checked October 22, 2026: https://www.lifetime.life/coming-soon-clubs.html

Forsyth County case CP260021, conditional use permit for outdoor commercial recreation, approved August 20, 2026: https://css.forsythco.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/plan/4a8c1334-bd22-4e39-a5a0-de6b73408f4b

Forsyth County case AZ260010, zoning condition amendment: https://css.forsythco.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/plan/57b8c363-0b6e-4c94-8613-d3fee20677a6

Forsyth County case ZA4262, county initiated rezoning approved November 20, 2025: https://css.forsythco.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/plan/b8a21703-db2f-43c9-8273-ecc3a811cc1e

Forsyth County News, Life Time Fitness eyeing this lot to open first location in Forsyth County, June 26, 2026: https://www.forsythnews.com/news/growth-development/life-time-fitness-eyeing-this-lot-to-open-first-location-in-forsyth-county/

Forsyth County News, Life Time Fitness cleared to build first Forsyth County location, August 2026: https://www.forsythnews.com/news/growth-development/life-time-fitness-cleared-to-build-first-forsyth-county-location/

Appen Media, coverage of the August 20, 2026 Board of Commissioners approval: https://www.appenmedia.com/forsyth/life-time-snap-fitness-gyms-coming-to-forsyth-county/article_1b49582d-86b3-45e7-acef-e8e7d3955f12.html

Forsyth County News, What west Forsyth County drivers need to know about the $94 million Post Road widening, 2026: https://www.forsythnews.com/news/transportation/what-west-forsyth-county-drivers-need-to-know-about-the-94-million-post-road-widening/

Forsyth County News, What’s next for Forsyth County’s road projects? Leaders shared these updates at the 2026 Transportation Summit, October 14, 2026: https://www.forsythnews.com/news/transportation/whats-next-for-forsyth-countys-road-projects-leaders-shared-these-updates-at-the-2026-transportation-summit/

Forsyth County, GDOT Releases Funds Ahead of Schedule for Post Road Widening Project: https://www.forsythco.com/News/gdot-releases-funds-ahead-of-schedule-for-post-road-widening-project2

Crawford Lands, LLC is a licensed real estate brokerage in the State of Georgia, license #81852. This article is general information, not legal, tax or appraisal advice. Development plans, tenants and opening dates change; confirm anything you rely on with Forsyth County Planning and Community Development or with the developer. Contact us.