SAN JOSE — A new athletic club called VillaSport is slated to open by year’s end in San Jose, potentially bringing hundreds of new jobs to the South Bay city at a complex planned by the family behind the Century movie chain.
VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa is building a complex that will include a gym, restaurants, child care, swimming pools and water slides, along with a selection of classes and a basketball court with a hardwood floor.
“We are much more than a gym,” said Joseph Syufy, VillaSport chief executive officer. “We are an athletic club with a full-service spa, food and beverages, classes, child care. We are a different animal.”
The 88,000-square-foot complex at 1171 N. Capitol Ave., near the Interstate 680-Berryessa Road interchange, is due to open by the end of November, Syufy said.
VillaSport intends to hire about 200 to 250 new workers. The company held a job fair in Milpitas this week and is planning another one in San Jose at the Berryessa Community Center on Oct. 11.
Formed in 2007, VillaSport operates four athletic clubs: one in Colorado, one in Oregon and two in the Houston area of Texas.
“This is our first one in the Bay Area, but it is one of many that we are planning in the Bay Area,” Syufy said. “We are working on a site in Redwood City and another one in Mountain View, and we have multiple additional ones that are being planned.”
San Rafael-based VillaSport’s executives believe the population makeup of this part of San Jose fits right into the company’s approach to fitness.
“This is a great location for us, something we found when we did our demographic analysis of the area,” Syufy said.
The company includes child care for two hours a day in its memberships. The kids club will total 12,000 square feet and take children aged six weeks to 12 years.
“The athletic club business has always been interesting to me,” said Syufy, whose family operated the Century theaters chain for decades, including the movie group’s iconic domed theaters. “I’ve always been customer-oriented. But the big thing that was missing over the years in athletic clubs was the family element.”
Monthly membership fees vary greatly, according to scenarios calculated on the company’s website for the San Jose club. One adult with no children would pay $149 a month. Two adults with two children would pay $306 a month.
“San Jose always ranks very highly on health and active lifestyle surveys,” said Kim Walesh, San Jose’s director of economic development. “San Jose offers amenities that support people’s desire to have a healthy lifestyle and healthy social life.”
