The Moving Fairy Tale?

Good Evening Community,

This much needed blog post will provide some insight to our much anticipated move that may have started feeling like a fairytale to some. I write this post in order to try and be as transparent as possible with you in regard to our move into Downtown Santa Ana.

Are we really moving?

Yes. We are definitely moving to our NEW building on 5th and Main. Unless the apocalypse arrives, we will be occupying the basement level of the building--approximately 6000 sqft. To affirm this statement, our lease contract has been signed for a few months, with a sizable deposit, and we have complied with all of our responsibilities as tenants thus far. So the matter of when the actual build-out is completed, for the moment, is completely 100% out of our control.

What is taking so long?

Plain and simple, permits and approval by the city. The process of building out in Santa Ana is incredibly slow due to permitting requirements especially when you are adding new amenities to this floor/building such as showers, restrooms and an elevator. Yeah! Elevator. The good news is we have an AWESOME landlord.

When are we moving? 

At this point we no longer give estimated dates as the dates have changed a handful of times. This week the building owner and the building contractor has provided us with “before 2016”, but we are definitely not holding our breath. We see no reason for the move to take any longer than a couple more months and I promise you today that an “open house visit” will take place in December, even if it means hanging out in ground zero.

Might as well start discussing parking in Downtown.

Parking is terrible in Downtown and continues to worsen as the meters have gone up in price and meter enforcements act like hawks in the sky. We are trying to secure a handful of spaces in the lot behind our building. If we are successful in acquiring these spaces it won’t be enough to accommodate all of our customers. There are two parking structures literally on each corner located on 5th St. in front of our building and another in front of the Yost theater. I’m confident we will get creative and have other options to offer our customers but at the moment, this is all we have to offer. There are monthly passes available for purchase from these structures and the city has added various enclosed bike racks for those of us close enough to cruise over. The parking issue is not a result of the choice of our new building location, it is a Downtown issue and no matter which city’s Downtown you visit in this country,  you will run into these exact same parking issues. Unfortunately, we cannot move into any Downtown without also having to deal with its parking issues.

So what now?

I personally like to think that the move delays have been a blessing in disguise. The move delays have allowed us to focus on fine tuning our programming and operations but most importantly, it has allowed us to get to know you and the Community. We now offer a variety of programs and class times and it’s only going to keep getting better. We have been able to keep our gym prices at $150 per month and that will not change until the move. This continues to make us the most affordable Crossfit Gym in Orange County. The price change will not affect any of our existing members after the move.

Remember that we are here to help. You can reach out to Jeremy or myself about anything at any time. I have said it before and will say it again: We cannot make changes if we don’t know, or see,  something becoming an issue. Many have reached out with concerns and suggestions and that have helped us a lot. Help us in continue to serve you and our Community. I don’t see “owners” at Crossfit Downtown Santa;  I see a head coach, coaches and a guy that shows up to work out and sell t-shirts who claims  he is the gym manger…haha. All jokes aside,  I remind you that we are employees here to serve you but most importantly we are an equal part of this Community. To our staff, we couldn’t have asked for better coaches and leaders, you guys are amazing. Adam Scotchler, Michel Davidson, Emily Draper and last but not least my partner Jeremy Reguerin. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve overheardmembers talk about how grateful they are to have such amazing leaders such as yourselves and I couldn’t agree more. You guys are amazing.

Words cannot describe how proud we are to be part of this Community. We knew the community was going be good but it turned out to be Greeeeeat! (Insert Tony the Tiger voice). We love the diversity we have and how we come together as one. If you knew our operations you would know that we are not in this for money. We are in this for Community and that can’t and will not ever change. Jeremy and I both experienced this kind of Community before and we wanted nothing more than to bring it to the city we love. Crossfit didn’t change our lives, our Community did. We want to give more people the opportunity to experience a fitness Community like ours and we hope it changes the lives of many as it continues to change ours. We love you guys, we love our staff and we look forward to continue to learn and grow with you. 

Christian

CFDTSA por VIDA