Amid the sprawling tennis courts, busy swimming pools, and rustic clubhouse, a transformation is underway at the Harbor Bay Club.
In October 2025, Malyka Chop purchased the eight-acre property at the foot of Packet Landing Road that has been home to the fitness club for nearly five decades, dating back to the creation of Harbor Bay Isle starting in the late 1970s. Chop is the owner and CEO of Small Size Big Mind Infant Care and Preschool, which currently operates three campuses across Alameda’s main island. Chop intends to open a new campus at the Harbor Bay Club and, in doing so, bring about much-needed updates to the Club’s facilities and offerings.
When he saw that the Club was listed for sale by its previous owners, the Harbor Bay Club Associates, he leapt at the opportunity with the intention of renovating the existing clubhouse building to create classrooms and learning spaces. According to Chop, the building has a previously approved use permit that allows the operation of a school, which helps streamline the planning process.
The location is highly desirable, not just because of the breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline, but also because it would bring a new childcare option to Bay Farm families and help reduce waitlists at its existing locations. Parents could drop off their kids at preschool, park and work out at the club, and then go to work, Chop suggested.
“There is a ton of overlap,” he added. “It is a net positive beyond the initial parts.”
Chop initially attempted to find a business partner to renovate and operate the fitness club separately so he could focus on developing the preschool, but was unable to do so. So, he pivoted and plans to invest in and launch the preschool first to create a revenue stream that can eventually help fund upgrades to the outdated equipment and facilities within the fitness club.
The goal is simple, Chop said: “Use all of what we have as effectively as we can.”
That means smaller projects and cosmetic changes, like upgrading locker rooms and creating new amenities and classes to fill up existing unused space, take priority over larger capital investments, such as a new swimming pool—even though that is definitely needed. At the same time, he hopes to focus on planning events to help build community among visitors, which he believes to be a crucial part of revitalizing the club.
“I want to give back to the members that have been so loyal to keeping it alive,” Chop said.
His enthusiasm for the Club runs deep. Calling it a “community asset and beautiful gem,” he noted that his daughters, Tallulah and Lulanie—both of whom play an active role in managing and running the preschool business—learned to swim in its pool. Unlike the previous owners, who had sought to build housing on the property as recently as 2022, Chop assured he has no plans to sell to developers and earnestly hopes to bring the Club back to its roots.
For now, construction is underway to bring the clubhouse up to the latest codes to serve as an educational facility, including updates to fire safety and egress. Chop hopes to have the new campus open sometime in 2026, in time to welcome a new class of 60 students. Work is also underway on an East End location at the former Alameda Baptist Church at 3100 Central Avenue—Chop expects to have that branch open by next summer.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der.
