CLAREMONT — To the dismay of some local gym owners, a nationwide fitness club has filed for a building permit to open a location in the former Big Lots store on Washington Street.
Planet Fitness, which has more than 2,700 locations worldwide and millions of members, is proposing to renovate the 15,000-square-foot space that has been vacant since Big Lots closed last October.
In an email Tuesday, a spokesperson for the company declined to provide further information, including a projected opening date.
Planet Fitness would be the third gym in Claremont and fourth in the area, including Newport Fitness and Spa on Main Street.
Tim Chapin, owner of Real Steel Fitness on Pleasant Street in Claremont, doesn’t believe the city can handle three gyms without an impact on memberships.
“It is definitely going to affect both of us, for sure,” Chapin said this week, referring to his business and the Claremont Community Center.
Community Center Director Justin Martin agrees membership numbers will take a hit.
“How much, I guess time will tell,” he said.
According to the Planet Fitness plans on file, half the space would be for cardio and weight training equipment The other half would have bathrooms, showers, tanning and massage therapy areas. The estimated cost of the renovation project, according to the permit filing, is $850,000.
The Claremont proposal comes after Planet Fitness opened a location in the former Sears store on Route 12A in West Lebanon in the Upper Valley Plaza last year. That space is about 16,000 square feet.
Chapin, who opened Real Steel in 2016 and a second location in Keene two years ago, said he could never reduce his membership fees to the Planet Fitness basic membership fee of $15 a month, plus an annual fee of $49.
“I know what it takes to pay the bills and at $15 a month, I would be out of business in three months,” he said
Real Steel, like the community center, has different membership fees based on when the membership is paid and the age of the member. When an annual adult membership is paid upfront, Real Steel costs about $37 a month for residents and non-residents. The community center is $25 a month for residents and $42 for non-residents. Both places have discounts for students and seniors and the community center also has family plans for residents and non-residents.
Both Chapin and Martin say to remain competitive they need to promote the aspects of their facilities that Planet Fitness does not offer. For example, Real Steel allows 24/7 access, has an artificial turf area, and specialized cardio and weight training equipment on two floors with a total area of 12,000 square feet.
Meanwhile, the community center has offerings such as recreational programs and fitness classes, Martin said. But, the center’s primary distinguishing feature is the pool.
“That separates us from the competition,” he said.
A message left for Jeff North, a Newport Selectboard member who owns Newport Fitness and Spa with his wife, Heidi, was not immediately returned.
The Big Lots space Planet Fitness plans to occupy has been empty since the retailer closed in October after selling off most of its inventory at deeply discounted prices. A few months earlier, the company announced it was shuttering more than 300 of its nearly 1,400 locations.
A few months later, an abutting storefront occupied by American Mattress sustained heavy damage when a woman drove her car into the front of the store, shattering the plate glass windows. No one was injured but the store, which had already announced it was closing, never reopened and remains boarded up.
Also soon to leave the Claremont Plaza is Domino’s Pizza, which will be moving to a new location farther west on Washington Street in a former gas station that is being renovated.
Aaron’s, Excel Nails and the Dollar Tree are the plaza’s other tenants. Keady Family Practice occupies a separate standalone building nearby.
Before Planet Fitness can open, the company will need will need a certificate of occupancy, which means the renovation has met all fire, safety and building codes. It does not need approval from the city’s zoning or planning boards because it is an allowed use in the commercial district and the proposal does not include changes to the exterior structure or parking.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
