There could be a new entry in the gym industry in Bloomington-Normal.
Crunch Fitness has plans to occupy a portion of the old Hobby Lobby/Montgomery Ward building at the Shoppes at College Hills in Normal.
The town Planning Commission will consider a proposal Thursday to convert the building into a 43,000-square-foot gym and to use the remaining 35,000 square feet as multi-tenant space. Enterprise Rental would remain on the south side of the building. Town staff said there are currently no prospective shops for the multi-tenant space.
Town staff generally support the proposal as consistent with the existing theme of the Shoppes at College Hills and said it is something that could diversify the tenant mix. Staff said in documents prepared for the commission that they have reservations about plans for two nearly 500-square-foot internally lit signs on 1,000-square-foot bright orange backgrounds on the west and south walls of the buildings. Staff recommends 200-square-foot signs without the orange background instead.
The Shoppes also would create a new main entrance on the west side of the building, facing Destihl restaurant.
The plans also include parking lot resurfacing.
Crunch Fitness brands itself as a no-judgment gym. The chain started in New York City in 1989 and now has more than 300 locations. There are Crunch facilities in Champaign, Aurora, Schaumburg, Palatine, and Mount Prospect in Illinois.
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