Dec. 17, 2015 By Christian Murray
Blink Fitness is planning to convert a two-story building on Roosevelt Avenue into a health club.
The company has filed an application with the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals to create what’s known as a physical culture establishment (PCE) at 56-02 Roosevelt Ave., in what is now a dilapidated manufacturing building.
Blink, which touts its discount pricing and modern equipment, plans to utilize both floors of the Roosevelt Avenue building, according to an attorney representing the company at a Community Board 2 Land Use Committee meeting Wednesday.
The ground floor would consist of treadmills, bicycles, office space, locker rooms and a reception area. The upstairs would largely be dedicated to gym equipment, a stretching area and free weights.
Blink anticipates that between 5,000 and 7,000 people would become members of the Woodside facility, with about 600 to 700 members using it per day, according to the attorney. The club anticipates that between 70 and 100 members would be at the facility during a regular hour.
The PCE permit is expected to take about eight months to obtain. Construction would begin soon after. A representative of the gym estimated that the facility would open in 2017.
The company anticipates the facility would create 30 jobs, with 15 employees at the gym at any one time.
Hours would be 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
The Blink representative does not anticipate that there will be any significant issues that would block the permit from being granted.
CB 2 will review the application at its next full board meeting on Jan. 7.
Blink currently has about 40 locations throughout New York and New Jersey. It opened a facility in Astoria in January 2014 and one in Jackson Heights in the fall of 2014.
Blink is the low-cost branch of the pricey Equinox brand of gyms. The monthly membership fee is around $20 per month.
