New Gym Rises at 76th and Good Hope

A new Planet Fitness gym is nearly ready to open at W. Good Hope Rd. and N. 76th St.

An online presale for memberships is underway while a construction crew from James Construction works to complete the 20,948-square-foot building. Membership starts at $10 per month, while a construction permit says the building cost at least $2.5 million.

Franchisee Black Duck Partners (BDP) secured approval earlier this year to develop the gym at the site of what was once a Home Dept garden center.

BDP needed a zoning change because the city created a special zoning district for the home improvement store in 2004, only for it to close in 2008. Home Depot was shortly thereafter replaced by a Pick ‘n Save grocery store, but the garden site was left vacant.

In 2021, an affiliate of BDP paid $1.1 million for the 0.89-acre Good Hope Road property according to state real estate records.  Boulder Venture, which bought the larger site after Home Depot closed, has parceled out other portions in recent years for outlot buildings.

The new building, 7459 W. Good Hope Rd., is being designed by Appleton-based RMA Architects. It’s set substantially back from the street, behind a large surface parking lot.

Black Duck was prohibited from opening a temporary, Plant Fitness-branded trailer office at the site. The company sought a code variance in order to use the trailer to train staff and sign up members.

Citing a provision in the city’s code of ordinances, the Department of Neighborhood Services noted that a portable building isn’t allowed to be used in place of a permanent structure.

Planet Fitness has seen sustained growth in recent years, in part because of its low prices and “judgment-free zone” mantra. BDP reports more than 90 locations, and Planet Fitness more than 2,000.

In 2011, BDP principal Tim Lennon told reporter Sean Ryan that the Milwaukee market could handle six Planet Fitness locations. There are now eight in Milwaukee County and 17 in southeastern Wisconsin, but the nearest one to the new site is located in the Midtown Center retail center, approximately five miles away.

Black Duck is headquartered in Kimberly, WI. Planet Fitness is based in New Hampshire.

Photos

Renderings and Site Plan