Barrington gets 24-hour Anytime Fitness

Barrington officials Monday night approved a 24-hour Anytime Fitness location next to the CVS Pharmacy at the southeast corner of Lake-Cook Road and Route 14.

No restrictions were put on the fitness center’s ability to be open around the clock, but the village board allowed for conditions to be imposed in the future if problems arise.

Village staff members believe the Dunkin’ Donuts at the southwest corner of the same intersection is the only existing business in Barrington that operates 24 hours a day.

While only a small percentage of the fitness center’s clients are expected to take advantage of the off-peak hours, such convenience is part of the company’s business model everywhere it goes, Barrington Economic and Community Development Director Peg Blanchard said.

“It’s one of the fastest-growing fitness centers in commercial areas,” she added.

According to its website, Anytime Fitness currently has more than 1,500 locations spread across all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India and the U.K. It also says a new club opens every day somewhere in the world.

The business is not staffed 24 hours a day but gives clients access to the building and equipment at any time.

People working out when the business isn’t staffed put on a monitor that checks their physical condition and can direct-dial 911, Blanchard said.

Barrington police checked with other departments in towns that already have 24-hour fitness centers and found them not to be a magnet for crime, village staff reported.

The long vacant 3,600-square-foot building, which was once a spa and a Century 21 office, will undergo only minor changes to its interior and virtually none to its exterior. Anytime Fitness is expected to open sometime this fall.

Though the round-the-clock business will border a residential area to the east, village staff members believe that the property’s 14-foot retaining wall, fence and extensive foliage will provide a sufficient barrier between the properties.