Fitness 19 expanding in Arlington Heights

An Arlington Heights gym soon will be expanding, according to village officials.

The village board on Tuesday approved a land use variation that will allow Fitness 19, 1601 W. Campbell, to expand into an empty space next door to the gym, adding 1,650 square feet to the 7,000-square-foot fitness center.

Fitness 19 will only use about half of the space available in the neighboring storefront, according to village documents

The space next to Fitness 19 has long been empty, the landlord told the village's plan commission last month, adding that he hopes a smaller tenant might be interested in the space left after the gym expansion.

Adam Thoma, architect for the project, said the expansion won't have a visible impact since Fitness 19 will be taking over the back half of a long, narrow empty space.

With the expansion, Westgate Shopping Center, which also houses a Walgreens and Sherwin Ace Hardware, will be 94 percent leased.

Fitness 19 also will add two more parking spaces. Hours and services offered will remain the same.

“I think it's great that we have a business expanding, and not only do they get to expand, they can expand while existing in their same space. They're not moving to a new location and they're filling a vacancy,” said Trustee John Scaletta.

Trustee Thomas Glasgow expressed concerns about having such a large gym in the middle of a commercial center but voted with the rest of the board to unanimously approve the expansion.

Fitness 19 offers cardio machines, a free weight area, personal training, circuit training and supervised child care.