Fitness First, the gym in the middle of a developer’s plans for a new Wisconsin Avenue high-rise, has agreed on an extension to remain at its location through 2019.
Fitness First Director of Operations Amy DiPasquale said landlord JBG Companies signed an agreement last week to extend its lease through Oct. 31, 2019.
JBG, based in Chevy Chase, plans a 17-story apartment building with ground-floor commercial space for the block of 7900 Wisconsin Ave., which would mean razing the gym’s existing building.
In June, Fitness First announced it sold 17 of its 18 locations in the D.C. area to Gold’s Gym International. The Bethesda location was not included in the sale because of the property’s pending redevelopment.
That led many to believe the Bethesda location was on the way out.
DiPasquale said JBG was trying to relocate the gym half a mile down Wisconsin Avenue so the company could proceed with the redevelopment. DiPasquale said the gym had a five-year option that would have run its lease to 2019 anyway.
Now, the future of the gym seems assured, though it’s unclear what would happen during construction of the apartment building. JBG had said it hoped to break ground on the project in early 2014.
“I was told that they cannot construct while we are in there,” DiPasquale said. “Unless they have revised things with the County, they are unable to do anything while we are a tenant in operation.”
Meanwhile, Fitness First has embarked on some renovations inside the club, including a new paint job and new equipment.
