New fitness center heads to Seymour

A 24-hour exercise and fitness center is coming to Seymour.

Anytime Fitness franchise owner Chris Slater of Greensburg said he and his business partners at SSG LLC plan to build a new fitness center at 828 E. Tipton St. Slater said it's the largest and fastest-growing exercise and fitness center franchise in the world.

The lot has been vacant for many years and was once the site of the Golden Key restaurant and bar.

Slater outlined some of the preliminary plans for the business during a meeting Tuesday night of the Seymour Board of Zoning Appeals.

Board members unanimously approved a request from SSG to vary from the required 25-foot side yard setback on the property's east side to 10 feet and from the 10-foot side yard setback on the west side to zero feet.

The technical variance will allow the company to construct a 70-by-90-foot building on the site with room for more than 50 parking spaces.

Board member Kenny Pfaffenberger said he was glad to see a new business coming to town and making use of an empty commercial lot.

"I think a new building would be an improvement to that area and it could really benefit the community," Pfaffenberger said of Anytime Fitness.

Slater said there is no timeline for when construction will begin, but he hopes to be in the area soon. SSG owns five Anytime Fitness centers in southern Indiana, including Greensburg and Shelbyville. It also plans to open a center in North Vernon, according to its Web site.

"We're going to be looking for bids," Slater said of the construction process.

Slater said he is looking forward to being able to offer Seymour and Jackson County residents the convenience of a 24-hour fitness facility.

"We do a lot of personal training and one-on-one work with clients and offer fun challenges like ‘The Biggest Loser,'" he said. "But we're also open 24 hours for our members to come work out on their own time."

In an unrelated matter, the board unanimously approved a request from Robert King to vary from the required 20-foot rear yard setback to 13 feet to construct a 22-by-24-foot two-car attached garage at his residence, 213 Manor Court.