Residents who sign up for Planet Fitness in the Village of Great Neck Plaza in the next few weeks will not only get a chance to work out upon the gym’s opening in the first week of June, but will also get to give back to a local Great Neck charity, the company’s director of corporate clubs Elizabeth Cunningham said last week.
Cunningham said in an interview with Great Neck News that the enrollment fees of the pre-sale, which will continue until the gym’s opening, will be donated to a local charity in the community.
“This is something a little different we wanted to try in Great Neck,” Cunningham said. “We wanted to give back to the community.”
Cunningham said a charity has not been picked and that the company is researching organizations in the area. She said the company is also open to suggestions from the community.
Cunningham said Planet Fitness representatives started signing up new members last week at the gym, which is located at the corner of Middle Neck and Great Neck roads, opposite the Great Neck Long Island Rail Road Station.
The gym, which is still under construction, will be 26,000 square feet upon completion, one of the biggest locations in Long Island, Cunningham said.
The club, she said, is also seeking allay concerns of residents that the club’s popularity will overcrowd the shopping center’s parking lot.
“We always want to address those concerns ahead of times,” Cunningham said. “But we don’t believe the parking will be an issue.”
Long Island District Manager for Planet Fitness Cory Oulette said he does not believe many of its members will be driving to the gym.
“I think a lot of our members will be travelling on foot, or by bus or even the train,” he said.
Residents, many of whom were members of the New York Health and Racquet Club that previously occupied the space, presented the Village of Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees a petition with 512 signatures in opposition to the gym in September. They said Planet Fitness’ elimination of amenities such as an indoor pool, as well as potential traffic and crime, made the gym a bad fit for the neighborhood.
But Oulette said there’s been no signs of disgruntled residents at the gym.
“A lot of people have come in and said they’re just really excited,” he said. “We haven’t had any backlash at all.”
Cunningham also said although the gym was not allowed to stay open for 24 hours, she’s confident that it can serve everybody.
“The idea is to give the members the opportunity to come in during a broader amount of hours,” she said.
The hours for the gym will be 5:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on weekends.
The gym will also include hydro massage and spray tanning beds, Cunningham said.
