A “national fitness chain” is interested in occupying part of Seymour’s long-vacant Tri-Town Plaza.
A Facebook page was created Friday, “Ames Plaza Fitness Center,” to gauge community interest in the possibility.
Just who is behind the Facebook page is a bit of a mystery.
Ted Holly, the property manager for Tri-Town Plaza, shared a link to the page on the Valley Indy’s Facebook page Sunday and said Monday the fitness chain — which he wouldn’t name — has been interested for awhile.
“They started looking at the site last year,” Holly said, adding that he isn’t the once behind the new Facebook page. “They’re putting feelers out there and doing market research now to see if the area can support a branch.”
The Facebook page has one post, from Friday, asking residents to “Like” it.
“Do you live in the Seymour area? We need 5,000 LIKES if you would like to see a major fitness franchise in Seymour!” the post reads.
A comment under the post says the name of the business “will be released at a later date,” and offered a few more details:
“It is a top notch organization and will offer all types of classes, top of the line cardio and fitness equipment, tanning, personal training and much more for under $20/month!”
The Valley Indy sent a message to the group seeking more information Monday. As of about 2:30 p.m., the post had been shared 15 times and been “liked” by 19 people.
One of the first to share the info was Chris Jones, a well-known Shelton resident who has run for mayor several times.
Jones said Monday he wasn’t involved in the plans, but that the person who created the page asked him to share the information because he has a lot of Facebook friends — 1,813, to be exact.
Jones also said he didn’t know who created the page.
Holly said Monday that he didn’t think the threshold of 5,000 likes was a make-or-break number, and hoped community interest would persuade the fitness chain to pull the trigger on becoming a tenant.
No lease has been signed, he said.
The gym would take up a portion of the unused space formerly occupied by the Ames department store.
The space — about 64,000 square feet — would be divided between the gym and other, future tenants.
The sprawling Derby Avenue retail complex has sat mostly vacant for years after the departure of an Adams Supermarket and Ames.
The vacancy has frustrated town officials eager to attract new businesses for use by residents — and add to the town’s tax rolls.
Given the site’s prominent location off Route 8, rumors of possible new tenants there are nothing new — last May an independent grocer was reportedly eyeing the space once used by Adams.
And In November news surfaced of a tractor store being in talks for a portion of the space.
In the days afterward, First Selectman Kurt Miller asked residents to “Like” a Facebook status of his own to show the owner of the plaza, Ron Spector, that the community wanted to see action there.
The post was shared 97 times and and liked by 576 people.
Holly wouldn’t comment on the tractor store rumors at the time, or on Monday, indicating that the fitness center was more of a possibility.
“They put in an offer which is depending on what their market research comes back at,” Holly said.
In an economy that is still recovering from the financial meltdown of 2008 in fits and starts, he said fitness centers are one area of notable growth.
“Everybody’s on that healthy kick,” Holly said. “They’re good, quality tenants with long-term leases.”
In addition, gyms often attract smaller tenants, like nutrition stores, to the area surrounding them.
“Once you’ve got a gym, you’ve got maybe a half-dozen smaller, independents (stores) that will follow a gym,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Spector, the owner of the property, confirmed via e‑mail Monday “that there is some interest form a health club operator for a portion of the former Ames space.”
“This group has expressed interest in our location before, so I believe that they are encouraged by the location and their prospects for operating in the Lower Valley,” Spector said.
Spector said he’s been working closely with First Selectman Kurt Miller on attracting new tenants.
“I would have to say that we have been receiving more interest lately than at anytime in the past and I am hopeful that if the economy continues its recovery, someone will be ready to move forward with a commitment to enter this market,” he said.
One of the plaza’s current tenants, Alberto Zuncja, whose family has owned Alberto’s Restaurant and Pizzeria since 1996, said he’s seen what seem like prospective tenants investigating the site recently, but that that’s nothing new.
“I’ve seen some people out here looking around, and I noticed the Facebook page, that’s the extent that I know,” Zuncja said. “The last 11 years there have been a lot of people out here.”
He said the gym — or any new tenant — would be a welcome addition.
“Any new business would definitely help,” Zuncja said. “The moment something does come in here I’m sure it’ll be big news for the town.”
Miller was out of town Monday. The Valley Indy sent him an e‑mail asking if he had heard anything about the fitness club possibility.
