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'Noisy' CrossFit Gym's Bid for Permit Blasted by Local Leaders

By Emily Frost | January 16, 2014 4:35pm
 The board rescinded its previous approval of a permit by the company to open a new gym on the Upper West Side. 
CrossFit NYC Denied Permit Approval by CB7
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UPPER WEST SIDE — An allegedly noisy CrossFit gym that's been operating illegally since the summer had its bid for a permit shot down Wednesday by the local community board, which pounded the gym for not providing adequate information about its noise levels. 

The basement gym at 157 Columbus Ave. at West 67th Street has angered building residents who say the workout activities, like dropping heavy weights on the ground, are inappropriate for a residential building. 

CrossFit NYC argued that it's planning on adding sound- and vibration-reducing cushioning on the ground. Gym representatives said they hasn't fully moved into the space yet because it lacks a city permit.

The gym requires but has not yet received a Physical Culture Establishment permit from the Board of Standards and Appeals, a BSA spokesman said.

However, residents said they visited the gym as recently as this past Saturday and saw people inside wearing workout clothes and hoisting weights. The gym's operators did not deny that it remains open.

"You have stretched credibility, good sense and good neighborliness," said Community Board 7 member Ethel Sheffer, noting that CrossFit NYC's review of the gym's potential noise and vibration levels lacked any data.

"You give us reports that are seven sentences long and have no data," she said. "Whose time are you wasting when you couldn’t even do the elementary findings?" 

Other board members tried to get both sides to agree to delay the gym's hearing before the BSA, which is set to review the application on Jan. 28, so that they can work through issues together. If the gym is not granted a permit, the Department of Buildings is tasked with shutting it down. 

The committee ultimately decided to reject the application, saying it hoped the gym would take the next two weeks to resolve residents' concerns before the BSA hearing.