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Planet Fitness Moving Into Phat Albert Discount Shop on Flatbush Avenue

By Sonja Sharp | November 20, 2013 1:02pm
 Phat Albert, a mammoth discount clothier and home supply store, will soon share space with a budget gym.
Phat Albert, a mammoth discount clothier and home supply store, will soon share space with a budget gym.
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DNAinfo/Sonja Sharp

PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS — The Phat Albert discount shop is slimming down to make way for a new gym.

Planet Fitness is planning a sprawling workout center inside the 495 Flatbush Ave. clothing and home goods store, representatives of Planet Fitness said at a meeting Tuesday night.

The gym will take up about half of the building's second floor, as well as a small corner of the first floor, sharing the space with Phat Albert. It's slated to open in February.

"Planet Fitness is only going to occupy about 2,000 square feet on the first floor and a little over half of the second floor," Josh Rinesmith, an attorney representing the company, told residents at  Community Board 9's monthly board meeting Tuesday. 

The second floor will have 17,000 square feet of cardiovascular and weight-lifting equipment, he added.

At the meeting, CB9 voted to approve the plans, which require a Physical Culture Establishment permit from the city.

Phat Albert did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday.

Planet Fitness, which already has more than two dozen locations across the city, is known for its $20-a-month memberships and 24-hour access on weekdays.

"They’ve been very popular with municipal workers and others with alternative schedules," Rinesmith said. 

Planet Fitness is far from the only new bargain gym opening soon in the neighborhood. Blink Fitness is opening at Utica Avenue and Lincoln Place in Crown Heights in March, while Crunch Crown Heights is slated to launch in February on Lefferts Avenue near Utica Avenue.