Gold's Gym in Gasworx, after months of delays, is ready to open
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 12, 2024

Tampa officials’ struggle to implement a new zoning code for the Gasworx district has put the $4.5 million redevelopment of a dilapidated warehouse six months behind schedule — but the finish line is in sight.

Gold’s Gym will open June 29 at 802 N. 12th St., in a transformed warehouse on the southern end of Gasworx. Owner Kimberlee Curtis and her business partners started construction on the redevelopment in August 2023, with a goal of opening by year’s end. But Curtis says the targeted opening was long delayed in part due to issues with Gasworx’s status as a planned development alternative, which means it has its own design guidelines and regulations that were agreed upon by the city and Gasworx’s developers, Ybor City landowner Darryl Shaw and Washington, D.C.-based Kettler.

The Gasworx district spans 5.9 million square feet across 34 acres: generally north of Adamo Drive, west of North 15th Street, South of East Fifth Avenue and east of East Scott Street. Despite its status as a PDA, Curtis said Tampa officials applied city code to her project instead of the guidelines set forth by Gasworx’s PDA.

“It was painful to get through that process,” Curtis told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “We lost a lot of time, a lot of revenue and incurred a lot of extra design costs.”

A spokesperson for Mayor Jane Castor told the Business Journal that the administration couldn’t comment because J.C. Hudgison, the city’s chief building official, and Abbye Feeley, director of development and growth management, were out of the office.

“Obviously, the health and safety of the public is always the No. 1 priority,” Adam Smith, mayoral spokesperson, wrote in an email, “but we can’t comment on this without knowing the facts.”

On Wednesday, a city spokesperson attributed the delay to the adaptive reuse nature of the project.

“This is a situation in which an old warehouse is being transitioned to an assembly place, or what we call adaptive reuse," the spokesperson wrote. "We work hard to streamline the approval process and don’t like to see delays even for complex projects, but ensuring safety and quality standards are being met for the public is of utmost importance.”

Curtis has a background in construction management and is the founder of The KEC Group. She is also chairperson of the Channel District Community Advisory Committee, a city committee for residents and employees in certain neighborhoods to work with city staff and the community redevelopment agency for that area.

She said she hasn’t contacted Castor, who has made supporting small businesses a cornerstone of her administration. But Curtis did speak publicly about her struggles at a Tampa Downtown Partnership event in March and has broached the topic via Instagram, on a Reel posted jointly to her and the gym’s accounts.

“I think it’s part of a larger conversation to be had among multiple business owners,” Curtis said. “I’ve talked to so many other business owners here who have been delayed over similar things.”

As an example, Curtis said, Gasworx has different parking requirements than much of the city. But she said her gym was held to general parking standards, not those defined in the Gasworx PDA.

“Something that we could not really get through to them was that these don’t apply to us. We’re in the bounds of this PDA,” Curtis said of the parking requirements. “That was a real challenge.”

Beyond Gasworx, Gold’s Gym has growth ambitions in Tampa Bay

Despite the issues with the city’s approval process, Gold’s Gym in Gasworx looks ready for its members, save for a few finishing touches. The German-made gym80 equipment sits on gleaming epoxy floors. Curtis, who has been strength training for over 20 years, mapped out a gym that caters to every fitness level, from bodybuilders to newbies who feel more comfortable on pin-loaded machines. An entire room is dedicated to training glutes; Curtis also mapped out a stretching mezzanine and a large functional fitness area, complete with an outdoor training turf.

Curtis said the delays have had upsides. They’ve given her time to react to feedback from potential members who’ve seen plans and renderings of the gym; as a result, she’s added several amenities, including a cold plunge.

She won’t disclose how many members have committed to Gold’s Gym before its opening but said there’s been a surge of interest since she revealed the opening date on social media. Founding memberships are $99 a month.

“Creating a vibrant and healthy neighborhood means offering a diverse mix of businesses,” Shaw, a partner in the Gasworx development, said in a statement. “Gold’s Gym is a prime example of the kind of diversification we’re striving for in Ybor City. As we continue to attract more activations, including fitness options, I’m excited to see the positive impact Gold’s Gym will have on our community.”

The warehouse is 25,000 square feet; the outdoor areas are 4,500 square feet. The Gasworx location could become a prototype for Gold’s expansion in the Tampa Bay area. Curtis and her partners have the franchise rights to Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Curtis and Ken Lane of Avison Young’s Tampa office represent the Gold’s Gym Tampa area franchisees in their real estate endeavors.

West Tampa, Westshore and Midtown Tampa are high on Curtis’ list of potential locations. She and her partners require a 25,000-square-foot space at a minimum and are ready to pursue additional locations.

“If we found the space, we would start that process right away because it takes time to negotiate the lease, and then you get your design team involved,” Curtis said. “You start working on plans, and then you go through permitting. And then, before you know it, you’ve spent a year on the project before you start construction.”