Courtesy / Mapquest
360 Route 1 in Scarborough is near the planned Scarborough Downs development.
December 12, 2018
Lewiston fitness business targets hot Scarborough market for third location
Photo / Maureen Milliken
GoZone Fitness is moving into Willowdale Space, at 360 U.S. Route 1 in Scarborough, the third site for the Lewiston-based franchise.
By Maureen Milliken
When Debra Ann St. Hilaire Sellinger decided to expand her Lewiston-based GoZone Fitness franchise to a third site, she asked her broker, Dustin Boutin, to find something in the greater Portland area.
Boutin, of Magnusson Balfour Commercial & Business Brokers of KW Commercial, found a spot in Scarborough in a building that rarely has a vacancy. A benefit was that the space was recently used by a fitness business that outgrew it.
Not only was the building the right fit, but so was Scarborough, said St. Hilaire Sellinger.
“Scarborough was selected as the ideal next location,” she said, citing the town’s “vibrant mix of retail and business solutions” that meet the demands a strong economy and increasing population.
The timing was right — the town last week approved a tax increment financing district on nearly 1,000 acres almost across the street that will ensure more development in what’s already a hot area.
GoZone will open in 2,235 square feet of ground-floor retail space at 360 U.S. Route 1, Willowdale Place, in February — part of a diverse retail presence in the 20,000-plus mixed use building.
The landlord is Mark Maroon, operating as Willowdale 360 LLC, and the lease was brokered by Boutin and Mark Sandler, of Compass Commercial Brokers, representing the landlord.
Fast-growing Lewiston business
GoZone is expanding quickly. St. Hilaire Sellinger opened at 1967 Lisbon Road in Lewiston in November 2015 and on Bangor Street in Augusta in April 2016. The business is independently owned by St. Hilaire Sellinger.
She said both full- and part-time jobs are available at the new site.
Broker Boutin said the move was a good one for the Lewiston-based business.
He said GoZone Fitness is already successful Lewiston and Augusta, with a loyal customer base. “I’m confident the same will occur in the Scarborough market.”
The company specializes in group workouts, and “it’s a place where individuals of all ages and capabilities can be embraced into a workout community that encourages confidence and passion for active healthy living,” its website says.
GoZone also takes on community outreach, offering services for free to encourage healthy lifestyles, it says.
The Scarborough space was most recently occupied by Bear Essentials Fitness, which was there for three years but moved when it outgrew the space, Sandler said.
Bear Essentials moved down the road to 442 Route 1, sharing space that was also most recently a fitness center, in a building with a Tractor Supply store.
Hot spot for development
Photo / Maureen Milliken
The entrance to the Scarborough Downs development site is a construction zone on Route 1.
Willowdale Place is in an already busy location that’s now poised to take off.
“There’s so much going on” along Route 1 in Scarborough, said Sandler, the broker who represents Willowdale.
Scarborough Downs, across the street about 100 yards north, is being redeveloped in an ambitious village-type plan on 479 acres that will include residential, commercial and industrial space.
The town council last week approved a 955-acre tax increment financing district that includes that property as well as the Oak Hill area just north of it, including the town’s municipal property.
Combined with tight inventory for office and retail space, that puts the Class A space at 360 Route 1 in high demand, he said.
The building is 100% occupied, and rarely goes more than a month with a vacancy. “Space gets snatched right up,” he said.
Ground-floor tenants include Mainely Wraps and Chalmer’s Insurance. The two upper floors have a variety of office tenants.
The building has 102 parking spaces, both in front and back, with access on a side road off of Route 1. Sandler says the owner, who lives in town, frequently lets local youth sports groups and other nonprofits use the conference room in the building as part of his community commitment.
“It’s got great visibility, a high traffic count, it’s close to Interstate 295 and the Maine Turnpike,” Sandler said.
He said, though, 360 Route 1 isn’t alone. “Anything that goes on the market in Scarborough isn’t going to last long.”
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