January 20, 2023 – Hartford, WI – It was September 2022 when the Hartford Plan Commission approved an upgrade, facade remodel and reuse of the former Sentry Grocery in the Hartford Plaza on Bell Avenue just south of Highway 60.
“The design is a pretty dramatic improvement for what is there,” said city planner Justin Drew.
The new signage has already been added to the Plaza sign as facade reconstruction is underway. It was about two weeks ago, just after the New Year, when the interior of the fitness facility opened to members.
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During construction there is a temporary entrance to Planet Fitness, which is on the east end of the complex.
The west side of the building is still open. Early word is the building owner, which is Festival Foods, should be signing a new tenant shortly. There has been some scuttlebutt about a thrift store… but that has not been confirmed.
It was December 18, 2020 when the Hartford Plaza located south of Highway 60 and just west of County Highway K in the City of Hartford sold and a new tenant announced for the west end, formerly home to the Sentry Grocery.
The two parcels, 1201 Bell Avenue, and 1275 Bell Avenue, sold to MKB Hartford II LLC for $925,000 each.
This Hartford Plan Commission unanimously approved an upgrade, facade remodel and reuse of the former Sentry Grocery.
The parcel to the east was developed into Festival Foods and the Hartford Plan Commission reviewed an application to develop the west lot, 1201 Bell Avenue, into a Planet Fitness gym/workout space with “the rest to be future tenant space.”
“The owner of the West Bend/ Fond du Lac store is opening one on the east half of where Sentry Foods used to be,” said Hartford city administrator Steve Volkert.
“We weren’t looking for anything particular there. Festival Foods owns all that property and … obviously they found somebody who can use the existing building and it’s going to save Festival Foods money from the development costs.”
Volkert confirmed there was nothing yet set for the western portion of the building but “we’ll see how that goes.”
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Drew said the building has been sitting for a while and there are investments that will need to be made with the roof and interior.
Planet Fitness currently has locations in West Bend and Menomonee Falls, WI. There is an Anytime Fitness on E. Sumner Street in Hartford, WI.
Also approved on the agenda was a site plan for reconstruction and expansion of existing HUHS tennis courts and a site plan for a detached 12,000-square-foot cold storage addition at Rytec Corp., 901 Cleveland Avenue.
