A planned Crunch Fitness in St. Paul’s Highland Park can now put a much larger illuminated sign on its Highland Village storefront after the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance Monday. The 210.7-square-foot sign will face Ford Parkway, where a nearby resident warned it could be visible from two blocks away.
The decision clears a zoning hurdle for the fitness center, which is planned for the former Lunds & Byerlys space. As reported by myVillager, the proposed letters would stand roughly 39 to 40.5 inches high, far above the 18-inch limit in the Highland Village special sign district.
The Sign Fits The Site’s Area Cap But Not Its Letter Limit
Saint Paul’s zoning code places the Highland Village area under a special sign plan covering Ford Parkway and nearby commercial properties. The district was created to provide consistency in commercial sign design, but the rules separately limit letter height even when a proposed sign remains within the site’s overall sign-area allowance, according to the Saint Paul zoning code.
The Crunch signage would total less than the district’s 286-square-foot allowance for the site. City staff recommended approval, and BZA members said the building’s distance from Ford Parkway and the large intervening parking lot justified allowing a more visible sign.
The decision also arrives as Highland Village works to refill a prominent retail vacancy. Axios Twin Cities reports that the former grocery anchor has sat vacant since Lunds & Byerlys moved to the neighboring Highland Bridge redevelopment in 2022, with Crunch Fitness and Foss Swim School expected to open before the end of the year.
A $6 Million Gym Is Planned For The Former Grocery Space
Crunch announced in June that its St. Paul Highland Park location will be a 35,000-square-foot, $6 million facility operated by franchisee The Undefeated Tribe. The company said in a Crunch Fitness release that the gym is planned to open this fall, with presales beginning this summer.
The planned facility is expected to include strength and cardio areas, group fitness studios, hot yoga, cycling, indoor turf, recovery services, locker rooms and a sauna. It would be the franchisee’s fourth gym in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, adding another large-scale fitness option to a retail center that has seen several smaller businesses leave in recent years.
At the hearing, no community members appeared to speak in person, but a Pinehurst Avenue neighbor submitted a letter objecting to the illuminated sign. myVillager’s report said the neighbor argued the sign could be seen from two blocks away, while BZA members compared the request with a larger sign variance approved for Lifetime Fitness on Ford Parkway in 2024.
The Sign Approval Clears A Key Opening Hurdle
With the variance approved, Crunch can move ahead with the sign planned for the Ford Parkway-facing wall as construction and presale activity continue. The company is still targeting a fall opening, according to the company’s June announcement.
