Fitness Center Feasibility Study in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY lists fitness centers third of 39 among its classes and 68 of 608 among areas nationally for them. Approvals total 34 loans and $13.9 million over FY2017 to FY2026. Gyms tilt a touch over their national weight, a modest lean the all-class record does not show. A median loan of $230,000 is 0.89x the national median, so the typical gym loan here is smaller than the national norm.

Wide band, small median, two programs

Middle-half loans start at $51,250 and reach $472,750, an unusually wide spread for a $230,000 median, which says the cell mixes small studio loans with larger club loans. The program count is 27 for SBA 7(a) and 7 for SBA 504. Franchise share is 35.3%. A study should position the proposal inside that spread: a boutique studio and a full club face different build-out costs, membership bases and debt loads.

Holders, county and year

The SBA 504 table lists Empire State Certified Development Corporation with 7 loans worth $7.8 million, while under 7(a) KeyBank National Association is listed with 5 loans worth $475,600. The pairing shows a few large 504 loans beside several small 7(a) ones. Holder names come straight from SBA's records of Albany area loans, and no view of any lender's practices follows from them. Albany County, NY accounts for 16 of the 34 loans. Only FY2022 prints, at 5 loans and $4.0 million. The rest of the years stay hidden for Albany-Schenectady-Troy, because the loan counts behind them are small; a hidden year is no zero year.

What a Capital Region study has to test

Readers looking for Albany-Schenectady-Troy cancellation and charge-off rates will find none, because the fitness centers cohort has fewer loans than Loan Analytics requires. A study for a gym should test the member base within reach, the competing clubs and studios, the equipment and space budget set beside a loan close to the $230,000 median, or well above it for a full club, and the months a new club needs before dues cover its debt. Seasonal attendance needs evidence, not assumption, and a specialised space needs a supported appraisal. History here frames the underwriting of a fitness project without predicting its result. Because the middle half of loans reaches $472,750, a request at the top of the band should be supported with membership evidence, while a request near $51,250 should show that a small space can still carry its debt.