Home Based Business

The town of Berlin has big plans to make its community the next hot spot, not only to attract more visitors but more residents as well.Green Mountain Community Fitness on Granger Road moved to town in 2020. Nick Petterson and his wife had always wanted to move their business to Berlin for its central location. “I think everyone was a little skeptical when we moved in as a CrossFit gym, but things changed over time, and we really kind of showed our cards and proved to everyone that were here to serve the greater community,” Petterson said.The fitness hub expanded upon its original CrossFit space, adding standard gym equipment, tennis and pickleball courts, yoga and pilates studios and one of the only indoor saltwater pools in central Vermont.”We really wanted to provide an environment where people could come get their fitness in but then also hang out before, hang out after,” Petterson said.Petterson rents out the rest of the building to 12 other businesses, most of which relate to health and wellness, making it a central spot in town.”Recreation plays a key role in making a community a community,” Berlin assistant town manager Tom Badowski said. The town has big plans to transform from the inside out through a new town center designation. Berlin is the third community to receive it and the first outside Chittenden County.More housing, a Chipotle and Starbucks will be built, along with a four-season recreation center. The town still has almost four acres of free space to develop. “It seems like every day you see people that you haven’t seen in a little bit, you get to catch up,” Rachel Giroux, the town clerk, said. Construction is set to start this upcoming spring and new community spaces are set to open by this time next year.