SAN DIEGO

Boulevard Fitness, the University Heights gym now notorious for remaining open amid pandemic closure orders, has temporarily shuttered.

The closure follows several actions by San Diego County and city officials, most of which were ignored by gym owner Shawn Gilbert. Despite state and county health orders, the business kept its indoor operations open throughout the summer. Gilbert openly defied cease-and-desist orders from the county in July, subsequent closure orders, and a citation from San Diego Police Department in August.

But now, following a letter from City Attorney Mara Elliott delivered to Boulevard Fitness on Tuesday, Gilbert decided to comply. That’s because Elliott threatened daily fines of $2,500 per health order violation going back 45 days of Gilbert’s non-compliance.

In an email to gym members, Gilbert said the financial repercussions were too much to bear.

“We have been fighting hard and doing everything we can to keep our doors open for all our members,” Gilbert wrote. “But due to current fiscal situations, we have to temporarily close our doors. Unfortunately, the fines that we are looking at getting would prevent the business from being open on the other side of this closure so we have to close our doors for the time being.”

The City Attorney’s office said they were contacted by SDPD to assist in gaining compliance from Boulevard Fitness after numerous visits, warnings and citations by the county were ignored. It was the first case involving a defiant business referred to their office by SDPD, officials said, although the city attorney did move to shut down a raucous party house in Bankers Hill earlier in August.

“For more than a month, Boulevard Fitness ignored the county’s orders to stop endangering the health of its members and the public,” Elliott said. “My office stepped in and got quick compliance the same way we did with the Bankers Hill party house — by laying out the fines and penalties we could seek if they continued breaking the law. The spread of COVID is a problem that my office takes seriously.”

The letter was meant to gain compliance but does not yet impose fresh fines on Boulevard Fitness or Gilbert. However, if the gym continues to violate the health order, legal action will follow to impose those $2,500 fines, the city attorney’s office said.

Gyms, along with most businesses, were first ordered to shut down in March with Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order. In mid-June, with the rate of infection appearing to point downward, Newsom allowed gyms to reopen if customers wore face masks and fitness centers used rigorous disinfection practices. Just weeks later, on July 13, gyms were ordered to close back down unless they could move operations outside.

In his letter to members, Gilbert said he’s working with county officials to gain compliance with the health order and hopes to reopen his doors soon.

“We are hopeful that since San Diego is off the watchlist that we would be able to open sooner than later as our previous reopening plan when business could be open demonstrated significant safety measures in place for you all,” Gilbert wrote.