Demolition Underway On Long-Vacant, Blighted Bristol Commercial Building

BRISTOL, CT — Heavy equipment has started knocking down the long-vacant former Chic Miller Chevrolet building.

Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu posted a video Thursday with the caption, “It’s finally happening!” on the office’s Facebook page.

The building, at 40 West St., is owned by 40 West Street LLC, city records show. Its principal is listed as Bhrugesh Patel of New Jersey.

“I am very happy to see this finally come down,” Zoppo-Sassu said, via email Thursday. “We helped with securing a grant for environmental review a few years back, and look forward to a new future for this important corner.”

The site was formerly the home of Chic Miller Chevrolet, which operated there for decades before closing in the early 2000s. It has been vacant and falling into disrepair in recent years. The business did auto sales, repairs and painting, according to the mayor’s office.

Zoppo-Sassu said the City of Bristol partnered with the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, Inc. and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to complete grant-funded environmental assessments on the property in 2020.

This work included Phase I and Phase II assessments, as well as a separate Hazardous Building Materials Survey, she said. This assessment work was required prior to demolition. The demolition work is being paid for by the property owner, according to the mayor.

“A careful demolition of the property is ongoing, using information from past environmental assessments as a guide,” Zoppo-Sassu said.

As for the property’s future, plans are currently for a residential use at the site, according to the city.

“The property owner is focusing on demolition first, as it is the most important element to both cleaning up the site, eliminating a long-standing blight concern, and prepping the site for future development,” Zoppo-Sassu said. “There are plans for a future multifamily project on the site, but details still must be worked out.”

Many area residents responded to the news of the building coming down with memories of buying cars at the dealership.

Frank Artibani wrote on Facebook about buying a 1986 S-10 Blazer there, while Rob Flanagan wrote, “Chic Miller Chevrolet was one of my favorite places I ever worked. I had the best co-workers! Good times! Sad to see it go.”

Ronald Rivera wrote, “I was waiting for this day to come to see that building go down. It was nothing but an eyesore.”