Bristol Developer Seeks Zone Change for Housing

0:00A developer in Bristol is pushing to turn a vacant medical office building into housing. The proposal from Chippen's Hill office park, based in Middletown, targets a 3.28 acre site at 625 Carc Avenue. Right now, it's zoned industrial, but they want to switch it to residential multi-family to reuse the existing 6,092 square foot, building and add new units out back. The building sat empty after the doctor's offices moved to a spot on Farmington Avenue. The application calls this an adaptive reuse project, fitting homes into the old structure and expanding behind it. No detailed plans for the new builds or unit counts yet, since it's just asking for the zone change first. Market trends are driving this shift. Offices are struggling statewide, with tenants wanting cheaper rents and big build out deals, while industrial space holds up better, but isn't, booming. The owners say the spot just isn't workable anymore for offices or industry. The Bristol Planning Commission takes it up Tuesday at 6 p.m., they're likely to set

1:04a public hearing date then. This could bring fresh housing to the area amid cooling commercial demand, with more details to come as the process moves forward. This has been Hartford News Today, powered by AI.