A quick drive through the city of Bristol will make anyone quickly aware of all the empty storefronts our city presently has. Empty storefronts are not a good look for the property owners, and surely they would like to see businesses come forward and occupy the spaces.
Over the next week or so, the editors of The Bristol Edition will be writing a series of articles concerning this issue. The first of those will address the sheer number of vacancies.
The photos of empty store fronts in the gallery above were taken by TBE photographer Laura Bailey on just a quick trip down Farmington Avenue on a Sunday morning with the TBE staff. Keep in mind, these pictures are just a small sample of vacant storefronts. There are many, many more.
Below you see an overhead diagram of Bristol Commons, the site of the Price Chopper supermarket. A careful count of the vacancies numbers 12 altogether. That is a single plaza.
The results are similar all the way down the Avenue. And for some spots, like the previous Blockbuster Video store, the space has been vacant seemingly for more than a decade. The Bristol Plaza currently has seven vacancies. There are many more as you travel Rt. 6 right to the Farmington line.
There are vacancies in Forestville, downtown Bristol, North Main Street; there are vacancies everywhere.
Bristol is certainly not alone in this situation. This is a problem virtually everywhere. But we are not a small town or village.
More than 60,000 people live here. Driving on the Avenue certainly tells us there is no shortage of traffic passing by these plazas. The listing for Bristol Commons cites that on average almost 18,000 automobiles drive by each day.
Our forthcoming series will attempt to address the following issues:
o Why? What are the causes for all these vacancies?
o What are possible solutions, or are the trends in society making solutions impossible?
o What do the people of Bristol think should be done?
If any of our readers would like to chime in on any of these topics, we would love to hear from you. Email editor@bristoledition.org.
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.