Demolition permit issued for collapsed Bristol hotel
BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — Demolition of the partially collapsed structure on Shelby Street in Bristol is drawing near.
The structure at 933 Shelby Street was meant to be a Holiday Inn, but construction halted after the building partially collapsed in September 2020.
The city issued a demolition permit to developers on April 19 and people have noticed construction equipment on the property.
“Good riddance,” said Joey Musser, owner of Carroll’s Automotive Repair Services.
Musser has watched the property for the last three years and can see it through a clearing in the trees.
“It’s just been an eyesore for the citizens here in Bristol and I really think it’s an unsafe place,” Musser said.
He believes the only pieces holding the building up are red structures that can be seen in the building’s openings. News Channel 11 asked Musser if he would stay in a hotel there.
“I definitely would not,” Musser said. “I don’t think anybody in Bristol would. You might probably get some people from out of state that didn’t know it had collapsed at one point in time, but I don’t think anybody in Bristol would want to chance it.”
The city’s director of community relations, Jon Luttrell, said the agreement details that the developer has to demolish to a certain point where some structural elements can remain such as the retaining wall on the rear of the property and other elements not damaged by the collapse.
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Once demolition begins, the developer has six months to complete it.
“Following the completion of demolition, [developers] have an additional six-month window to either begin construction on the hotel project once again, or to completely clear the construction site all the way down to the slab,” Luttrell said. “That’s certainly at the option of the developer whichever route they end up choosing to go.”
Luttrell said the city and community partners were excited about the project when it began three years ago and would welcome a hotel rebuilt there.
“At this point though, the primary focus is to get the site cleaned up and certainly to improve the visual condition of the site and making sure that it’s a safe site for the surrounding property owners,” Luttrell said.
But, Musser hopes to see something else go on the property.
“Well, it’s going to make a heck of a parking lot,” Musser said. “Downtown parking needs a parking lot. Or you could probably build a one-story place on it that didn’t have to have all of the weight that it’s got on it so it wouldn’t collapse again.”
The demolition agreement includes stipulations of inclement weather and other factors beyond the developer’s control in the demolition timeline.
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