Dilapidated Mystic home demolished
Mystic — Crews demolished a long dilapidated three-family home Wednesday at the corner of Washington Street and Broadway.
The 48 Washington St. property is owned by Hendel’s of Waterford, which also owns the adjacent gas station and convenience store on Route 1 across from the railroad station. That property also fronts on Washington Street.
The 6,176-square-foot home, which contained 15 rooms, has been vacant for years. Asbestos had to be removed from the home before it was taken down.
Michael Champlin of Hendel’s Inc. said Wednesday that the future plans for the commercially zoned site are still unknown, but the company may be coming forward with a plan in the next month or so.
Twelve years ago, controversy surrounded the adjacent property, which was divided into residential and commercial zoned portions. Despite neighborhood opposition, the Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission rezoned the Washington Street residential portion for commercial use as well. A Wethersfield developer interested in the property at the time said he had no plans to combine the lot with the 48 Washington St. site. He also said the plan was to split the vacant property from the portion that contains the convenience store, but that was never done.
The neighbors at the time claimed Hendel’s illegally tore down a historic home on the Washington Street portion of the convenience store site in 2001. That’s when the zoning board initially denied a zone change for the site.
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