Walmart Seeks To Reuse Empty Bristol Commercial Building

BRISTOL, CT — Walmart is seeking to reuse a long-vacant commercial building on Oakland Street.

The site, at 325 Oakland St., has previously been a Shaw’s grocery store and a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Chief Building Official Richard Brown said his office received an application for a building permit in January.

The retail giant is seeking to use a portion of the building, which Brown said has been “empty for a while.”

According to Brown, it will be a different concept from a traditional Walmart. It is not expected to be open to the general public or have aisles for browsing. Instead, its focus will be on delivery, according to Brown.

The city already has a traditional Walmart at 1400 Farmington Ave.

The project calls for interior work only, and Brown said the applicant needs building permit approval to proceed. The project does not have to go through local land use boards, he said.

The applicant is listed as Michelle Everhart, who is a project coordinator with BRR Architecture in Overland Park, Kansas. The firm has worked with Walmart on projects nationwide, according to its website.

According to documents on file at City Hall, Walmart wants to add self-contained refrigerated cases, storage racks, produce scales, self-checkout kiosks, and a breakroom to the existing building. The estimated project cost is $500,000.

Brown said Wednesday he anticipates city officials will complete reviewing the application within a couple of weeks.

Robyn Babbitt, director of corporate communications for Walmart, on Thursday declined to provide additional details about the company’s plans for the site or its projected timeline, due to the permit application still being under review.

The building is part of a plaza owned by OSJ of Bristol LLC of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, which purchased it in June 2024 for $6 million, according to city records.