Owners of 2 Parcels on Bristol Street Sue City

Property owners who hoped to open a lawn mower sales and repair shop in the Bristol Corridor redevelopment zone have sued the city, alleging that it will neither let them open the business nor buy the properties.

In their suit filed Wednesday in Superior Court, Paul X. Le and Ly Thi Phan say that they bought the two Bristol Street parcels in 1992.

Le said he was then informed by the city that he could not open a business because of the Bristol Street widening project. One year later, in 1993, Le said, he agreed in writing to sell the parcels, at 806 and 810 S. Bristol St., to the city for $665,000.

But the lawsuit alleges that the city later told the property owners at various times that the properties were not in the acquisition zone, that the city did not have the money to buy them and that the city would buy them within five years.

Assistant City Atty. Robert Wheeler said he could not comment on the suit because he had not yet seen a copy of it.

The lawsuit asks that the city buy the properties and pay an unspecified amount of damages. Le said he believes that the 1.2-acre parcels are worth $900,000.