Just about three years ago, Bristol’s Industrial Park was blighted and virtually empty, much of it closed by the state fire marshal’s office for failure to meet minimum fire codes. Bristol’s Joseph Brito, Jr. changed all that with his soaring vision for the site — now renamed Unity Park.

Friday’s ribbon cutting, including Senator Jack Reed, Town Council President Nathan Calouro, Brito, his wife Betty Brito, Town Administrator Steven Contente and others in front of the Brick Pizza Co. (Bristol native, Rhode Island Treasurer and Congressional candidate Seth Magaziner was also in attendance), was the culmination of years of planning, negotiations and hard work by Brito, architect John Lusk, and a team of builders and small business owners.

In addition to Brick, which anchors the entrance to the park along with Pivotal Brewing Company, Unity Park is or will soon be the home of drinking and dining establishments like O’Brien and Brough distillery, Borealis Coffee, Twelve Guns Brewing, Fieldstone Kombucha, and Basil and Bunny. A wide range of other businesses are also moving in, with strong representation from Bristol’s marine industry, including Flux Marine, Sea Legs, and Resolute Racing Shells.