86th Street Chevrolet To Be Torn Down, Reopened By New Owner In 2016

The 86th Street Chevrolet (1575 86th Street) closed its doors Friday and will soon be torn down to make room for a new building, following a change of ownership.

John Iacono, who owns dealerships all over the city including four in Bay Ridge, confirmed that he bought the location from previous owner John Manganelli in November. Iacono shared some of his plans for the building, which is set to reopen in late 2016.“It’s going to be exactly what it is right now, but with a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility,” he told us. “The facility will be one that will upgrade the consumer experience.”In addition, the new building will be significantly larger. The current building is only one floor. When construction is complete, the 86th Street Chevrolet will boast increased square footage, a lower level, a first floor, and a rooftop for parking and additional inventory. Unfortunately, due to the scale of project, the branch’s 32 employees will soon be out of jobs – though Iacono said he hopes to employ some of them at his other local dealerships.Though Chevrolet dealerships are independently owned, General Motors’ corporate office has stepped in to help auto owners find services during the hiatus.“We began contacting customers at that dealership last month, to give them information about where they can go during the construction period,” said Ryndee Carney, a spokesperson for General Motors.Iacono, whose businesses include Bay Ridge Lexus, Bay Ridge Toyota, Bay Ridge Nissan, and Bay Ridge Audi, told us he purchased the  86th street dealership because he was interested in working with Chevrolet.“We really like the Chevrolet brand and GM and we think that our future would be well-served to expand in this way,” he said.Though he grew up on 15th Avenue near Cropsey Avenue, this will be Iacono’s first venture in Bensonhurst.