A demolition permit was issued by the building inspector’s office on Aug. 11 to raze three existing buildings on the site, according to Tom St. Pierre, the city’s chief building inspector.

“They’re going to clean up the site,” St. Pierre said. “It’s just cleanup and demo of the buildings out there.”

The site has played a central role in a tumultuous conversation about traffic, development and various other issues for the area for 2 1/2 years now. The basic cineplex proposal was initially unveiled in January 2015, but it hasn’t made much progress since then.