Residential, Commercial Properties To Be Blighted

“We’re going to blighting some crappy homes.”

That’s how Bristol Township Council President Craig Bowen started a recent presentation on the municipality’s efforts to flight blighted properties.

The Council moved last month to blight six residential and two commercial properties within the township. The goal is to get rid of the blight and put those properties back on the tax rolls.

In 2015, the township began their fight against blighted properties and began working with the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority (RDA) to condemn properties in 2016, the amount of vacant homes in Bristol Township has decreased and several homes have been demolished or renovated.

Earlier this year, officials talked up some of the properties to have been revitalized.

Bristol Township has around 89 blight properties, which is down from a high of around 200 several years ago, said Randee Elton, project manager for the blight problems.

Several of the properties have their lawns maintained by the township and have had police incidents. At one property along Beaver Dam Road, squatters had to be removed from the one home. The owners of some others have died and their families have little interest in bothering with the homes.

The Council is seeking to condemn the homes at 5001 Beaver Dam Road, 60 Forrest Lane, 46 Grapevine Road, 14 Margin Turn and 125 Walnut Avenue.

Commercial properties at 1111 Veterans Highway (the old Golden Donuts) and 3113 Veterans Highway (the old O’Connor Freightliner) are also set to be blighted. However, Elton noted that since the township alerted the property owners they did take some steps to come into compliance but it was not enough as of last month.

Elton said if blighted structures are removed and properties are maintained before the condemnation process moves forward, the township would be pleased.