Credit: Bristol Township
A few years ago, 3716 Elmhurst Avenue near Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township was a mess. Brush had overgrown the front and boards covered the windows since it had become vacant in 2009.
In short, 3716 Elmhurst Avenue was an eyesore and the township and the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County (RDA) had begun the process to blight the abandoned home.
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By the end of 2017, the lot was subdivided and a gleaming new 1,700-square-foot new home with four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms stood near the site of the former blighted home. A second home on the subdivided lot was under construction as of last month.
Credit: Submitted
Township officials have touted similar successes on Queen Anne Drive, Maple Avenue, Crosswood Lane and Mitchell Road. They also had success blighting 1111 Veterans Highway (the old Golden Donuts) and 3113 Veterans Highway (the old O’Connor Freightliner). Both of those commercial buildings were torn down recently.
The Council voted last month to move forward with blighting the following properties:
- 1429 Colonial Avenue and the adjacent lot
- 1026 Dolphin Court
- 3321 Ford Road and Norway Avenue
- 102 Kenwood Drive South
- 93 Magnolia Drive (Recently purchased privately at sheriff sale)
- 1933 Parkview Avenue
- 14 Rolling Lane
- 1006 Third Avenue
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The neighborhood refresh has been part of Bristol Township’s effort to fight blight throughout the community.
Two years ago, Bristol Township had 204 vacant homes on their list and had just 73 as of December 2017, said Randee Elton, project manager for the blight program.
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“I think the word is out there: If you don’t fix up your house or property, the township will force you to,” Elton said during a 2017 Bristol Township Council meeting.
Properties that are blighted are often sore points for nearby residents and some require the township to provide basic property maintenance, which costs taxpayer dollars. Some of the homes that have been blighted have been overtaken by squatters and rodents.
Credit: Submitted
The owners of the properties that become blighted are derelict in their obligations or have passed away.
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Elton said the township monitors residents complaints and sheriff sale lists to keep track of what homes are blighted. Working with the RDA, the properties are blighted and the process to market them to new owners begins.
Township officials said their goal is to get blighted properties looking better and back on the tax rolls. Upgrades and new construction often mean higher assessments and more tax revenue.
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Bristol Township committed $1 million for the blight program two years ago, but has only spent about $285,000 in capital funds and $185,000 in federal block grant money. The program is able to self-sustain itself through the sale of the lots, Elton said.
