Bristol Receives ‘Unprecedented’ Third Round Of Money For Facade Upgrades

For the third time, Bristol Borough’s central business district has been awarded a grant for their facade improvement program.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced on Monday that the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) Keystone Communities Program awarded $50,000 for a facade improvement program in Bristol Borough. The money is being distributed through the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County (RDA) and will benefit at least 10 storefronts.

Jeff Darwak, executive director of the RDA, said the organization was “delighted” to learn of the third round of facade grant funds.

“Bristol Borough is a model community for the effective and efficient utilization of public sector resources to leverage new private sector investment and reinvestment. With a common vision to effect positive change, the borough has built and sustains strong public/private partnerships with tangible results. We would also like to thank Senator Tomlinson and Representative Galloway for their continued support of this and other state funding programs which have greatly contributed to the remarkable turnaround of Bristol Borough and the historic business district,” Darwak said.

The funds will be focused on businesses and property owners that apply and are selected. The facade grants are focused on Mill Street, all of Market Street, and portions of Bath, Cedar, Otter, Pond, Radcliffe, and Wood streets.

A few months back, Bristol Borough: Raising the Bar publicized the grant application process so that property owners could work on design ideas and meet with designers to solicit cost estimates, said Bill Pezza, chairman of Bristol Borough: Raising the Bar, which has championed the facade program. He added that property owners were cautioned that getting the funds for a third time was a long shot.

“This is an unprecedented third round of funding we’ve received. We attribute this to the efficient administration of the past grants and the enthusiastic participation of the property owners who must supply the matching funds,” Pezza said.

The two previous facade grants have been credited with providing a boost to the redevelopment of once-waning central business district. The borough has seen a rejuvenation, especially in the area surrounding Mill Street, over the past five years.

Pezza said Bristol Borough: Raising the Bar will reach out to property owners in the new year to move forward with the process of starting facade upgrades that conform with the Bristol Borough Historical and Architectural Review Board standards.

The DCED said the grant funding is designed to “support local initiatives that grow and stabilize neighborhoods and communities, foster effective public-private partnerships, and enhance the overall quality of life for residents.”

Statewide, more than $5.5 million was awarded as part of the program. Quakertown Borough was the only other community in the county to receive funds through the program this year.

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