Bristol Working Toward Demolition Of Elm & Chestnut Streets

Bristol Borough’s long journey to demolish the homes on Elm and Chestnut streets continues.

The Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County will be seeking bids to demolish borough-purchased vacant row houses along the street that sits off Jefferson Avenue.

There is $50,000 set to put toward the demolition, but the additional cost will have to be paid through other means.

Jeff Darwak, executive director of the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County, said grants and other funding would be sought depending on the bids that come in.

In November, Bristol Borough Council voted 7-1 to turn the dozens of properties on Elm and Chestnut streets over to the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County. Councilman Tony Devine dissented against the plan.

William Salerno, the borough solicitor, said at the time that the borough would have a say on what happens to the property.

Bristol Borough Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe said at Monday’s public meeting that the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County would be able to clear at least Elm Street. He hoped that they would also be able to take down the majority of the homes on Chestnut Street in the U-shaped neighborhood.

Currently, there are five homes on Chestnut street that are privately held, but there would be interest in acquiring them for demolition, DiGuiseppe said.

“We would never force anyone out of their properties,” DiGuiseppe affirmed, but noted the surrounding row homes could be removed.

On Elm Street, the demolition would clear the properties all the way to the curb and hopefully lead to future redevelopment or expansion of the adjoining under-renovation Mill Run complex, borough officials have said.

If the bids are accepted and there is enough funding, demolition could begin as soon as spring, Borough Manager Jim Dillon said.

A portion of row houses along Elm Street were destroyed in the late 1980s during a large fire.

In the late 1990s, the borough began gobbling up properties on Elm Street and later Chestnut Street.

Public records show that the borough has paid just under $2 million to purchase the properties over the years.

The once-thriving neighborhood, according to accounts given over the years at council meetings, was besieged with crime, bad landlords, and problems that spurred the borough to keep buying up homes. 

Last year, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson toured the street on a policy tour to talk about Qualified Opportunity Zones.

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