The one-time site of Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation’s Harriman Shipyard will become home to 96 new condominiums with views of the Delaware River.
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Developer Mark Schweiker, the former Republican governor who is from Lower Bucks County, and builder Bernie Sauer, of BCS Builders, presented their plan to Bristol Borough Council Monday evening.
The plan is to construct the 96 condos across six five-level buildings. The first floor in each building would be for parking and the four floors above would feature four condos on each. The 7-acre site is between the Radcliffe Court townhome complex and the Island View Crossing office building along Radcliffe Street.
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Schweiker said all the condos will have views of the Delaware River along the Bristol Borough waterfront.
Speaking to the council, Schweiker called the development an “impressive project.”
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The condos will have two bedrooms and some could have three.
Schweiker said the plans are “far advanced” and nearing being finished, but changes can still be made.
Sauer said work could begin before the end of the year.
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Supply-chain issues and economic conditions will dictate some aspects of the project, Sauer said.
The project is second phase of the Radcliffe Court complex that is nearing completion next door. Sales for those townhomes have been strong.
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Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe told the public the plans were approved in 2006. As long as the developer and builder stick to the approved plans, no additional greenlight by council is needed.
Island View Properties, which received approval more than a decade ago to construct the 73 townhomes and 96 condos, went bankrupt. The case made it though the federal court system for several years. The townhome development was half-built for several years until things starting moving forward.
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The former governor and the builder said it has taken several years to get to the point where plans are being finalized as they gained approval through the bankruptcy proceedings of the original development group.
Schweiker said the townhome development is almost sold out and residents have had positive reviews of the development. He added there is already interest in the condos.
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The Harriman Shipyard was once along the portion of Radcliffe Street where the development site is located. The shipyard became well-known for construction of vessels during World War I, but the shipyard faced problems after the war and eventually closed.
The shipyard and a surrounding company town, which was called Harriman, eventually were merged into Bristol Borough.
In the 1990s and early 200s, efforts to revitalize the property got underway. A 55-plus development was constructed and the Island View Crossing office complex was developed along the water.
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