Could Bristol Build A Parking Garage Near The Waterfront?

Bristol Borough Hall. File photo. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

Bristol Borough is looking at potentially building a parking garage in the area of the Mill Street Parking Lot.

The news surfaced this week after Bristol Borough Council on Monday approved applications for six separate state grants.

The applications were submitted through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s statewide local share assessment program, which is for funding improvements in municipalities.

Long-standing complaints about parking in the several-hundred-year-old borough, including during popular events that leave the Mill Street Parking Lot packed, have plagued Bristol Borough.

The Mill Street Parking Lot, despite recent improvements, still deals with flooding from the Delaware River.

A sign pointing to the Mill Street Parking Lot.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

The grant applications cover a slate of six proposed projects: construction of the parking garage, expansion of the borough’s boat docks, road paving and handicap ramp programs, storm pipe replacement on Green Lane, Old Route 13 improvements, and a new consolidated fire station.

Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe explained the applications during public participation when a resident asked for clarification on the large number of submissions.

“This is just applications that we filled out to try to apply for grant money,” DiGuiseppe said. “No guarantee we’re going to get it or we’re not going to get it, but we do it every year to try to get money for different projects.”

In 2018, Borough Engineer Kurt Schroeder, of Gilmore and Associates, presented a plan to remake the area. That conceptual proposal included a multi-level parking deck to replace the Mill Street Parking Lot, an amphitheater, a paved promenade along the river, an additional boat dock by the marsh, boardwalks in nature areas and a bulkhead wall along the river. The plan also showed a block of Cedar Street and Wood Street as pedestrian malls in the central business district.

A photo of the 2018 plan.
Credit: Erich Martin/LevittownNow.com

At the time, borough officials noted the plan was only a concept and would require millions of dollars to complete.

Beyond parking, the grant request for a consolidated fire station is part of the borough’s plan to bring its volunteer fire companies together.

Bristol Borough Fire Association President Steve Reeves thanked council for the inclusion of the new fire station in the request, noting that 25 to 30 volunteers were present at the meeting.

“Your continued support and your continuous support for the centralized firehouse project means a lot to us,” Reeves said. “But not only us in the fire service, but the entire community itself.”

Reeves also highlighted recent water rescue and emergency response training courses completed by fire company volunteers on the Delaware River.

The applications required council resolutions authorizing borough officials to execute documents and submit the requests to the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Officials caution there is no guarantee the borough will be awarded the funds or that the municipality will move forward with all projects.

In other business, council scheduled budget meetings to discuss the 2026 municipal spending plan for Nov. 17 and Nov. 19. Both meetings will take place at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Borough Hall.

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