Bristol Twp. Declares Two Homes Blighted As Vacant Home List Shrinks

A push to eliminate abandoned homes in Bristol Township has slashed the number of vacant properties by nearly 90 percent over the past decade.

Building and Planning Department Supervisor Beau Fleming told Bristol Township Council that the program has been a success over the years.

Since launching in 2015, the blight reduction program has cut the township’s vacant housing list from 204 properties down to 21 as of July.

Five of the remaining 21 homes are currently in the hands of the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County, which is moving them through the redevelopment process as part of the program, Fleming said.

This month, the township focused on the subdivided lot at 5606 Tremont Street, which has two vacant dwellings labeled as 5606 and 5608 Tremont Street.

Municipal blight enforcement guidelines treat the subdivided lot as a single property, officials said.

According to municipal records, the current owner bought the site in 1988.

Township officials issued an initial blight code enforcement letter in August 2025 but have received no response or contact from the owner since, Fleming said.

The township has not performed a rental inspection at the address since 2012, and neighborhood residents noted that the structures have stood empty for years, Fleming said.

At 5606 Tremont Street, utilities remain active but register only baseline use, with a single exterior light left illuminated. The lawn is periodically mowed, but minimal work is done to maintain the structure, officials said.

The residence labeled 5608 Tremont Street was damaged in a fire, with all utilities shut off since 2022. Water provider Aqua confirmed that service to the unit has been terminated.

“At this time, the entire parcel is uninhabitable and no one is living there,” Fleming said, adding that there are no back taxes owed on the property.

After Fleming’s presentation, the council voted to approve a formal resolution declaring 5606 Tremont Street blighted under Pennsylvania’s Urban Redevelopment Law.

Council President Craig Bowen said that when the current administration assumed office in 2014, vacant homes in the township exceeded 200. He added that the township has worked hard on its decade-long reduction effort.