LOCAL
Bucks County Courier Times
After spending years in one of Bristol Borough's many historic homes, lifelong residents David and Laura Chichilitti have embraced the community's new neighborhood along the Delaware River.
The couple recently sold their 100-year-old, three-story home in town and became two of the first people to move into Radcliffe Court on the Delaware.
Since moving in, the couple have opened their new home to friends and other prospective residents who are trying to picture what their lives could look like in the borough's newest riverfront neighborhood.
So far they've shown their home to five friends, and they said three of those friends have already decided to move in.
“Being lifelong residents, its nice to see all of this, the revitalization of Mill Street — Bristol’s coming back," David Chichilitti said.
What is Radcliffe Court on the Delaware?
After sitting idle for years, land that was once home to a shipyard and then an aircraft manufacturer along the Delaware River is now home to the biggest residential project Bristol Borough has seen in decades.
“This is an incredible example of not just what Bristol can do, but other communities that have these old, underdeveloped or underutilized sites that have been sitting for decades on end," Bristol Borough Mayor Ralph DiGuiseppe III said.
“Now is the time where people need to take something that is underutilized and really find its highest and best use."
In addition to his role as mayor, DiGuiseppe is also the senior vice president of Long and Foster, the real estate firm handling the project.
The first phase of the project is already complete — 73 townhomes on River View Circle that are all sold and settled.
Next door, construction of phase two is still underway. When complete there's to be 96 1,200-square-foot luxury condo units spread across six buildings, dozens of which are directly along the riverfront.
Each condo is a corner unit and includes a private balcony.
Prior to moving in, residents can also choose their own cabinets, flooring, finishes and more. All of the units, even those closest to the river, do not require flood insurance because they sit above the floodplain.
The development is also to provide residents with a shuttle service to and from the borough's big public events, such as the annual concert along the river, summer cultural days and more.
Right now, the condo leases are currently starting at $386,000, according to the project's website, with the townhouses selling for more than a half-million dollars.
"When I was selling real estate 25 years ago, you would never sell a $700,000 townhouse on the river. People would think you're insane," DiGuiseppe said. "But now the borough has gone through a huge resurgence.
"People are moving in from all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, other parts of the country because they love the old historic small town feel.”
How will this project fit into Bristol Borough today?
Bristol Borough’s long-awaited comeback is more than two decades in the making starting from the ground up — literally, DiGuiseppe said.
“It really started with a lot of infrastructure improvements in town. New roads, street signs, police department, fire department, all that back-end stuff to create this desire for people to be here," he said.
"Then once that snowball starts rolling down the mountain, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and people want to be part of the change and the revitalization.”
The borough and its business community have also seen Mill Street grow to a destination with shops, restaurants, breweries and more.
The riverfront properties stand out amid the borough's existing housing stock. But longtime residents such as the Chichilitti's welcome the change, and especially the tax dollars pouring into the community.
“This is a good tax base for us. We haven’t raised taxes in over 15 years because of the development in town,” David Chichilitti said.
A 30-year member of the school board, Chichilitti estimated that when occupied, this project will bring in more than $300,000 in school taxes and another $150,000 in borough taxes.
While Bristol Borough's population has remained relatively steady since 2010, what residents are earning on average has increased by nearly 50%, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.
The median household income in the borough in 2010 was $47,693 compared to $70,595 in 2023. Over that same period of time, the median paid in real estate taxes also increased from $2,866 to $4,009 per household in 2023.
"It's just a great impact when you can bring in higher-priced housing," DiGuiseppe said.
"It's that old saying that rising tides raises all ships. So projects like this, even though its not a direct competition to the other housing stock, it helps raise all those values as well."
Lacey Latch is the development reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She can be reached at[email protected].