Bristol Township, PA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Article XXVII of the Bristol Township zoning chapter, § 205-143, works through development applications rather than a stand-alone landmark list. It applies to every application for a zoning permit, subdivision or land development in Bristol Township. The applicant must say whether the project site includes a historic structure or resource. Three kinds count: a structure listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places or determined eligible by the Secretary of the Interior, a structure certified as contributing to a registered historic district, and any structure on a Bristol Township inventory of historic structures or resources available at the Township Building. Each site must be shown on the plans with a description that follows pages 28 through 32 of National Register Bulletin 16A (1991).

A structure identified this way has to be preserved unless the applicant can demonstrate that it is in irreparable condition. Where demolition is found acceptable, the redevelopment must preserve the character, front yard setback and design of the building removed, even if the district's normal front yard setback differs, and new or reconstructed buildings must keep the architectural style, scale, bulk and design of the original. For a subdivision or land development on the site of a historic building, the lot lines must be drawn to preserve its historic context, outbuildings included, with setbacks sufficient to protect visual boundaries and edges. Township Council can permit altered lot sizes or setbacks on other lots in the same development to make room, without increasing the overall permitted density of the site.

No building comes down except in compliance with the Bristol Township demolition permit requirements, and the permit must be granted before demolition. An applicant seeking to demolish an identified historic resource files a site plan and a written application giving the owner of record, a plan showing buildings, structures, foundations, walls, ruins and historic trees, recent interior and exterior photographs, the reasons for demolition, the proposed method, and the future uses of the site and the materials. The Zoning Officer forwards the application to the Bristol Township Planning Commission within five working days, the Commission makes a recommendation to Council, and the applicant receives notice of the Council meeting that decides it. A certified engineering report on structural stability showing threats to public safety is required before a permit is recommended. Demolition by neglect cannot be used as an excuse for an active demolition application.