Doylestown "Using Every Legal Mechanism" To Address 34 W. State

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Doylestown Borough is "using every legal mechanism within its power" to resolve an issue with a fenced-off building in the heart of the borough at 34 West State Street.

The building’s condition surfaced in June when an architectural element, known as a lintel, fell from the building to the sidewalk.

“We notified the owner at that time and no action was taken by the owner,” said Karen Hyland, the borough’s director of zoning and development.

In July, at the request of the police department, the fire company used its ladder truck to take a closer look and found the brick work around the window to be unstable, said Hyland. At that point, the borough put up saw horses and caution tape around the front of the building and again contacted the owner.

“We told them you need to get some better pedestrian and public protection out there while you come up with a fix for this and they did,”said Hyland.

The next day, the three-story brick building and the public sidewalk in front of the building were fenced off by the owner as a precaution.

“They were put on notice that the building wasn't safe and can’t be occupied and they need to immediately protect the area and make sure the building remains unoccupied,” said Hyland.

The building at 34 West State Street has been fenced off to protect the public after debris fell from the structure earlier this summer. Notice the missing piece above the second story window that fell in June. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

In a statement issued by the borough this week on social media, officials said they are "doing everything within its power to see the necessary repairs are made to the building.

"Unfortunately the property owner, despite multiple promises, has been unwilling to this point to take responsibility and make the necessary repairs," said borough officials in the statement.

"Be assured that the borough is using every legal mechanism within our power to resolve this situation and restore parking and pedestrian access," borough officials said.

“We lost the sidewalk. We lost the parking and that needs to be remedied. We don’t want our businesses to suffer," said Hyland, adding that the borough has now filed citations with the district court and has begun citing the owner daily for violations.

Hyland said on Friday that there was a meeting between the building owner, an architect and their scaffolding company and that they plan to be on site this coming Monday.

“But we’ve been told that several times before and we’re not going to treat it as if there has been any additional progress because it’s still not being done," she said. "The ball is in their court."