“Local businesses are the backbone of our city. After decades of broken promises, Steelpointe Harbor is finally a reality. The largest development project in generations is creating hundreds of jobs and adding millions of dollars to the tax rolls, but these small businesses are our lifeblood." – Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch
Bridgeport, Conn. (June 8, 2015) – Mayor Bill Finch joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez in announcing a new off-street parking lot that will support small businesses after parking spots on the state-owned East Main Street were removed following a road improvement project.
“Local businesses are the backbone of our city," said Mayor Bill Finch. "After decades of broken promises, Steelpointe Harbor is finally a reality. The largest development project in generations is creating hundreds of jobs and adding millions of dollars to the tax rolls, but these small businesses are our lifeblood."
A critical piece of the progress at Steelpointe Harbor is road improvements and street expansion projects, which serve as smart investments in the future. An unintended consequence of the East Main Street improvement project is a loss of parking spots in front of businesses on the state-owned street.
"We cannot stand for that and need to find a solution that works for these job creators and thriving businesses. That’s exactly what we’re doing by creating an off-street parking lot in the area that will be available for employees and customers very soon.”
“East Main Street has been – and will continue to be – one of Bridgeport’s major commercial corridors. We remain committed to the small business owners who are such a valuable asset to our East Side neighborhood," Mayor Finch added.
The new parking is located at the corner of East Main and Nichols streets. Jorge Garcia, the city’s director of Public Facilities, said he expects work to be completed and parking lines painted as soon as Friday. The goal is to offset the on-street parking loss between Nichols and Cedar streets.
The parking spots on East Main Street, a state-owned road, were eliminated when a turning lane was added for the Interstate 95 on-ramp as part the Steelpointe development.
The turning lanes on East Main, as well as on Stratford Avenue, were requirements during a lengthy state permitting process, which occurred a number of years ago after public hearings, for the Steelpointe, which is underway on the other side of I-95.
Once complete, Steelpointe Harbor will serve as a 2-million-square foot super regional waterfront project located adjacent to I-95 in Bridgeport Connecticut. Spanning 82 acres, the project will feature more than 750,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and entertainment, a 12-screen premium theater, two hotels, 1,100 mid-and-high rise residential units, 30,000 square feet of office and a 200-slip full service deep water marina.
"The construction and all the jobs at Steelpointe are all great news, but it only works when our mom-and-pop stores thrive too. They are the lifeblood of our city, the shops that serve us lunch every day, have socks for our kids and flowers for my wife."
Mayor Finch thanked Councilwoman Lydia Martinez, who brought business owners’ concerns to him last week.
“As soon as she brought it to my attention, I instructed my staff to find a solution. We worked together and I am grateful. We’re committed to helping these businesses in any way we can,” said Mayor Finch.