Developers for prime site screened
By edit@ctpost.com (SUSAN SILVERS ssilvers@ctpost.com)
The Connecticut Post
BRIDGEPORT — It's got waterfront views, enviable proximity to trains, buses, highways and ferries, not to mention its immediate neighbors are a baseball stadium and sports/entertainment arena.
But this dream project still needs a vision, and considerable resources, to become a reality.
That's the goal for the 10-acre tract, once occupied by the Pequonnock Apartments, envisioned by the city of Bridgeport and the Bridgeport Housing Authority, which own the property.
Officials are reviewing conceptual plans to redevelop the vacant property, now used for parking for the Harbor Yard complex. They plan to announce next week whether any of those who responded to a request for qualifications meet the criteria to submit detailed development plans.
"This site is really something that could be a catalyst for the downtown," said Kevin Nunn, president of the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center, which is overseeing the review of qualifications submitted by potential developers last month.
"It's the link to where the downtown ends and the South End begins," he said of the property where the 256-unit Pequonnock Apartments once stood. The public housing complex was leveled in 2000.
The property has the potential for perhaps 2 million square feet of space, which in various redevelopment scenarios could include a hotel, residential towers, offices and businesses such as restaurants and shops.
Planners hope that features of the project would complement nearby entertainment and sports attractions both at Harbor Yard and downtown.
Officials have said they would like a Camden Yards-type feel, referring to the ballpark development in Baltimore. But they have tried to limit the initial guidelines, giving developers the flexibility to come up with something different.
Although she declined to say if she or the Bridgeport Bluefish ownership group are among those whose credentials are being reviewed as potential developers of the site, Mary-Jane Foster, president and chief executive officer for the Bluefish, said the prospect of working on a cornerstone development is appealing.
"The more uses, the more entertainment, the more critical mass, the better," she said. "We're very enthused about the potential."
To meet the standards set in the request for qualifications, the project would have at least 50 public housing units and 400 parking spots to serve the nearby sports and entertainment facilities.
Nunn declined to discuss the exact number of bids, but BHA Executive Director Nicholas Calace acknowledged there are "multiple" submissions.
The bids are now under review to see how they would fit in with the area and to ensure the potential developers have the ability to acquire financial backing.
"We're separating the wheat from the chaff," Calace said, explaining that even if a developer has a great concept, it would not qualify for the job if it lacks the financial resources to carry out its plan.
Depending on the results of the qualifications review, officials will solicit formal development proposals from the developers who make the first cut.
With its high-profile location between Interstate 95 and the Metro-North railroad tracks, officials hope the right project could transform Bridgeport's rundown image and foster development in other sections of downtown.
Besides some public housing component in the project, the BHA hopes to realize substantial revenues from an eventual deal.
"The end result has to be good for the housing authority," Calace said. "It also has to be good for Bridgeport."
Susan Silvers, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6426.