Mayor Joe Ganim on Thursday delivered his annual state of the city to the business community at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater celebrating its fifth year as a music and entertainment destination. Ganim touched on all the points typical of these types of presentations: fiscal fitness, housing construction, urban renewal, public safety, education, blight clearance.
Watch video above and see text from his speech below:
Dan Onofrio, members of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and Chamber of
Commerce, members of the City Council and State Legislative Delegation, and honored
guests:
It’s my pleasure to join you all this afternoon to give my 21st annual State of the City
address.
Today, I would like to inspire a bit of confidence that I have in our city’s future. As I
stand here, I can say with great certainty that Bridgeport is not only resilient, but is well-
positioned to continue on its positive trajectory of growth and improvement.
As I shared with you last year, my administration has a three-part strategy for creating a
better Bridgeport. That strategy includes growth and development, creating a better
quality of life in the city, and fiscal stability.
Today, I would like to take the opportunity to explain to you how our aggressive pursuit
of these three goals has set our city on the right track and has set us up for continued
success in the years to come.
Economic Development
Let’s start with the first goal: growth and development of our city.
As an old industrial city, Bridgeport’s future is dependent, in part, on its ability to
reclaim brownfields into sites for housing and commercial development.
Exhibit A is right across the harbor from here. Steelpointe, which was once the site of an
old and polluting power plant, is being transformed before our eyes.
Thanks to the efforts of Bridgeport Landing Development, the “August” (as it’s called) is
now rising out of the ground with 420 new waterfront housing units, 160 of which are
set aside for workforce housing; 10,000 square feet of retail; and other amenities with
public access to the waterfront.
This summer, BLD will also break ground on a new 150-room Marriott hotel.
This is just the beginning phases of a $620 million development that will transform
Bridgeport’s waterfront.
On the other side of Bridgeport Harbor, a very similar effort to Steelpointe is in its
infancy. Thanks to a state grant of over $22 million, what is now the home of the
decommissioned PSEG coal plant—the last of its kind in the Northeast—will be
transformed into an amazing mixed-use waterfront development.
As we speak, Bridgeport Station Development has over 60 workers on site preparing for
a summer demolition. Might I add that they are almost a year ahead of schedule.
It’s incredible to think that at this time next year, that monstrosity won’t be there
anymore. So, get your pictures while you still can.
Let’s just stay in the harbor for a minute.
I am pleased to announce that the Bridgeport Port Authority is more than halfway
toward completion of a new high-speed ferry terminal.
The Port Authority recently awarded the development of high-speed ferry operations to
Hornblower Group—a national leader in this space—bringing high-speed ferry service
from Bridgeport to Manhattan.
This is a great amenity for Bridgeport Harbor and a complement to the many forms of
mass transit that we have in our city.
As we seek to engage in waterfront development, we are also gaining a reputation
statewide as the “arts and entertainment capital of Connecticut.”
That reputation started to gain momentum, quite frankly, because of this amphitheater.
Now in its fifth year, the amphitheater has sold hundreds of thousands of tickets to
concertgoers and has hosted some truly incredible artists such as Earth, Wind, and Fire,
Ringo Starr, and James Taylor, to name a few.
Howard and Jimmy, congratulations to you on the tremendous success of this facility on
this five-year anniversary. Thank you for putting Bridgeport on the map. We wish you
much success at the amphitheater in the years to come.
Building on the work they’ve done at the Amp, Bridgeport will host for the fourth time
the Soundside concert series at Seaside Park, which annually brings tens of thousands of
people into the city.
And now, we have another amazing entertainment opportunity that we are aggressively
pursuing.
Last year, Andre Swanston announced that Bridgeport’s East Side would be home of a
new MLS Next Pro team called “CT United.”
This soccer stadium development would include 1,000 units of housing, a hotel, a public
park, and other commercial and retail development.
This is a game-changer for Bridgeport and a real testament to how far our city has come
with attracting development and economic investment.
We’ve talked about development of our waterfront and building on our arts and culture
identity. Another essential element of the development landscape in our city is meeting
the incredible demand for housing.
Last year, I signed an executive order directing our city departments to work toward a
goal of constructing approximately 5,000 new housing units throughout Bridgeport by
2030.
Thus far, we have seen a lot of progress toward making this goal.
As previously mentioned, we have over 400 units of housing being built right now at
Steelpointe.
In Downtown North, Primrose Construction just completed a 100-unit development at
Congress Plaza.
The 12-story former gas company across from M&T Bank has been converted into
Soundview Apartments, bringing another 120 units online.
The former AT&T Building is being developed into 80 new apartments. This mixed-use
complex will include an art gallery on the ground floor and the city’s first rooftop
restaurant.
And right next door, the Fairfield Residences will be adding another 60 units to
Downtown Bridgeport.
So, when it comes to housing development in Bridgeport, we’re making substantial
progress.
But, as we do, I am mindful of the fact that because of the high demand for housing and
short supply, housing has become unaffordable for so many people in our region.
That’s why we are prioritizing affordable housing development throughout our city.
For example, at Crescent Crossing on the East Side, we have another 85 units of mixed-
income housing under construction.
Just down the street from there, developers will soon close on a $40 million historic
renovation of the old Waltersville School, which will bring us an additional 70 units of
affordable housing.
In the Hollow, we are working with our friends at Park City Communities to prepare for
the redevelopment of Greene Homes, which would bring quality, mixed-income housing
to that site.
In the South End, Phase 2 of Windward Commons will break ground this summer,
adding an additional 51 units of housing.
Across the board, we are making a concerted effort to make affordable housing an
element of every housing development that happens in our city.
Quality of Life
As you can see, there’s a lot going on in Bridgeport. Investment is happening, the
population is growing, and we are now experiencing new and exciting opportunities that
we could have only dreamed of years ago.
As we do this, my administration is focused on growth and development of our city in a
way that enhances the second part of our strategy for a better Bridgeport—quality of life.
Essential to the growth of our city are opportunities that enhance the health, safety, and
well-being of our residents.
Thanks to the great work of Wakeman Boys & Girls Club and Caribe, last year we
celebrated the opening of a new 45,000 square foot youth center on Madison Avenue in
the North End, which is serving thousands of our youth on an annual basis.
The next phase of that project will include a new health and dental clinic being
constructed by Southwest Community Health.
On Stratford Avenue, the Honey Locust Square Development will bring a long-overdue
neighborhood grocery store, and thanks to the commitment of M&T Bank, a new bank
branch on the East End.
In the Hollow, the Squash Bridge project will bring seven new squash courts to
Bridgeport, geared toward youth engagement with an eye toward college enrollment.
Public Safety
In the area of public safety, Bridgeport is experiencing a more than 60 percent, five-
year-long decline in shootings and homicides—the lowest levels in decades.
This is, in part, a result of efforts to implement community policing, which is allowing
for a greater focus on quality-of-life issues in our neighborhoods.
Blight
Speaking of the quality of our neighborhoods, we are ever mindful of how blight can
bring a neighborhood down and how public art can make our neighborhoods more
vibrant.
Toward that end, we are on a blight-busting crusade that will bring down a number of
eyesores that drag our neighborhoods down.
Just last year, we demolished the last of the Remington Arms Factory on the East Side
and have now prepared the site for the next phase of redevelopment.
This year, we have our eyes set on demolishing the remaining blight along I-95, the old
Warnaco factory in the South End, the Ostermore building in the Hollow, the old Health
Department building on East Main Street, and, of course, the PSEG coal plant.
As we reposition these sites for redevelopment, these blighted buildings will no longer
be an impediment to our city’s progress.
Education
Public education continues to be a top priority for us, though it’s not without its
challenges.
I can assure you that we are working with state and local leaders to support Acting
Superintendent Dr. Avery and his team as he seeks to improve the Bridgeport School
District.
Both the City and the State are now making some of their largest increases in annual
educational dollars this year.
With the support of the City Council, we have allocated an annual contribution of half a
million dollars toward the start of a Bridgeport Promise high school scholarship
program for students seeking higher educational opportunities.
Of course, these efforts are still not enough, and we need to do more to get the school
district back on the right track.
Executing on a coordinated plan to improve the district, my administration advanced
two new school construction projects to the City Council and State Legislature that
would save the school district tens of millions of dollars a year, including a new special
education school in the North End and a new “net zero carbon” elementary school on
the East End, the first of its kind in an urban school district.
These strategic investments are in addition to the new $139 million Bassick High
School, which will open this fall, and the new $75 million Winthrop and Skane
Elementary Schools, which are now in the early phases of development.
As a final note, I want to give a shout out to the amazing work that is being done by our
teachers, administrators, and staff across our school district on a daily basis.
Despite our challenges, they are doing everything they can to make a difference in the
lives of the 19,000 students that attend Bridgeport Public Schools.
One such individual who is doing that is the principal of Discovery Magnet Elementary
School in Bridgeport. He was just named the 2024–2025 “Outstanding First-Year
Principal” by the Connecticut Association of Schools.
I’d like to ask Principal John Ramos to stand and be recognized for all of the incredible
work that he does for our young people.
Fiscal Stability
Finally, investments in economic development and improving quality of life are
extremely important but very difficult to accomplish unless our fiscal house is in order.
This brings us to the third essential part of our vision for a better Bridgeport—fiscal
stability.
Last week marked the tenth straight budget in a row that is balanced, funds all
necessary government services, and once again holds the line on taxes.
In fact, last year we expanded the tax relief program for seniors, and this year, as a result
of new state legislation, we are lowering motor vehicle taxes for the vast majority of car
owners.
Our dedication to fiscal responsibility over the past decade has allowed us to replenish
our rainy day fund, which was nearly depleted when I took office.
Our disciplined approach to budgeting and improved financial position has received the
recognition of Wall Street, with the City earning A and A+ ratings from all three credit
rating agencies for the first time in decades.
This not only means lower borrowing costs for our priority capital projects, like school
construction, but it also signifies renewed confidence in the resilience and management
of our city.
Conclusion
Let me conclude today by saying that there are a number of challenges that lie ahead for
our great city.
But because of our collective work and love for this city, Bridgeport is poised for
development, for growth, and for transformational change.
And with that, my friends, I am proud to report that the State of our City is strong.
With your help and support, and with a continued vision for growth and development,
better quality of life, and fiscal stability, we are building a promising tomorrow, and
Bridgeport’s best days are yet to come.
