Steven Stafstrom

Good news! Bridgeport recently received two significant funding allocations to boost economic development and work towards a more just food system. 

Yesterday, the City of Bridgeport received $990,000 in state funding to clean up the former UI Power Plant site at 137 East Main Street! The funding, delivered through the state Department of Economic and Community Development's Brownfield Remediation Program, will be used to construct a proposed multi-family, mixed-use development on the 6.5-acre site.

The development, if approved, will consist of 421 living units and approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial, retail, office, and restaurant space. This relates to the Steelpointe Redevelopment project, which has been decades in the making and it finally sounds like ground could be broken this Spring.

Brownfield remediation is good for the environment and economic growth. I am pleased to see Bridgeport is among 13 municipalities across the state to receive this funding, which will help propel local economic development forward while also working to increase our city's housing stock. I want to express my thanks to the Governor and his team for choosing to invest in our city and its residents. To learn more about this grant, please click here.

---

n addition to the brownfield grant, the Green Village Initiative in Bridgeport has been awarded $7,500 to build a just food system that benefits growers of color and families through entrepreneurial support and increased opportunities to access fresh, Bridgeport-Grown food through Farm Aid. 
 
The Green Village Initiative manages a network of community gardens, school gardens, reservoir community farm, and a youth leadership program for the benefit of the community. Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert which has been held in Connecticut twice in the last few years and includes a farm expo featuring local Connecticut farmers. The Farm Aid charity has distributed $817,500 in grant money nationwide to 86 grassroots farming organizations, including 5 Connecticut-based organizations. 

This is great news for our community. Our local farmers and agricultural producers are essential in creating a more equitable and sustainable food system, as well as advancing solutions to climate change. Click here to learn more about this award.