Bridgeport's Restored Gateway
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1 Leads to a Whole New
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CONTACTS:
For more information contact
US EPA-Region 1(617) 918-1424
Or visit EPA's Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
events. The new parking garage is used by commuter rail travelers as well as those visiting
the arena. To make this project a reality, the State of Connecticut invested $35
million, the City of Bridgeport invested more than $10 million, and Volume
Services invested $10 million after signing a contract to be the long-term
operator of the facility. Redevelopment of these three sites created 721
jobs, 68 of which are full-time.
The comprehensive effort to redevelop Bridgeport's brownfields includes
the Grow Bridgeport Fund (GBF), a capital access loan fund for growing
small businesses. Although not established specifically for site
assessments or remediation, loans have been made available for these
purposes. The $7 million fund is comprised of $1,750,000 in U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 108
funding; $475,000 from a HUD Economic Development Initiative (EDI)
grant; and $1,000,000 from the Economic Development Administration of the
Department of Commerce. The State of Connecticut and four member lending
institutions are also contributors to the GBF. In addition, the administration that
manages the GBF also manages the $350,000 received by the City of Bridgeport from EPA's
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund grant program.
The collaboration and partnership of multiple federal agencies have allowed Bridgeport's cleanup
and redevelopment efforts to progress well beyond the assessment and planning stages enabled by
EPA's initial $200,000 brownfields grant. As stated by a long-time supporter of Bridgeport's
efforts: "To give you an idea about how much things have changed, the City of
Bridgeport has received over 200 inquiries about this Pilot from developers
and other investors [since the program was initiated]...we continue to
build on the momentum generated by the Brownfields Pilot." Visitors to
Bridgeport greeted by a view of new ballpark and arena can testify to
the success of the city's efforts.
Bridgeport's new stadium, home of
the Bridgeport Bluefish
Brownfields Success Story
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-03-033
March 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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