Bridgeport to gain 56 new apartments

A residential project being developed by Riverbank Landing LLC at 3336 Fairfield Ave. in Bridgeport ”“ originally envisioned as condos before switching to a 56 rental-unit blueprint last year ”“ hosted a progress tour recently attended by developer Arthur Hersch and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch.

In granting a tax incentive for the project as rentals in June, the city”™s Office of Planning and Economic Development noted the condo market was less favorable than rentals. Hersch at that time said the project had been 11 years in the planning.

Completion is slated for next month and the website Riverbanklandingapartments.com is accepting applications for what it bills as “brand new, spacious one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments.”

The project is linked to the yet-to-be-built Ash Creek Pedestrian Bridge. The state Department of Transportation will fund $3.8 million for a 160-foot steel truss span that will provide greater access for Bridgeporters to the Fairfield Metro-North train station. The money and bridge are part of a local and regional push to bring development closer to transit hubs.

“With a walkway width of 14 feet, the bridge will be a safe and convenient improvement to Bridgeport”™s transit-oriented development,” the city said in a  statement. No completion date was given.

“This bridge really is a critical linchpin for the neighborhood in terms of providing access to the train and from the train to allow commuters both out of the neighborhood and into the neighborhood,” state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, whose district includes the Black Rock section, said in a statement. “Our business district is really just a stone”™s throw away.”

“There has recently been a lot of activity on Fairfield Avenue, with new businesses and restaurants moving in at an exciting pace,” Finch said.