Fairfield County infrastructure projects receive funds in latest State Bond Commission grants

The Connecticut State Bond Commission has released $99 million in funding for the second round of grants allocated under the Community Investment Fund 2030, a program established in 2022 to support economic development in historically underserved communities.

The Community Investment Fund 2030 is administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and overseen by a 21-member board that is co-chaired by two legislative leaders, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Speaker of the House Matt Ritter (D-Hartford). Eligible projects include capital improvements ”“ including affordable housing, brownfield remediation and projects involving infrastructure and ”“ as small business support programs that provide revolving loans, gap financing, microloans and startup financing.

The second round of grants supported 28 projects from 20 municipalities. Within Fairfield County, the following projects received grant money:

Bridgeport”™s “The Bridge on Main,” $4.53 million. The grant will be used toward the renovation of 1085-1095 Main St., a 42,500-square-foot building, to facilitate a suite of programs run by Career Resources Inc. that are designed to help level the playing field for returning citizens and system-impacted individuals and their families.

Bridgeport”™s “Civic Block,” $3.5 million. The funds will aid the Bridgeport city government”™s completion of the Civic Block development in the city”™s East End, which will be the site of 35,000-square-foot retail development that will bring a grocery store to a neighborhood that is currently a food desert.

Danbury”™s “Hackerspace ”“ Innovation Studios,” $510,761. These funds will finance the construction and build out of the Danbury Hackerspace location in the city”™s former Crown Plaza Hotel. Danbury Hackerspace will operate a makerspace which includes spaces such as co-working space, wood and metal shops, 3D printing, laser cutting, and pottery studio.

Norwalk”™s “Oak Grove Apartments and Learning Center,” $1.8 million. This award will facilitate the development of a 7.6-acre site into Oak Grove, a 69-unit affordable housing development that will feature a 5,000-square-foot learning center that will serve both the Oak Grove residents and the adjacent 200-unit Colonial Village apartment complex, providing afterschool programs for grades K-5 to support working parents and caregivers.

Norwalk”™s “Re-development of 55 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive,” $8 million. The city government will use its funding to replace a five-acre city-owned parking lot with a mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented development. The development is slated for approximately 472 units of new housing, 40,000 square feet of commercial space, a public space including a pedestrian promenade and 25,000-square-foot public park, along with public and commuter parking.

Stamford”™s “41 ”“ 45 Stillwater Ave.,” $2.45 million. This award will finance the construction of 39 new affordable, supportive housing units in a four-story, 38,833-square-foot structure; the ground floor office space in the building will be occupied by the headquarters of the nonprofit Pacific House.

Stamford”™s “West Side Pedestrian Safety and Connectivity,” $1.09 million. The grant will be allocated to the municipal infrastructure plan for pedestrian safety and mobility on the side streets of the West Side neighborhood.

Stratford”™s “South End Community Center,” $2.44 million. This grant will fund the interior and exterior renovation of the South End Community Center, with the goal of expanding its afterschool program capacity while providing additional office space for social service programming, the community food pantry and daycare programming enrollment. The project will also increase the accessibility of space for seniors.