Bridgeport unveils Windward apartments at former Marina site
BRIDGEPORT — Charlene Colson's new home at the Windward Apartments has everything she could ask for.
“It's just so peaceful. It's very nice... I love it. My son loves it,” Colson said.
Colson stood outside her apartment on Railroad Avenue as city, state officials, developers and housing advocates held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first phase of the Windward Apartments.
Renters began moving into the units last year and are part of a general push to revitalize the city's South End. The apartments replace the former rundown Marina Village public housing complex, which was torn down several years ago.
Some officials also said the units are a good example of affordable housing for the city. The next phase is expected to receive financing in 2023.
Mayor Joe Ganim said the apartments will be an anchor for further development in the area. “That's just the South End, hundreds of millions of dollars going in here being led in many ways by what's critically important — good quality, affordable housing, accessible health care,” Ganim said.
The first phase of the apartment complex includes a 7,600square-foot community health care center. The location has 54 one- and two-bedroom units, which are currently occupied. The complex is still accepting applications.
Connecticut Housing Finance Authority CEO Nandini Natarajan credited the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, saying it was instrumental to the success of the project. The apartments were built through a public and private partnership between JHM Group and Park City Communities, the latter which oversees Bridgeport's public housing stock and Section 8 vouchers. The project cost $27 million for its first phase.
Natarajan said she was grateful to the developers for their commitment to residents.
“We've known for some time that when housing is done right, it can be a platform for health, economic prosperity, and stronger communities. To that and much credit goes to JHM and Park City for committing to center their vision for Windward on the well-being of residents and the surrounding neighborhood,” Natarajan said.
Renters can also enjoy numerous amenities. Every unit has stainless steel appliances while the common areas include a gym, recreation center, computer lab and space outside for cookouts and barbecues.
Jennifer Gottlieb-Elazhari, director with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the apartments are a successful housing example for the city.
“The Windward development has successfully used HUD funding by creating a model of housing based on positive and optimistic values of good aesthetics, social integration and resiliency,” Gottlieb-Elazhari said.
The complex will be smaller than the housing it replaces. The Marina Village Apartments, a low-income housing complex, had 400 units before it was demolished in 2018. The Windward Apartments will have 100 units available in total once the project is finished. Former residents could also obtain Section 8 vouchers for units in the area.
The project had a protracted development process and faced numerous delays.
A former Marina Village resident, Colson said her former home wasn't perfect and had its issues, but residents looked out for each other.
Now she faces another challenge — getting to know her new neighbors. Many tenants, she said, still don't know each other. She said she was upset to see only four tenants out at the event.
Yet Colson said she's going to make an effort to connect residents and management together with an organization she has in mind.
“It''s going to be the Windward Committee. I'm gonna be the president. And I'm gonna work with management. So that we can work together, not against each other,” Colson said.
“It’s just so peaceful. It’s very nice... I love it. My son loves it.”
Charlene Colson