Bridgeport’s South End Revival Continues with Groundbreaking

Two significant Bridgeport projects got underway Monday with the official groundbreaking of Phase II of the Windward Apartments and the launch of Rebuild by Design’s revitalization efforts. Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim and U.S. Congressman Jim Himes joined Connecticut Department of Housing’s Seila Mosquera-Bruno and Hermia Delaire, Park City Communities CEO Jillian Baldwin, JHM Group President Todd McClutchy, and members of the community to celebrate this important milestone.

Phase II of the Windward apartments will include a new four-story building that will house 51 units of high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable living. The Rebuild by Design project is part of the Resilient Bridgeport initiative for the low-lying South End neighborhood that is exposed to sea level rise and storm surge. This project includes elevating Johnson Street, building a new 2.5- acre stormwater park to provide protection for one of Connecticut’s most vulnerable communities in South Bridgeport from loss and risk associated with repeated coastal flooding and creating resilient infrastructure at the same time.

“This groundbreaking represents an amazing upgrade of what was once here, showing what is possible”, said Rep. Jim Himes. “Right now, affordability is top-of-mind, especially regarding housing in Connecticut and Fairfield County. The Windward brings affordable housing to this community which will transform lives.”

Mayor Joseph Ganim was energized by the launch of this new chapter in the city’s history. He said the expansion of the Windward community and the work of Resilient Bridgeport are breathing new life into the South End, helping make it a vibrant place within the city.
“We are getting the job done for the people of Bridgeport and know we need to do more,” he said. “We are witnessing an incredible transformation in the South End, which is the result of the work of the people and partners here today. We know challenges like these take time to address, but we want to keep progress going and see more groundbreaking happening faster for families and our community.”

“Bridgeport’s South End is becoming home to opportunities beyond what we could have imagined,” said Todd D. McClutchy, president of JHM Group, which is managing this redevelopment project. “It is exciting to see this new phase of the Windward apartments get underway as the Resilient Bridgeport project gets underway. Residents at the Windward will benefit greatly by all of the work being done through Rebuild by Design to make the area far more flood resilient and sustainable.”

“Financing projects like this aligns with our purpose of helping to build strong communities where we live and work. We are providing a construction loan and tax credit equity to help finance much-needed affordable housing for families in Bridgeport”, said Bill Tommins, president, Bank of America Southern Connecticut. “This is an example of how public-private partnerships make a difference in supporting our local communities.”

With headquarters in Stamford, Conn., the JHM Group is a fully integrated firm involved in all aspects of the real estate and renewable energy industries including finance, development, construction, and asset and property management. For more than 40 years, JHM has ensured success in these areas by developing expertise in real estate and energy laws, rules and regulations, zoning, market analysis, construction, engineering, management, operations and finance.