Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter asks why Bridgeport lacks an active housing commission and master plan
Summary
A public commenter asked who represents unhoused residents, questioned the status of the Fair Housing Commission and an economic development and housing commission created in the charter, and urged the city to develop a master plan for housing and remediation strategies to support affordable and workforce housing.
A public commenter at Tuesday's Bridgeport City Council meeting pressed city officials for clarity on who represents unhoused residents and why longstanding housing bodies appear to have disappeared from the city'9s active work.
"Where is an overall housing board or commission, as we had an operation more than 20 years ago?" the commenter asked, saying a Fair Housing Commission had failed to receive mayoral appointments for years, lost the ability to form quorums and now is missing from the city website. The commenter said the current charter references a commission on economic development and housing last approved in 1993 and asked whether anything substantive has happened on housing and development since then.
Raising planning and financing concerns, the commenter urged the city to adopt a master plan for housing development and redevelopment, and suggested working with local construction professionals to manage remediation and financing of formerly industrial or remediated land.
The commenter also referenced a recent article and praised Jillian Baldwin of Park City Community for her work while asking why the article did not mention Bridgeport by name.
The council did not respond to the detailed policy questions during the public-comment segment recorded in the transcript. Those questions, if pursued, would normally be routed to the relevant committee or staff for follow-up.
