Involve the state in building's plans

6/4/07
It was disappointing news, but hardly a great shock. Plans for the abandoned building at 333 State St. in downtown Bridgeport fell apart, again. Now it’s up to the city to finally make sure something is done about the lingering eyesore.
Officials announced a year ago that a Norwalk developer had reached a deal to turn the former office building into apartments. The proposal fell apart when an agreement could not be reached on parking, leaving the city searching for a return on its investment. Bridgeport gained title to the structure last year in lieu of back taxes, and now needs something to show for the $3 million it forgave to the former owner.
The building, on the corner of State Street and Lafayette Boulevard, sits in the midst of Housatonic Community College, one of the city’s true bright spots. The city should try to find a way to sell the building to the state and push for it to be incorporated into the HCC layout, adding luster to the school and removing a blight on its entryways. Gov. M. Jodi Rell should give any proposed state takeover serious consideration.
Bridgeport says it will be sending out a new round of requests for proposals on the building, with possible plans coming back this summer. An office building could make sense, because the apartment plans fell through on the parking considerations. Any similar housing plan would face the same problems, so unless there’s an alternate approach in store, the city should take a different tack.
But the best plan would be to get the state involved. Whether they then decide to implode the building or take it down to its steel frame or somehow work with what’s there now, something has got to be done about it.
Bridgeport has seen its share of downtown projects come near to fruition in recent years, so it’s disappointing that this long-festering dark spot continues to blight the landscape. Out of respect for the students and faculty at HCC, and for anyone who goes downtown, we implore the city — get this done. We’re all tired of looking at it.