Bridgeport's East End is using its Martin Luther King Jr. Corridor designation to focus attention on neighborhood investment, CT Mirror reported September 30, as the city examines changes to streets serving the commercial area.
The state Department of Banking describes the corridor program as an effort to encourage lending and economic development in designated communities. The designation can give applicants more weight when they seek future state funding.
That creates an opportunity to strengthen an application, rather than an automatic grant award. A development still needs financing and a workable plan before the designation produces a completed project.
Stratford Avenue has carried the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard designation since the 1970s, according to CT Mirror. The East End is one of seven areas recognized under the state corridor program; Middletown, New Britain and Norwalk also have designated corridors.
The current discussion includes a separate streets study covering Stratford and Connecticut avenues. It examines pedestrian safety, public transportation and bicycle access alongside potential improvements for businesses.
CT Mirror reported that Honey Locust Square now has an M&T Bank branch, while a supermarket and other businesses remain part of the planned development. The project has faced delays despite public support.
Those existing investments and unfinished plans give the corridor effort specific places to address. The Department of Banking's program materials explain the designation's lending purpose; future grant decisions and completed construction will determine what additional resources reach the neighborhood.
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