AWARD WINNING EDITORIAL
INCLUDING THE HUDSON VALLEY DECEMBER 13, 2021 VOL. 57, No. 49
westfaironline.com
SPANO:
changing the perception of Yonkers was key to development BY PETER KATZ Pkatz@westfairinc.com
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WHAT'S NEXT FOR BRIDGEPORT?
BY PHIL HALL
Phall@westfairinc.com
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s 2021 begins to wind down and the first glimmers of 2022 begin to shine on the distant horizon, it is not unusual for people to look back at the previous year’s triumphs and challenges while considering what promises and potholes lurk in the year to come. Dan Onofrio is no exception to this spin of retrospective thought and forecasting. As president and CEO of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, he is looking back and looking ahead with
vibrant doses of satisfaction. “I think the city is in a pretty good position,” he told the Business Journal. “Obviously, the last two years has been difficult for businesses, and I think the city has done a really good job of managing the crisis. They've been diligent with the mandates that helps businesses. “Going forward,” he continued, “we've got a lot of opportunities. And there's a lot of influx of dollars coming into the state of Connecticut. I think Bridgeport and the greater Bridgeport region is poised in a good position to take advantage of some of those
dollars, whether it's infrastructure dollars that you've been hearing a lot about or some other opportunities.” Onofrio was queried on a slate of subjects that impacted Bridgeport over 2021 and will continue to shape its business environment in 2022. Getting Major Corporate Tenants: Although Bridgeport is Fairfield County’s (and the state’s) most populous city, major companies that recently relocated into Connecticut settled further down I-95 in Stamford. Onofrio acknowledged that many companies looking into a new Connecticut setting
Photo of Bridgeport skyline by MrFib / Wikimedia Commons. wind up bypassing Bridgeport. “We have a unique problem here in the sense that a lot of our existing properties are older,” he said. “We've had pockets of really good success stories, such as Cherry Street Lofts, but for us a big step forward is zoning that will help property owners and developers get a clearer picture of what they can and can't do with their properties. I think it will allow a little bit more flexibility.” He admitted there is a “need to do a better job of marketing the region and the city. And if you look at our inventory, we have to be » BRIDGEPORT
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n an exclusive interview with the Business Journal’s sister publication WAG magazine for its December issue focusing on Yonkers, Mayor Mike Spano said that changing how the city was perceived was fundamental in attracting developers. “I needed to change the perception of our city. I needed to change the perception of our city not just from the outside looking in but from the inside looking out,” Spano said. “People in our city didn’t feel good about the place that they lived in. And you know some of it was fair. Some of it was warranted. A lot of it was not.” “Think about this city — you’re 20 minutes out of midtown, you’re 20 minutes out of White Plains. You have less than 40 minutes to every major airport. You have access to trains on the east side or west side of this city. You have a major highway that runs up through the middle. We are in the center of 20 million people here. So, there’s a lot of potential,” Spano said. “If I did anything as mayor of Yonkers, I like to think I showed the city’s true potential and then everything else took its own course.” At age 57, Spano is in his third four-year term as the city’s mayor. He was born in Yonkers on April 22, 1964, to Josephine and Leonard N. Spano, the ninth of their 16 children. Mayor Spano and his wife, WCBS-TV news anchor Mary Calvi, have three children. With the Spano family name enmeshed in local » SPANO
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