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Bridgeport continues to grow at a rapid pace during 2010. The national slowdown during the last few years has not impacted Bridgeport, a city of 9,000 residents which blends the flurry of a bustling city with a small town feel. The construction activity has touched all areas of development from industrial, healthcare, retail, professional office, service, entertainment, recreation as well as residential. This delicate blend has solidified Bridgeport as a vibrant city offering all the services and amenities sought after by residents, tourists, corporate executives and small business owners.
Located along Jerry Dove (Route 279 corridor), you will find the United Hospital Center’s new regional hospital nearing completion. The massive project is slated to be completed and turned over the hospital officials in July with patients arriving in October. The hospital is 685,000 square feet throughout eight levels. It will provide 289 patient rooms and 24 observation rooms all equipped with the latest state of the art technology currently available in health care to provide a patient friendly atmosphere. Total investment for the project exceeds $300 million dollars. Built by Balfour Beatty, this new regional hospital set on 70+ acres will position Bridgeport as a major leader and provider in healthcare services throughout West Virginia. Located on the same campus setting, you will find the five story, 100,000 square foot physician’s office building that will be attached to the new hospital and set to be completed at the same time as the hospital. This will allow the medical professionals to have easy access to patients in the UHC while still having a private practice in the adjoining building. Other projects in the campus are still in the planning stages. They include an urgent care facility set to break ground later this year. More information on the new UHC can be found at www.uhcwv.org.
Just across from the UHC campus on Jerry Dove Drive, you will find White Oaks, a premier planned business community. By far the busiest area of development in the city, White Oaks has five commercial projects either completed or in the final stages of construction. These include the corporate office of Steptoe & Johnson, the largest law firm in West Virginia slated to open in September. Also, a Holiday Inn Express Hotel set to open in August. A corporate office building housing Wells Fargo, David Hale & Associates, The Mitre Group and Dominion Resources which is now open. Another professional office building is under construction at the site and finally, an Exxon Convenience Service Plaza with a fall opening date. Construction starts set to begin within ninety days include a Subway stand alone restaurant, the new regional offices for First Central Bank, another mixed use professional office building, and heartbeat and nerve center for White Oaks, the “Villages of White Oaks”. This village will be over 42,000 square feet of service and retail space meant to compliment the professionals working at White Oaks while also meeting the needs of the highway traveler along I-79 and local residents. It will have a true “Main Street” feel. Presently, there is over 200,000 square feet of construction activity either completed or in progress with the additional starts noted above to add another 100,000 square feet. More information on White Oaks can be obtained by contacting H. Woody Thrasher of High Tech Corridor Development, LLC at 304-624-4108 or via email at thrasher@thrashereng.com.
The northern end of the city is home to another master planned community known as Charles Pointe, the first master planned mixed use development created in West Virginia. Encompassing over 1,800 acres, Charles Pointe has several commercial businesses operating in the North Land Bay along with various residential structures including townhomes and duplexes. Construction has started on a 96 unit apartment complex complete with clubhouse, pool, workout facilities and gathering hall to be called Park View Apartments. In addition, Barrington Manor, a townhome community has started construction on another eight unit structure which will bring the total number to 48. In the South Land Bay, a single family component known as Worthington Village is open with several single family homes completed and many others under construction. The most recent announcement for Charles Pointe is the creation of a 40 acre $6.5 million dollar recreation complex being built by the City of Bridgeport. This complex will eventually offer up to six tournament quality baseball fields, a multi purpose field for use by football and soccer enthusiasts and all the amenities to make it a first class sporting destination. Walking trails and playgrounds will dot the complex as well to make it a family friendly experience for all. Earthmoving and infrastructure is well underway and the construction of the first four baseball fields will start this summer. Visit Charles Pointe at www.charlespointe.com
A landmark shopping destination for 25 years is the Meadowbrook Mall. The Cafaro Company, the owners of the mall, continue to attract large national retailers making it a must stop for any shopping excursion. The mall has 725,000 square foot under roof with four main anchors and 115 additional retail and restaurant tenants. Marshall’s, a national retailer has just completed renovating over 26,000 square feet at a cost of $900,000 and is the newest addition to the mall. Check out the Meadowbrook Mall on your next visit to Bridgeport or go online now at www.meadowbrookmall.com.
No area can be successful unless you cover all modes of transportation. Bridgeport answers that call by being host to the North Central West Virginia Regional Airport. The airport is aggressively marketing their newly completed industrial park for any company needing a quality location with air service. New businesses will be joining a great mix already at the park. These companies include Pratt & Whitney, Aurora Flight Services, Bombardier Service America (which is currently undertaking a 1 million dollar addtition to their facility), Robert C. Byrd Technology Institute and Fairmont State University. In addition, daily commuter flight service to Washington DC is now available through United Express. Also, recreational tour companies are now flying out of the airport which offer great destinations without the hassles of large airports. More information on the North Central West Virginia Regional Airport can be found by visiting www.flyckb.com.
The city’s downtown corridor has had over $2 million dollars of improvements over the recent years including a new streetscape program, free parking facilities, community bus depot, fountains, gathering areas and more. The upgraded sidewalks are now part of an overall trails program created by the Parks and Recreation Department. Private investment continues to flourish in the downtown and the city feels the mix of private and public investment has breathed life back into downtown Bridgeport.
Even before all the tremendous commercial growth, Bridgeport was the choice of many to call home. Spacious lots, well planned subdivisions, an exemplary school system, great variety of churches, the ever expanding arts and theatre genre and wonderful quality of life are just some of the reasons for success in the residential sector. Throw in all the winning sports programs from youth through high school and you can easily see why in Bridgeport, “Opportunity Lives Here.”
If you have any questions on economic development opportunities, housing, or just the quality of life in Bridgeport, please contact Randy L. Spellman, Director of Community Development at Randy.Spellman@Bridgeportwv.com.
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