Hartford Business Journal

24 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 FOCUS | CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN port's economic development strategy and contributes to Mayor Joseph P. Ganim's citywide goal of creating 6,000 housing units by 2030, officials said. Tom Gill, director of Bridgeport's Office of Planning and Economic Devel- opment, said Steelpointe "represents what successful mixed-use economic development should look like." The combination of housing, hospi- tality, retail, recreation and maritime businesses is creating a complementary mix of self-reinforcing activity, Gill said. "The result is not only a changing skyline, but a waterfront that is creating jobs, attracting residents and visitors, supporting industry and establishing Bridgeport as an important destination on Long Island Sound and the East Coast," he said. Christoph said the development is helping Bridgeport overcome its reputation as a struggling postindustrial city. "That, let's call it potential stigma, is slowly moving away," Christoph said. Within five years, he expects more than 1,000 people to be living at Steelpointe, the Residence Inn to be operating and additional phases of the development to be underway. RCI, he added, intends to remain invested for the long haul. "We plan on being long-term owners of the product here," Christoph said. A rendering of the 142-room Residence Inn by Marriott now under construction at Steelpointe Harbor. Contributed Image The Portrait, a new 237-unit apartment building developed by RMS Cos., stands across the street from Dunkin' Park in downtown Hartford. Contributed Photo Salvatore envisions up to 2,500 apartments around Hartford's Dunkin' Park Developer Randy Salvatore, president and CEO of RMS Cos., is leading the buildout of the North Crossing apartment development in downtown Hartford and planning the redevelopment of the nearby former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus. HBJ Photo | Michael Puffer By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com D eveloper Randy Salvatore is mapping out a development pipeline that could eventually bring roughly 2,500 apartments and a boutique hotel to the area surrounding Hartford's Dunkin' Park. The pipeline encompasses two nearby but separate development efforts: RMS Cos.' North Crossing project on city-owned properties around the ballpark and the eventual redevelopment of the privately owned former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus at 275 Windsor St. Salvatore estimates that the two projects could each account for roughly half of the broader 2,500-unit pipeline, although the final unit counts have not been determined. North Crossing buildout North Crossing encompasses four development sites that the city of Hart- ford made available to RMS around the baseball stadium. Salvatore initially envi- sioned building about 1,000 apartments across the properties but now believes they could accommodate roughly 1,250. So far, RMS has completed 507 apartments in two buildings. The Pennant, a 270-unit apartment building southeast of the ballpark, opened in 2022. This spring, RMS began leasing apartments at The Portrait, a new 237-unit building on a 5-acre city-owned lot southwest of the stadium. Both devel- opments include parking garages. RMS has now begun site work on the next phase of North Crossing, a 286-unit apartment building that will share the 5-acre lot with The Portrait. The project will be financed in part with an $18 million, 15-year loan from the Capital Region Development Authority at 3% interest. At another North Crossing site, RMS Developments Continued from page 23 is considering a 120-room boutique hotel and up to 250 apartments. The 3-acre former data center property at 150 Windsor St. sits immediately north of the ballpark. The property had been considered for an artificial intelligence training and business development center, but Gov. Ned Lamont announced in August that the $20 million state-backed project would instead be located at the State House Square office complex. "The short answer is yes, we will still be the developer for that site," Salvatore said. "It's part of our development agree- ment (with the city), but we still need to refine what exactly we'll do on the site." The existing data center must be demolished before RMS can move forward, he said. The hotel would most likely be an independent boutique property with a restaurant and meeting space targeting business and leisure travelers. "I think it's a great site because it sits right in the center of all the things that we're doing in this neighborhood adjacent to the ballpark," Salvatore said. Rensselaer campus The former Rensselaer campus represents the other major piece of RMS' broader development pipeline. Salvatore estimates the property could accommo- date a similar number of apartments, potentially along with other uses. RMS purchased the 12.7-acre property north of the ballpark for $3.82 million in late 2023. The company previously proposed 269 apartments and a parking garage as the first phase of the redevelopment. Those plans, however, are no longer set in stone. Salvatore said the campus

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