ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY, PROFESSIONAL SPORTS OPERATION, or Similar Use at TOTAL MORTGAGE AREA

The City of Bridgeport Office of Planning and Economic Development, in partnership with the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, seeks proposals for the reuse, redevelopment, and operation of the Total Mortgage Arena -- the municipally owned, 10,000 seat, multipurpose regional entertainment and sports venue located in the heart of downtown Bridgeport.

A landmark in southwestern Connecticut, the Arena has served as the home ice for the American Hockey League affiliate of the Bridgeport Islanders for the past 25 years. It has also hosted many storied concerts, family shows, and regional events. Such musical greats as Elton John and Andrea Bocelli have graced the stage. Big names like Kevin Hart and Katt Williams have brought the laughs. Large scale touring productions have called the Arena home: Disney on Ice, the Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Professional Bull Riders Tour, the Harlem Globetrotters. Many Connecticut families have also attended community events and graduations at the facility. Twinned with the iconic, open-air, 6,000 seat Hartford Health Care Amphitheater, the Arena anchors the City's reputation as the region's year-round hub for big name entertainment and community celebrations.

Now it is time to write the next chapter in the Arena's history.

The State of Connecticut and the City of Bridgeport stand ready in partnership and with capital support. The City seeks developers and operators who are ready to rejuvenate the facility: to generate jobs and economic impact, to strengthen Connecticut's tourism economy, to enhance the City's transit-oriented development opportunities, and to deliver equitable community benefits to Bridgeport residents and surrounding neighborhoods.

Background

Defining the southern edge of Downtown Bridgeport, Total Mortgage Arena sits alongside I-95. The most accessible large-scale entertainment facility in Connecticut, the Arena is served by an adjacent 1400 car parking garage and by two adjacent surface lots offering over 500 spaces. A skywalk connects the site to the Bridgeport Train Station and to Metro North and Amtrak service. The site is also adjacent to the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson (Long Island) Ferry Service Terminal, which hosts the oldest interstate ferry service in the country and serves over a million customers per year.  Part of the fabric of the broader community, the Arena is a short walk to the University of Bridgeport’s campus, the Housatonic Community College Campus, the City’s spectacular 300-acre Seaside Park, the dynamic Steelpointe Marina, and the host of restaurants, theaters, museums, and cafes that call downtown home.

The Arena is a tremendous public asset.  Valuing it as such, the State and the City combined have recently invested over $20 million in capital improvements. There is another $8 million in public money still to be invested in cooperation with the new private partner we hope will emerge from this RFP process. This is a moment of transition for the Arena. As has been widely reported, the Bridgeport Islanders organization has announced that it is moving its AHL affiliate team, and its 36 games per year, to a new venue in Canada. The City and the State are seeking proposals not just to make up for that loss, but to breathe new life into the Arena, to build upon its successes and to capture new opportunities. We are looking for highest and best use proposals that will utilize the facility the greatest number of days and nights possible, that will attract the most attendees, that will produce the greatest economic impact, that will hire the most employees, that will support the dynamism of the "Arena-Amp Entertainment District," and that will enliven and improve the broader downtown and the adjacent South End neighborhood.

We seek experienced developers and operators of entertainment venues, professional sports organizations, or other large-scale assembly uses. Respondents must have a commitment to strengthening the physical, functional, and economic connections between the Arena its surrounding neighborhoods by, for example:  coordinating with nearby small businesses and with nearby institutions; providing transit-oriented development enhancements; improving pedestrian connections to downtown and the South End; and by articulating a clear and sustainable vision for how this facility will be both a local economic driver and a regional asset for the years to come.

The City anticipates entering into a development and operating agreement with the successful respondent.   The agreement, likely to be of at least a ten-year duration with renewal option(s), shall stipulate the level of private investment required, the timeframe for completion of capital improvements, the ongoing requirements for the funding of maintenance reserves and replacement reserves and operating reserves; the specific performance and operating requirements for the venue; and all other financial terms and performance benchmarks and default measures governing the business relationship between and among the State, the City and the successful respondent.

Project Details

• Reference ID: PEX042256
• Department: OPED
• Department Head: Tom Gill (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-05-21T21:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-05-22T21:00:00.000Z

Meetings & Milestones

Evaluation Criteria

• Quality of proposal with emphasis on its economic impact (40 pts)
• Relevant Experience developing a similar proposal and/or operating a similar business (30 pts)
• Organizational and financial capacity to implement the proposal (30 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Federal I.D. Number or Social Security Number (required)
• Every business or individual that is issued a notice of intent to award pursuant to the city’s purchasing ordinance (section 3.08.070, as amended), must fully and accurately complete this disclosure form. If there is insufficient space for any answer, attach additional sheets. (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Will you be using the following: (required)
• Is MBE applicable? (required)
• The initial term for the contract will be ____ (__) year with ____ (__) one-year renewal options, for a potential total term of _____ (__) years (required) —

  Example: The initial term for the contract will be one (1) year with two (2) one-year renewal options, for a potential total term of five (5) years

• ____ (__) ORIGINAL, ____ (__) COPIES AND ____ (__) ELECTRONIC VIA THUMBDRIVE MUST BE SUBMITTED. (required) —

  Example: ONE (1) ORIGINAL, THREE (3) COPIES AND ONE (1) ELECTRONIC VIA THUMBDRIVE MUST BE SUBMITTED.