Recently, Community Development Director Randy Spellman was giving an economic update at Bridgeport Development Authority meeting when he got to The Marketplace at Bridgeport. For those that don’t know, it’s the development situated along Jerry Dove Drive that encompasses the property to the left of the entrance of White Oaks.

 

Spellman delivered what certainly didn’t seem like good news. According to Spellman, the first tenant that was hoping to go in to the new 20,000 square foot office complex that sits opposite of Sheetz had pulled out.

 

“The one tenant that (the developer) had lined up has backed out,” said Spellman. “Right now there are no tenants in that first building.”

 

The developer in question is Metro Property Management. And heading things up is Dave Biafora. When asked about the issue earlier this week, Biafora not only wasn’t overly concerned, announced the arrival of a second restaurant on the Marketplace property. The restaurant in question won’t be in the completed office complex, but will be part of the 20,000 foot retail strip building that is situated to the back of the property and actually sits just outside the city limits of Bridgeport.

 

“We will have Crab Shack Caribba going in to that building. It will be the right end cap to the building and will have a big patio that will be part of the facility,” said Biafora. “We’re actually in the process of seeing another Crab Shack opening at Suncrest Towne Centre.”

 

Crab Shack Caribba was previously known as Coaches Crab Shack. Along with the planned one at Suncrest, which is another development Biafora’s Metro Property Management is handling, the main facility is located at Cheat Lake.

 

“I don’t see that as being in place until spring or summer of next year,” said Biafora, “but it is coming. It’s a really good restaurant that has a good product and fresh seafood. I think people will like the fact that it’s locally owned and not a chain. That will be the second restaurant in that retail strip.”

 

The first restaurant was reported on June 26 on Connect-Bridgeport. Don Patron, a Mexican Restaurant, will be located on the left cap of the retail strip, according to Biafora.

 

As for other tenants, Biafora said nothing is concrete in that building yet. However, he said there looks to be a medical-related business toward the middle of the first retail building.

 

“We have a lot of tenants that we’re talking to,” said Biafora.

 

Some of those tenants include ones that would go in the completed office complex. Biafora or anyone associated with the project has confirmed what was going to go into the building, but the three-story building has a drive through that appears to be set up for a bank. While that may have been the business that pulled out, Biafora did say that a bank could be coming.

 

“We have a bank looking at the property and we actually just received a proposal for a medical company on the top floor with the bank considering the first floor,” said Biafora. “I was never too concerned about the first business that was looking to pull out because we never had anything signed.”

 

Biafora said that negotiations continue with Starbucks, which he mentioned as definitely looking to come to the development in 2015 and is confident that business, as well as a fast food restaurant, will be part of the area. He said things will begin to pick up significantly when the road work is completed and the remaining infrastructure is complete.

 

“We have additional out pads planned and we’ll have more buildings as well,” said Biafora. “There’s a lot of acreage to work with.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Dave Biafora at a Bridgeport Planning Commission meeting, while Community Development Director Randy Spellman is pictured in the middle. The bottom photo, from the Crab Shack Caribba Facebook page, shows some of the options the restaurant has.