Norwich Community Development Corporation has been tasked by the Norwich City Council to develop a municipal development plan for the partially-completed hotel at 152 Salem Turnpike at the Interstate 395 interchange. The Hampton Project Municipal Development Plan has been drafted to satisfy this request and will be subject to public comment at a hearing scheduled for March 26, 2014. The hearing will be held in Council Chambers in City Hall, and will begin at 6:30 pm.

PROJECT DETAILS

• Blight elimination / economic reuse opportunity
• Located along Interstate 395 and Connecticut Route 82 – a high traffic / high visibility area in the city
• Public Hearing scheduled for March 26, 2014 6:30 pm, Norwich City Hall Council Chambers, 100 Broadway, Norwich, Connecticut
• Project website: askncdc.com/programs-incentives/hampton

About the Hampton Project
In September 2006 PRA Norwich received approval from the City of Norwich Commission on the City Plan to construct a 74,000 square foot 113-room Hampton Inn (Hilton Hotel brand). Construction began in 2007 and ceased in 2009. The property was abandoned in 2010, and foreclosure process commenced.

CT Norwich, LLC (“CTN”), an affiliate of Winston Hospitality, Inc., owns the property located at 154 Salem Turnpike (Connecticut Route 82) in Norwich. They acquired the property in May 2013, when they secured a Certificate of Foreclosure. It is estimated that about $350,000 worth of vandalism has occurred on the property including theft of copper pipes, wire, transformers and other materials.

CTN has invested over $3 million, including $2,750,000 in property acquisition. They plan to invest another $10.146 million in the property to complete the project. Since the time of acquisition, market conditions have eroded:
• lower room rental rates + higher regional vacancy = lower hotel income; plus
• higher development cost = unreasonable low return for developers; results in
• lack of willinessness for financiers due to additional risk and exposure.
CTN is seeking a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement from the City of Norwich in the amount of $2.8 million ($140,000 per year for 20 years), which would provide an estimated $1.3 million in upfront capital for their project (representing 9 percent of the total investment).
Tax Increment Financing is permitted in Connecticut and the tool is only authorized after a Municipal Development Plan process has been completed. The TIF process is described in the Tax Incremental Financing Analysis report prepared by Josh Pothier, City Comptroller, and issued December 17, 2013.

The TIF will not be authorized until the MDP process has been completed, and the completion of the MDP process requires City Council approval. Authorization to begin the MDP process does not bind the City Council to approve the TIF.
Information about the Hampton Project MDP, or the Tax Incremental Financing Analysis report can be found at the NCDC website:
askncdc.com/programs-incentives/hampton
The Site

Aerial view of the unfinished hotel site; Image source: bing.com

For more information, please contact:
Robert Mills – President
Norwich Community Development Corporation
77 Main Street
Norwich, Connecticut 06360
860.887.6964
rmills@askncdc.com Jay Davies – Project Manager

Winston Hospitality, Inc.
3701 National Drive Suite – 120
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
919.334.6927
jdavies@winstonhospitality.com

Downtown Norwich is just one of several historical downtowns located on the waterfront in Connecticut.  A couple of years ago agencies from these towns got together to talk about difficulties they were having and an initiative sprang forth: Destination Downtown.  The idea being that if you love going to Rock the Docks on the waterfront in Norwich, you would probably also like going to concerts on the waterfront in other downtowns also, but how do you know what is happening and where?  Enter luvdowntown.com.

Downtown Norwich partnered with Downtown Mystic, Downtown New London, Downtown Niantic and Downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck to form a collaborative to promote and market these distinctive, historical downtowns.  The organization applied for a received a grant to build a website and Miranda Creative was hired to oversee the enormous challenge of satisfying five distinctive communities. The website was launched in December and it promotes each downtown separately and lists places to shop, dine, and park in the downtown areas as well as a calendar cataloging all upcoming activities.

Moving forward the partners will collaborate to create joint promotional material for display and distribution at events in each city and are hoping to collaborate on a single event that will encompass all downtowns.

We would like to thank our sponsors Chelsea Groton Bank, Dime Bank, Keep Space Westerly, The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Washington Trust Company. If you or your business would like to sponsor Destination Downtown or advertise on the website, please let us know.

The 2013 tax season is well underway! Have you filed your taxes yet? Don’t know where to start?

There are more options available this season than ever before!

IRS now offers a free tax preparation software available through their Free File System at IRS.gov. There are fourteen commercial tax software companies partnering with IRS that make their products available for free. Each of these companies set their own eligibility criteria. Some offer Free State tax returns, and some charge a fee. Generally, if your adjusted gross income is $58,000.00 or less there will be one or more options for you. IRS provides a list of free software offers: http://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/index.jsp?ck or you can take advantage of Find Free File Software Tool: http://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/jsp/wizard.jsp?ck

If you are not comfortable to fill tax forms on your own or have questions, you can take advantage of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, also administered by IRS. This assistance comes with an income limit of $50,000.00 or less. IRS-certified volunteers can assist you filling your return, answer questions and guide you through it as well as provide basic income tax return preparation. These volunteers will help you take advantage of special income tax credits for which you may qualify, such as Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. You can find a site near you through an IRS site locator:  http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

If you would like assistance, these sites are open currently in Norwich:

NORWICH HUMAN SERVICES (Appointment required)

80 BROADWAY

NORWICH, CT 06360

860-823-3748

CAPITAL GOOD FUND VITA (AT OTIS LIBRARY) VIRTUAL

261 MAIN ST

NORWICH, CT 06360

TVCCA/ CT WORKS (Appointment required)

113 SALEM TURNPIKE

SUITE 200

NORWICH, CT 06360

860-425-6626

Are you more of a Do It Yourself type?

If your income is over $58,000.00 you can take advantage of Free File Fillable Forms. This forms-based program allows taxpayers to choose the forms and schedules they need, e-file, sign a form electronically and print a copy for personal records. The forms are designed to be a simple electronic equivalent of paper forms that don’t ask about or explain tax situations. The forms do math and offer only basic guidance, you must know how to do your taxes yourself. State tax preparation in this case is not available.