THE DAY (October 31, 2019) — Local economic development officials spoke positively of the inaugural conference on opportunity zones the state held Wednesday, a topic that also came up at the New England Real Estate Journal’s inaugural Connecticut Summit held Thursday at Mohegan Sun.

Development projects on tracts included in the federal Opportunity Zone Program are eligible for federal tax incentives for investors. Connecticut has 72 opportunity zones, including three in New London, three in Norwich and one in Groton.

In between summit sessions Thursday, New London Planning Director Felix Reyes told The Day the insight that stuck with him the most came from Erik Johnson, his counterpart in Hartford: The opportunity zone is not about a grand slam or a $500 million development, but starting with one developer and one project.

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THE DAY (October 21, 2019) — The city’s plans to bring new residents and business by marketing itself were presented Monday to the City Council and public.

Highlights of the half-hour presentation was the showing of four short videos produced this year by Miranda Creative, a Norwich brand marketing firm.

Maria Miranda, the firm’s owner and creative director, presented them as part of an overall marketing strategy funded by $25,000 in the city’s budget last year and this year.

The theme of all four videos is “City on the Rise,” she said.

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THE DAY (October 11, 2019) — Jason Vincent’s planning career will take another U-turn along Route 2 next week, when he returns to the Norwich Community Development Corp., days after his resignation as Stonington planning director.

NCDC President Robert Mills announced Friday that Vincent has been hired as senior vice president at NCDC, rejoining the Norwich economic development agency he left in January 2016 to become director of planning in Stonington. Vincent is a professional planner with more than two decades of experience in the public and private sectors, including four years at NCDC previously. He starts in the new position on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

“Many of us in Norwich always hoped that Jason’s career path would return him to our community,” Mills said in a news release announcing Vincent’s hiring. “Without a doubt, Jason has a personal, vested interest in the future of Norwich and we fully expect him to bring his array of exceptional skills and incredible passion to this position.”

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THE DAY (October 2, 2019) — At the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce’s Business Breakfast on Wednesday, Robert Mills, the president of the Norwich Community Development Corporation, expressed interest in the Connecticut Port Authority’s (CPA) plan for expansion on the deepwater port in New London, and he wanted to see if any of those insights are applicable to Norwich.

Mills is interested in development of land along the Thames River basin, including land in Norwich.

The speaker at the breakfast was David Kooris, acting chair of the CPA and the deputy commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). The focus of the CPA portion of the talk was the State Pier in New London, and how they plan to make New London a hub for assembling, and eventually manufacturing, offshore wind turbines.

Mills said that the land will “remain underutilized until the issues you’re addressing at the pier can be applied elsewhere.”

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