NORWICH BULLETIN (February 9, 2019) — City officials, along with education and community leaders, met Saturday to review the status of short- and long-term priority goals, including issues related to economic development, traffic and the location of the police department.
The session, held at Foundry 66, was the third such forum and the first held this year, said City Manager John Salomone who sketched out the framework for the day.
“Building on what we did last year to see where we are on previous items,” he said. “Obviously, plans evolve and don’t stay static. And they shouldn’t.”
For the first portion of the meeting, attendees reviewed the results of a March 2018 goal-setting priority sheet which listed a host of short-term economic development and infrastructure goals, including the reconfiguration of downtown parking patterns.
THE DAY (January 24, 2019) — City officials might not like the state’s idea of installing several roundabouts along Route 82-West Main Street, but city officials were pleased to learn they have received a $400,000 grant to design a roundabout at Franklin Square that would allow two-way traffic in all directions at the key downtown junction.
The State Bond Commission approved funding for the Community Connectivity Program grant at its Dec. 11 meeting, “so your application for the Community Connectivity Grant Program has been approved,” said a Jan. 18 letter from state Department of Transportation Assistant Planning Director Colleen A. Kissane to Mayor Peter Nystrom.
The project calls for eliminating the confusing current traffic arrangement, which has vehicles entering Franklin Street heading north from Main Street along two one-way strips, one from the east and the other from the west.
But southbound traffic on Franklin — opened to two-way traffic in May 2017 — must stop and turn right onto Bath Street and wind its way back to Main Street along lower Broadway.
Norwich – Mayor Peter Nystrom warned fellow members of the City Council Monday to “keep your weekends open” for council workshops on issues including reviving his proposed economic development bond, creating a charter revision commission and discussions on waterfront development.
Nystrom delivered his sixth State of the City address as mayor Monday, mixing a celebration of development accomplishments over the past year with calls for city leaders to work together on development issues in the year ahead.
“It should be noted that change through economic development is a long-term proposition that takes focused teamwork and dedication to implement and benefit from,” Nystrom said. “We have a talented team of professionals, passionate and dedicated leadership, a highly flexible and resourceful utility, and, a community ready to embrace change.”
NORWICH BULLETIN (December 24, 2019) — From new apartments coming online to businesses relocating or closing, a failed bonding program to a fast-food restaurant’s plea to join a historic community — economic development was a leading story in Norwich during 2018.
In Taftville, developer Finbar O’Neill, of Onekey, LLC, announced in September the completion of phase one of The Lofts at Ponemah Mills’ residential development project, while at the same time breaking ground on Phase 2 of its construction.
The completion of Phase 1 brought 116 residential rental units online, of which 60 percent are low-income housing tax credit units and 40 percent are offered at market rate. Phase 2 of the project, which O’Neil said he hopes will be completed by the fall of 2019, will bring an additional 121 units, including 74 low-income housing tax credit units.
While residents at Ponemah Mills have started filling out the Taftville neighborhood, they are lacking nearby grocery options as Starrwood Market, a longtime Greeneville staple that shuttered its doors in July.
NORWICH BULLETIN (December 19, 2018) — A multimillion-dollar development project proposing to bring an upscale hotel to Yantic may break ground as early as spring.
The Commission on the City Plan Tuesday unanimously approved both the site development plan and the special permit request for a proposed 151-room hotel with several amenities including an indoor pool, restaurant, banquet facility and recreational space at an abandoned mill building in Yantic.
The building, known as Hale Mill, was originally built in 1864 as a textile mill and sits at 140 Yantic Road, across from the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department. According to records at City Hall, the buyer, Mill Development CT LLC, of Woodside, N.Y., purchased the 10-acre property in June for $826,000.
Norwich – Angelo Callis wore a Santa hat and a bright red scarf and carried a sack as he and two assistants visited downtown businesses Monday.
They weren’t carrying holiday presents to shop owners and businesses, but what they did have saves lives.
The three members of Norwich Youth and Family Service’s Partnership for Success program brought Narcan kits and free training to businesses interested in learning how to administer the opioid overdose-reversing drug and stocking it in their establishments.
NORWICH — As part of a new directive to bring more people downtown, Global City Norwich not only celebrated the coming holidays with many activities, but also celebrated the city’s history.
Sunday’s Candy, Cocoa and Coffee Festival sported an array of local vendors, including the Blazin’ BBQ food truck, Opal’s Kitchen and myriad small jewelry and baked goods vendors. There were activities for kids such as rock painting, gingerbread house building, and an appearance from Santa Claus.
They created a spectacle with elves walking around, and even had a few on tall stilts dancing to the music in the street.
Norwich — An Essex-based chemical engineering research and development firm has purchased a vacant 76,000-square-foot building in the business park for $1.9 million and plans to launch an advanced manufacturing arm of the business there once renovations are completed.
Nalas Engineering Services Inc. of the Centerbrook section of Essex purchased the building formerly occupied by Gunther International LTD, at 1 Winnenden Road at the corner of New Park Avenue in the Stanley Israelite Norwich Business Park. The transaction was recorded in the Norwich land records Monday, with the city receiving $9,660 in property conveyance taxes.
Additional Gift is to Focus on Funding for Entrepreneurship & Small Business
NORWICH, Connecticut (December 10, 2018) – The Chelsea Groton Foundation recently presented a grant donation of $100,000 to NCDC’s Global City Norwich program, to be used specifically for assisting multicultural entrepreneurs and small business owners who are interested in occupying storefront spaces in the Downtown area, or who currently own businesses and are looking to grow.
Funds will be used to identify and train entrepreneurs, build partnerships in order to help entrepreneurs find appropriate storefront spaces and funding for their businesses, and create a thriving downtown environment that will ensure increased traffic in area businesses.
“Since the launch of Global City Norwich, we’ve already seen a positive impact on the Norwich community. People came out in droves for the festivals that were hosted this summer and fall. Now, the Chelsea Groton Foundation is thrilled to give another grant to Global City to really focus on developing and assisting multicultural entrepreneurs and small business owners, an area that’s very important to us,” shared Michael Rauh, President and CEO of Chelsea Groton Bank and President of the Chelsea Groton Foundation. “Small business activity is critical to the success of any downtown area, and it will be no different in Norwich. There are incredibly talented entrepreneurs and small business owners in Norwich and the surrounding areas, and we’re looking forward to supporting them through this grant.”
“We believe our business community should be a reflection of our diverse and vibrant community. The Global City Norwich program is focused on removing the barriers to entrepreneurship through collaborations, business education and shared resources. The talent and our future business leaders live amongst us and this program lends to pave the road to business ownership,” explained Bob Mills, President of NCDC.
The first grant presented by the Chelsea Groton Foundation was to assist with the launch and development of Global City Norwich, a multi-cultural program that brings people together to participate in rich, diverse, multicultural experiences that the residents of Norwich and its surrounding communities have to offer.
To view parts of the grant presentation, and to gain a better understanding of the positive impact Global City Norwich has and will continue to have on area business owners, watch this video.
About the Chelsea Groton Foundation The Chelsea Groton Foundation was formed in June 1998 as a Section 501(c) (3) organization. Initially endowed with a $2 million donation from Chelsea Groton Bank, and recently gifted an additional $5 million from the Bank, the Foundation has, to date, awarded over $3.2 million in grants to hundreds of scientific, educational and charitable organizations located within the Bank’s market area. To learn more, visit www.chelseagroton.com/CGFoundation.
About NCDC / Foundry66 NCDC is a private 501(c) (3) development corporation founded to improve the economic condition of Norwich, its Downtown, waterfront and Business Park. Foundry66 is a co-working space dedicated to helping create and support microenterprise businesses in the area. To find out more about us and our mission, please visit www.askncdc.com and www.foundry66.com.
NORWICH — Three Norwich neighborhoods qualify for a new federal economic development program and Tuesday morning, dozens of city and state officials, business leaders and community partners met at City Hall for a presentation on how the city can capitalize on the opportunity.
Federal lawmakers in 2017 created the federal Opportunity Zones program for investors to re-invest unrealized capital gains into qualified Opportunity Funds — private investment vehicles dedicated to community, business, real estate and economic development activities in low-income communities.
