Norwich residents oppose plans for second business park

Kevin Brown, President of Norwich Community Development Corporation (standing in front) answers questions about Business Park North proposed by about 100 residents who attended a regional meeting at the Norwich Worship Center on Wednesday 9 November 2022. ) and real estate consultant Henry Reznikov (standing behind), also adjacent to the proposed business park.

NORWITCH – Nearly 100 neighbors of a proposed second business park attended a 90-minute public forum Wednesday on a proposal for 384 acres of former farm and woodland in the city’s Okcum section of the Norwich Community Development Corporation. questioned the staff of

Residents objected to potential noise, traffic, light pollution, construction disruptions, wildlife displacement, citing what the proposed development could cause, and why the city needed a second business park. I questioned whether.

“You stand for what you’re doing,” said resident Jessica Key. “We are home professionals. Do you live here? You don’t even live in this town.”

NCDC President Kevin Brown and Real Estate Consultant Henry Resnikoff provided an overview of the project and posed questions in the first public forum about the project. The City Council, which also serves as Norwich’s Zoning Commission, will hold a hearing on the proposed master development plan, which NCDC has dubbed Business Park North, on December 5 at 7:30 pm.

NCDC has an option to purchase land adjacent to Interstate 395 for $3.55 million, including the former Tarrick and Doolittle Farms on the Canterbury Turnpike and Roller Lane. Brown described the land to residents as “the last acre” of industrial land available for development in the city.

Norwich hopes to attract ancillary developments related to the budding wind turbine industry in the northeast, particularly in connection with the development of New London’s State Pier as a port for offshore wind infrastructure.

But now the NCDC is seeking initial approval for a proposed master plan and a new road network through the property, with a redesigned I-395 Exit 18 ramp to provide primary access to the park. This road will direct business park traffic to the park’s new main access road via a roundabout.

A second roundabout was built at the intersection of the Canterbury Turnpike, designed to prevent trucks bound for the industrial park from exiting onto the residential Canterbury Turnpike. But Resnikov said fire engines were able to access the new road from his Canterbury turnpike in an emergency.

Asked why the project was necessary, Brown said the current Stanley Israel Business Park on West Town Street is “93% full” and brings in $7 million in tax dollars to the city each year. . He also said that new technology companies would not be able to find most of the remaining available business park space suitable for high-tech precision manufacturing.

Scottish Road resident Samuel Browning said he had repeatedly suggested the city should “tear down the ballpark”.

Brown said NCDC officials cannot control private property within the current business park, which may only be partially occupied, or the city’s ownership of Dodd Stadium. However, he said new technology companies will not find most of the remaining available business park space suitable for high-tech precision manufacturing.

Although the master plan shows areas with photovoltaic arrays, Brown and Resnikoff say they are located in areas unsuitable for other development, such as areas with steep slopes or ledges. That’s what I mean.

Nate Weiss, owner of Sunny Waters Mobile Home Park, said there is “virtually no” buffer zone shown between the solar field and nearby properties. Lesnikov said the park would be subject to the necessary buffer zone. But Weiss said it would subject neighborhood residents to “the whim of the city council” as a zoning board.

Resnikov said once the park is established, each proposed development will require site development plan approval by the city’s planning and wetlands agencies.

The master plan for the park has been approved by the city’s wetlands department and will be reviewed by the city’s planning board on Tuesday, November 15, and recommendations will be made to the city’s zoning board, Lesnikov said. The master plan requires state and federal transportation and environmental approvals. This includes the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Residents are skeptical about the proposed new access road, whether the roundabout will keep business park traffic away from local roads, and whether the proposed business park will benefit the city’s tax base.

Resident Nelson French said the city has a record of offering tax breaks to retiring businesses when the tax breaks expire. Brown said the development will be eligible for a seven-year gradual property tax credit, with property taxes increasing by 20% each year until full taxation is reached after seven years.

c.bessette@theday.com