Norwich receives $10 million to refurbish downtown

Vicky Klukkert, The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·3 min read

Dec. 22—The city of Norwich will receive a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Award that will fund nine projects in the city, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.

"The Downtown Revitalization Initiative aids localities in making strategic investments that allow communities across New York State to flourish," Hochul said in a media release. "These projects will assist in transforming Norwich's downtown area and enhance daily life for those who live, work and shop there. It will also provide Norwich with the jumpstart it needs to deliver on job creation and further stimulate the local economy."

Norwich is the major population center in Chenango County and a hub for commerce, education, services and tourism, the release said. Norwich's revitalization is focused on adaptive reuse of historic buildings, enhancing the public realm, park spaces and the arts, promoting connectivity and attracting commuters to live and tourists to visit downtown.

"I am pleased to see such robust and comprehensive investment being injected into the Norwich community which will enhance our residents' quality of life and strengthen our cultural appeal," Assemblyman Joseph Angelino, R-Norwich, said in the release. "Facilitating foot traffic in our downtown area and providing local access to housing is a win-win for our small businesses, our residents, and the entire tourism economy as we work to build up the Southern Tier Region of our state. As a life-long Norwich resident, I thank those stakeholders who advocated strongly for these awards and I am excited to see these projects come to fruition."

The projects include:

—Creating the Downtown Norwich Boutique Hotel — DRI Award: $3,360,000. The hotel is expected to have 45 rooms. It will also feature an event room and a café.

—Rehabilitating the Unguentine Building — DRI Award: $3,006,000. Redevelop more than 10,000 square feet of new commercial space and approximately two dozen new apartments to activate a long-vacant, historic building.

—Rehabilitating the Heritage Building — DRI Award: $292,000. Activate the historic Heritage Building with a healthy food market and local brewery.

—Rehabilitating 15-19 Lackawanna Avenue — DRI Award: $140,000. Install façade improvements and interior renovations to create apartments and retail space in some of Norwich's oldest buildings.

—Establishing the Downtown Norwich Small Project Grant Fund — DRI Award: $600,000. Create a matching grant fund to help property owners improve their buildings or beautify the public realm.

—Enhancing the American Avenue Streetscape — DRI Award: $470,000. Create a safer and more welcoming American Avenue with better lighting, more amenities and a brand-new look and feel.

—Improving East, West and Library Parks — DRI Award: $1,097,000. Upgrade Norwich's three central parks to expand programming and support more events.

—Upgrading the Chenango Arts Council's Martin Kappel Theater — DRI Award: $570,000. Upgrade the seating, lighting and audio-visual equipment in the theater for a better all-around experience.

—Upgrading the Colonia Theatre — DRI Award: $165,000. Upgrade the theatre with new and improved seating, a digital addition to the historic marquee and more family-friendly entertainment options.

The DRI is led by the Department of State, which provides technical assistance as each participating community develops a Strategic Investment Plan identifying specific projects with a unique vision for the revitalization of the downtown area.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.