Norwich second business park proposal review to continue on Jan. 3
Dec. 20—NORWICH — After hearing another two hours of emotional, angry public comments on a controversial request to create a Business Park Master Plan District on 384 acres of former farm and woodland in Occum, the City Council voted late Monday to delay action so it can review revised plans and to ask questions of planning officials.
In Norwich, the City Council serves as the zoning board. The council continued the public hearing to Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Without waiting for council action on the zoning application, the Norwich Community Development Corp. voted Dec. 8 to purchase the 17 parcels that comprise the property for $3.55 million to create the proposed Business Park North. The land runs along the north side of Interstate 395 in Norwich, with parcels on Canterbury Turnpike, Lawler Lane, Scotland Road, Route 97, School Avenue and Bromley Lane.
NCDC has secured a loan for $3.1 million from New York based Braavos Lending LLC to fund the purchase. NCDC already had paid $575,000 to owners M&A Holdings LLC and Byron Brook Country Club LLC in deposit and option fees that counted toward the purchase price.
Canterbury Turnpike resident Harold Mecteau led off Monday's public hearing by asking whether the City Council, which serves as the zoning board in Norwich, has a conflict of interest in the review of the project. Mayor Peter Nystrom, Alderman Swaranjit Singh Khalsa and Alderwoman Stacy Gould are voting members on the NCDC Board of Directors. At the Dec. 8 NCDC meeting, Nystrom and Gould abstained from voting and Khalsa was absent at the meeting.
Other residents again objected to the proposed second business park, citing disruptions to their rural neighborhoods, displacement of wildlife and traffic and noise concerns. Residents cited the business park plan's request for building heights of up to 80 feet as especially invasive to the neighborhood.
The plan also calls for a new road network with a dedicated ramp off Exit 18 of Interstate 395 directly into the proposed business park. That plan includes a proposed roundabout at the Canterbury Turnpike intersection to keep business park traffic off the local roads. But residents doubted the roundabout would accomplish that and questioned its safety.
Opponents said the city instead should try to fill the many vacant buildings across the city or raze dilapidated mills to create developable land.
NCDC President Kevin Brown spoke after the public comment attempting to assure residents that buildings will not be constructed and then sit empty. He said the conceptual plan is not set in stone, and every specific development for specific parcels would have to be reviewed and approved by city planning commission.
Brown also said the 80-foot building height would be a maximum height, and not every building would be that tall. He also tried to clarify that wind turbine blades and towers would not be built at the business park. Those would be assembled at State Pier in New London. Norwich hopes to attract manufacturers of the motorized components for the offshore wind industry.
Brown too became emotional in responding to comments that NCDC officials do not care about Norwich and its residents. Brown said he grew up in Norwich, worked in Norwich and lived in various Norwich neighborhoods. A Mohegan tribal member, Brown noted to the audience that the Occum village is named for his ancestor, Sampson Occum.
Paul Whitescarver, executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, called Business Park North will attract companies in the burgeoning wind power industry in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Whitescarver said NCDC's plan was well prepared and would contain features to protect the environment.
Resident Beryl Fishbone said she is not sure the wind power industry is a good fit for the property, given the massive size of the wind power components. She questioned how those massive components could be transported off the property.
"Your plan sounds really nice," Fishbone said. "Unfortunately, it's in the wrong place. It's got to be reexamined."
Several speakers asked that the proposal be put to a referendum vote.
Former Alderwoman Joanne Philbrick asked the council to delay the vote at least until Democratic Alderman Derell Wilson resigns to be sworn in as the new Norwich state representative on Jan. 4. A special election will be held to fill his seat.
"Please, I ask you, do not make this decision tonight," Philbrick said.
Mayor Nystrom attempted to explain why council members acting as the zoning board could not accept residents' invitations to visit their homes to see what the impacts would be on their properties. Nystrom said council members would not be allowed to do that in the restrictive legal zoning procedure.
"Change it," someone yelled.
Nystrom said he agreed the roles should be separated, but that would be for a future discussion. The issue of separating the zoning authority from the City Council has been addressed by past charter revision commissions to no avail.
