SUCCESS STORIES: ASSISTED COMPANIES

Stanley Israelite Business Park
Development began in 1964 on land purchased from Herman Sharpe and the Stott Family.  NCDC continued to expand the park until 1996 and now it is a 450 acre Business Park with over 40 businesses and 2,300 employees.  Despite its age, the park is modern and includes residential and commercial establishments making it a good place to live and work.

Norwich Superior Court House Building
A modern courthouse facility host to the Norwich Superior Court, GA 21; designed by the late local architect, Richard Sharpe in the early 1990’s. NCDC acquired the property and built this 32,000 sq ft modern facility adding a much needed element to the community.

Dodd Stadium
A 6,270 seat, grass field, owned by the city of Norwich, operated by the Norwich Stadium Authority – built with $9.3 million from State economic development funds completed in time for April 17, 1995 opening day. Named for Eastern Connecticut native and former United State Senator Thomas Dodd, the father of U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the facility has been the site of the New England Collegiate All-Star Game; the Big East baseball tournament; several concerts including the Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Clint Black and Dwight Yoakum as well as a TNA Wrestling event. During the fall of 2006, the stadium was used as the setting for the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning.

Otis Library
A complete renovation of the previous library housed in a former retail space to a new and modern community center with a children’s library, public meeting rooms, public computer terminals and programs and resources for the entire region. Opened to the public on April 30, 2007, the $10.5 million project was funded with a $4.5 million CT DECD grant, an $800,000 Norwich grant and the Otis endowment and fundraising administrated by NCDC.

Occum Park
A former textile finishing business on a 5-acre site destroyed by fire in 1986, leaving on the foundation a concrete building; the site was abandoned for 13 years. In 1998, The City of Norwich took ownership of the site and granted a use variance to develop Occum Park in a former industrial zone. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development provided $1.5 million in funding for the Occum Park Neighborhood Redevelopment Project. Connecticut’s Department of Environmental protection and the City of Norwich provided additional funds needed for the project. The funds were administered by the Norwich Community Development Corporation. Clean up began in 2001; construction began in 2004; the park opened to the public in June 2005.The EPA Brownfields 2006 award winning Occum Park was designed for passive and active outdoor recreation by neighborhood and city residents. The park along the Shetucket River has a large, multi-use field in the center of a walking track; a basketball court; picnic tables; and a playscape, bench seating convenient to the riverfront; and access to the water for small boats and canoes.

Mercantile Exchange Building
The site of the Mercantile Exchange Building was cleared of economically outdated buildings and remained idle for several years until construction started in 2002. This particular project was chosen from several conceptual projects which included a high end hotel and a mixed use project incorporating retail/luxury condominiums. The final project opened in April 2004 and provides about 81,000 square feet of class A office space with magnificent views of the harbor. The $18.9 million project was funded with DECD grants and a loan to NCDC from a consortium of local banks. In 2003 the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation purchased the loan from the banks. The tribe signed a 20 year master lease with NCDC for the property.NCDC provided grant administration and project financial control. 

Atlantic Packaging
In 2002 NCDC was awarded a $390,000 Special Projects Grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for the clean up of the former Capehart mill in preparation for a housing development there. In 2004 the funds were reassigned to restore the Atlantic Packaging office building which was the main office of the original Capehart mill complex.  In the fall of 2006 NCDC took over administration of the grant from the City and work was completed in mid- 2009.  The restoration project included the roof replacement, window replacement, brick pointing and cleaning, new sidewalks, new parking lot, new outdoor lighting and landscaping.

The Norwich Marina
NCDC was instrumental in the acquisition of Connecticut Development Authority funding for the construction and upgrade of the facilities which encompass casual dining, entertainment and banquet facilities, scenic walkways, and docking slips for those wanting easy access downriver to Long Island Sound boating.