A minute with the Mayor: Marina re-development in Norwich – A tremendous opportunity

By Mayor Peter Nystrom,

The key to almost any successful endeavor is to play to your strengths: what makes you, your idea or project, different, more appealing, and entertaining.

And for far too long, the marina in Downtown Norwich, one of our more remarkable community assets, has been under-utilized and overlooked, and sadly, even forgotten by some of us.

But now, momentum is building behind the idea of reimagining the area in and around the Yantic, Shetucket and Thames Rivers into a more vibrant, active site that could lead significant economic development in our city for years to come.

The Norwich Community Development Corporation (NCDC) is leading a community discussion on how our community can best move forward: do we demolish the existing building or renovate the ‘towers’ to accommodate new tenants? Visit envisionnorwich360.com to join others in our community who have expressed their opinion on this exciting opportunity.

The marina has always been among the most scenic views in Norwich, even during its dormant days. But with the right ideas and investments, it can be the hub for so much activity that will benefit our community and our region for years to come. Fun and active public spaces, opportunities for public and private events, more dining options, and the potential for marine traffic and housing are all possible.

In other communities, waterfront development leads to a variety of options for shopping, dining, and gathering. And if we work together, there is absolutely no reason that Norwich can’t have this, too.

But as the old saying goes, it this were easy, it would’ve happened already.

Yet at the same time, there is cause for real optimism, beyond all of the public and private investments we are seeing in the Rose City. According to the Connecticut Town Economic Index (CTEI) from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Labor, Norwich is performing very strongly in comparison to the other 24 largest cities in our state.

The study looks at the overall economic health based on business establishments, employment, wages, and unemployment and indicates that Norwich is bouncing back strongly from the considerable challenges of the pandemic.