NORWICH – The City of Norwich has taken the first step towards identifying underutilized sites on the east side of the city and determining their potential for future use.

The city held a public meeting Monday as the first of a three-part planning study funded through the Brownfield Opportunity Areas Grant Program, provided by New York State. The goal of the project is to determine a plan for revitalization and a way to implement the plan in underutilized, abandoned or polluted sites.

Scott LaMountain, a representative from Shelter Planning in Queensbury, presented a powerpoint presentation showing areas that had been identified and could be included in the program.

LaMountain pointed out areas of consideration, including the Borden Avenue site, which has a large chunk of underutilized land; the Chenango County Department of Public Works site; the Lee Avenue site, which has seen several rounds of contamination investigation by the Department of Environmental Conservation; the Mitchell Street site; the State Street site, where the Norwich Shoe Company was previously located; the East Main Street School, which is an older unoccupied building; the NYSEG site located near the tops plaza, which is currently undergoing remediation by the DEC; and the Hosbach site.

City Code Enforcement Officer Jason Lawrence asked that the Unguentine Building and a property on the corner of Prentice Street and O’Hara Drive be added to the list.