NORWICH — A slate of downtown improvement projects has been finalized for submission to New York State as part of the Norwich Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Strategic Investment Plan. The Local Planning Committee (LPC) held its final meeting on Tuesday to approve the slate of projects, followed by a public workshop to inform the Norwich community on the projects and next steps in the DRI process.

The City of Norwich was awarded $10 million in DRI funding in December of 2021. $300,000 was designated for planning and project development, and to create the Strategic Investment Plan, leaving $9.7 million to be dispersed among various projects.

Over the past six months, the LPC has been working with representatives from state agencies, lead project consultant Bergmann, and the community to identify and evaluate projects that would be revitalizing and transformative for downtown Norwich.

The final slate includes 15 projects with a total DRI funding request of $13.6 million, and is expected to be submitted to New York State by the end of the month. From there, state officials will review the projects and decide which will receive funding.

"We have $9.7 million in implementation funding, so the state will make the ultimate decision about which of those 15 projects get funded," explained Bergmann Consultant Jeannette Petit. "Some will inevitably be cut, but ideally we submit a slate of projects in excess of the $9.7 million in DRI funding in case certain projects can’t move forward for whatever reason. So we do have kind of a safety net of projects to fall back on in case some can not move forward."

Although projects approved by the state will receive DRI funding, that funding is provided on a reimbursement basis. So, project sponsors must be able to complete the projects on their own and then apply for reimbursement from the state.

Included in the Strategic Investment Plan is a small project grant fund, which is requesting $600,000 in DRI funding and would provide small grants for building and site improvements and implementation of public art. A signage and wayfinding project that would install directional and destination identification signage is also on the list with a request of $240,000 in DRI funding.

Requesting $1,660,250 in DRI funding is the park improvement project, which would provide upgrades to East, West, and Guernsey Memorial Library parks in the form of stage enhancements, an outdoor movie viewing area, and a food truck plaza.

"The next project is the YMCA beautification project. This project is requesting $651,000 from the DRI, and its scope includes streetscape enhancements along both North Broad, and Mitchell and Mechanic Streets, as well as the creation of a pocket park at the corner of North Broad and Mechanic Street, and the installation of a backup generator to enhance resiliency at the Y," said Petit.

"The American Avenue enhancements project. This is requesting $470,000 in DRI funding, and will enhance American Avenue with enhanced lighting, landscaping, pavement treatments, improvements to pedestrian accessibility, as well as the retention of the existing one-way vehicular travel down American Ave. to allow access to the businesses," she continued.

Also included were enhancements to North Broad Street from Rexford Street to Mitchell Street. The $615,000 DRI request would include landscaping, street trees, lighting, and benches to enhance the connection between downtown Norwich and the Museum District. The Colonia Theater also requested $165,000 in DRI funding to enhance the marquee and "add a digital element while still retaining the historic character of the existing marquee." The request also includes interior upgrades such as the creation of a family entertainment center and improved seating.

A DRI funding request of $530,000 for the rehabilitation of 13 to 15 South Broad Street was also included in the Strategic Investment Plan. The project would focus on interior upgrades and renovations to create ten to 11 apartment and executive stay apartments, and would convert the existing freight elevator into a passenger elevator.

"The rehabilitation of the Heritage Building. This projects is asking for $292,000 in DRI funding," said Petit. "It includes enhancements to the interior of the building to create a brewery and local market on the first floor, as well as restore the second floor mezzanine. It will also include the installation of rooftop solar and an EV charging station."

The two largest funding requests in the Strategic Investment Plan are the development of a downtown Norwich boutique hotel and renovation of the Unguentine building, located on American Avenue. The hotel project is requesting $3,360,000 in DRI funding to create a 45-unit hotel, improve the alleyways that connect to both Main Street and Broad Street, as well as provide improvements such as lighting and landscaping to the Hayes Street parking lot behind the building.

The restoration of the Unguentine building would entail the creation of 24 to 30 residential aprtments, as well as a commercial, retail, and office space on the lower floors. The project has a total DRI funding request of $3,005,596.

A request for $570,000 in DRI funding for theater upgrades, including lighting, sound, audio, visual, wifi, and seating repair in the Chenango Arts Council theater is included in the slate of projects as well.

$925,000 has been requested for accessibility improvements in the Norwich Center, which includes the installation of an elevator and entrance ramp to improve ADA accessibility to the building and upper floors, as well as exterior improvements and new signage.

The rehabilitation of 15 to 19 Lackawanna Avenue is on the slate of projects with a total DRI funding request of $140,000 to renovate the three buildings. This would include exterior and facade improvements, as well as add two new residential units and a multi-purpose space next door to Rita's Tavern.

"The next and final project is the Red Roof Inn improvements project, which is requesting $392,000 in DRI funding," said Petit. "Exterior improvements include new landscaping and a new plaza space, and interior improvements include enhancements to the existing pool and ballroom, as well as replacement of a small section of the roof."

With the Strategic Investment Plan completed, the next steps in the DRI process are to submit the plan to New York State, which Petit said will happen by the end of July.

"They’ll take a look at the feedback that we got, the survey results, they’ll look back at our past meetings, they’ll look at each project in detail, and they will make a decision based on which they feel are the most transformative and the ones that best fit the intents of the original application and the goals of the state and the region, and that’s how they make the decision," said LPC Co-chair Kerri Green.

After the state reviews the plan, they will announce which projects are receiving DRI funding this fall.

"We anticipate hearing in the fall which projects will receive DRI funding. Once we know that, in the winter of this year, maybe early next year, the state will start contracting with project sponsors to get projects rolling," Petit explained. "Sometime between 2023 and 2025 we’re hoping to see project implementation."

The completion of the Strategic Investment Plan also means the work of the LPC has officially come to a close.

"I just really would like to thank all the members of the Local Planning Committee and the DRI committee that helped put this together, because it was a lot of time, a lot of work, and I just really appreciate it," said Green. "We had a good, diverse group of businesses and representatives that really represented, I think, what Chenango County and Norwich specifically has to offer. We had a little bit of everything, so it was a nice working group for sure."

Green also spoke to the outpouring of involvement by community members through questions and feedback, and the more than 300 responses the LPC received for their DRI community survey.

"I just think that is really amazing and shows how much people were paying attention and interested in this. I know some people were disappointed that some of the projects didn’t move forward, but I think it just goes to show how many great ideas and how many great initiatives there are in the county," she said. "I’m really excited to take that and move forward with sort of the next step of helping those people get money for projects that they need."

More information on the DRI process and past meetings can be found at NorwichDRI.com.