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Matt Grahn|The Bulletin

NORWICH Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said he gets asked by businesses if there are any large plots of land available in the city. His reply isoften "No" since most larger spaces are Brownfield sites, which are expensive to clean up.

However, if a land sale goes through, it will make large projects easier for businesses looking to come to the city.

I get calls throughout the almost three years Ive been mayor, and people are looking for 100 acres, 50 acres, Nystrom said. I dont have anything to offer them, yet they want to be in this central location between Boston and New York, as well as the proximity to the two casinos.

On Sept. 30, the latest amendment to the Agreement of Sale of land from Byron Brook Country Club, LLC and M&A Holdings, LLC to the Norwich Community Development Corp. (NCDC) was signed, and was made public last Friday. NCDC, along with Norwich Public Utilities, has been working on developing a second business park in Norwich. The amendment states that NCDC has until Dec. 15, 2022, to make sure that the land is feasible for construction, which is currently when the decision to buy will be made.

We negotiated a period of time to make sure the land is suitable and can be developed as a business park, said attorney Mark Block, representing NCDC.

Blockbelieves its important for the city to have more land with the development.

If the city is going to attract any business or industry, we need areas that can be developed for the industries and businesses to locate, Block said.

Currently, Block said, that they are still checking the feasibility of the land.

Were doing all the studies that are necessary to determine the suitability of the property, Block said.

The Agreement of Sale, first signed on July 31, 2019, stated that the total property sale, 272 acres over eight tracts, was worth $3.55 million, and initially required a $65,000 deposit. More deposits have been made, with a $10,000 deposit in the first amendment and $100,000 in the second amendment, and $150,000 in the fourth amendment, with half paid in January, and half in July.

The land in question held by Byron Brook Country Club, LLC and M&A Holdings LLC is in Occum. The properties in particular are on Scotland Road, Lawler Lane, Canterbury Turnpikeand Bromley Lane.

The owners originally bought the land for building 658 apartments with a golf course and country club, which was expected to cost $200 million. However, due to the economic downturn in 2007, the developer tried to change the project. The project was officially cancelled in 2011, after Norwich released $1.5 million in bonding back to the developers.

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Business park in Occum still in the works - Norwich Bulletin