Armed with grant money, Norwood officials are moving ahead with a plan to redevelop Montgomery Road to make it more pedestrian friendly and infuse much needed help into mom and pop businesses. They also hope to redevelop commercial sites.
Tom Perry works in the mayor's office and says the goal is to create a "critical mass" of pedestrians in a new downtown area to frequent small businesses struggling right now.
Perry and The Port's Bill Fischer agree downtown Norwood isn't very walkable. "As you can see, everything is auto-oriented," Fischer says. "Montgomery Road has continued to get wider and I'm really excited that they have a plan going and I can't wait to see it implemented."
A public meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19, according to Norwood Together's Mary Miller. "Once we have a public meeting then it will go to the planning commission and to the economic development committee and then to the Norwood Council for passage, a resolution or an ordinance."
Commercial Redevelopment
Perry points to a variety of possibilities. "We have a few different sites, one that we're standing outside of right now - The Quality Inn - and another across town called Perry and Derrick that's tax delinquent."
Miller has put together an online business directory and digital forms for companies wanting to relocate to Norwood.
The Port is looking forward to working with Norwood by providing public financing, funds for cleaning up brown fields and more.
