New London — With a strengthened working relationship with the city and a newly hired paid director, the city’s marketing and development arm no longer wants to be linked solely to Fort Trumbull development — or, by extension, to the eminent domain fight that brought a national spotlight to the area.

On the Renaissance City Development Association's to-do list are developing materials to market New London's potential to developers, work with the city to further develop its parking plan, housing options for Electric Boat workers and more, according to RCDA Executive Director Peter Davis.

As part of those initiatives, the RCDA has signed a contract with New London public relations firm Quinn & Hary to rebrand itself and help market the city, Davis said.

The contract calls for things such as media outreach, branding and messaging, updating its website and the creation of marketing materials.

The one-year, $12,000 contract with Quinn & Hary was finalized Tuesday by the RCDA Board of Directors and signed by President Linda Mariani.

“It’s important to stress our mission is more of a communitywide partnership in developing the entire city,” Davis said. “We still have Fort Trumbull as a responsibility, but it goes much further than that.”

The contract calls for an average of 12 hours of work a month from Quinn & Hary with additional work, if approved by the RCDA, billed at $80 an hour.

The RCDA is considering a second contract with Quinn & Hary to create a “stakeholders outreach program” to help fund the private nonprofit, Davis said.

Davis, who was hired in February and is the former director of planning in Norwich, said the private nonprofit RCDA has evolved from its predecessor, the New London Development Corp.

The RCDA signed a contract with the city earlier this year that includes $100,000 from the city and for the first time has RCDA staff working with the city’s Office of Planning and Development to market such properties as Parcel J and the Martin Center.

The RCDA also will use its expertise to help work with the Port Authority on a harbor management plan and with the Planning and Zoning Commission on the plan of conservation and development.

Davis said he is aiding the development of a citywide parking plan. Additionally, the RCDA is reviewing a proposal to enlist a vendor to manage parking during the Sailfest fireworks.

The RCDA also plans to meet with Electric Boat officials to discuss housing needs for their employees.

The organization is working with the city and New London Housing Authority about the potential acquisition of the Thames River Apartments on Crystal Avenue, if the tenants end up moving to a new home on Cedar Grove Avenue.

Marketing the city will be a major focus in the coming months, Davis said.

“The first 30 days or so after I came on board, I started looking through files and on the shelves for the marketing material. For all intents and purposes, there was none,” Davis said.

He said his opinion is the RCDA has an obligation to help promote the city and partner with businesses to help them expand and grow.

“My approach is more of a grass-roots effort, moving away from the corporate model,” Davis said.

Future marketing materials are likely to include information about the evolving school system, the future National Coast Guard Museum, colleges, major employers, downtown businesses and the city's access to transportation.

Davis said he envisions a less static website, with links to other community organizations.

As for recent developments, he said the RCDA is involved in conversations with parties interested in both the Martin Center and Parcel J and he recently had meetings with a developer with sights set on a mixed-use development at Fort Trumbull.

“There has been quite a bit of activity and interest,” Davis said. “People have to keep in mind that development on this scale takes some time.”

 g.smith@theday.com