Norwich — Several state and city economic development officials toured the large tracts of woods and farmland in Occum Wednesday and outlined a plan being studied to create a second business park, including a request to the state for new on- and off-ramps connecting the property to Interstate 395.

Mayor Peter Nystrom, members of the Norwich Community Development Corp. board, Norwich Public Utilities, state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, and state Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, toured the property Wednesday afternoon with state Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman and two state Department of Transportation officials.

The Norwich Community Development Corp. has a purchase agreement for $3.55 million for 17 parcels totaling 348 acres that includes the two former farms, where proposals for a luxury golf resort and commercial development fell through a decade ago. The option included in the agreement of sale between NCDC and owners Byron Brook Country Club LLC and M&A Holdings LLC has been extended twice and runs through Dec. 15, 2021, with a possible extension to Dec. 15, 2022.

The group walked the farm properties and at one point reached a vantage point on the Tarryk Farm that provided a commanding vista of much of the property being considered for the second business park.

Henry Resnikoff, project consultant for NCDC, showed the tour group preliminary maps and design plans, including locations on the former Tarryk Farm property where two ramps connecting to I-395 could be located. Resnikoff and Nystrom told the state officials they virtually copied the plan used in East Lyme to create new Interstate 95 ramps for the new Costco store.

DOT officials pointed out to the city group that Costco paid for the roadwork in East Lyme.

After the 90-minute tour, Nystrom called it a “great, great meeting that provided Commissioner Lehman with a thorough overview of the proposed project.

“We had a very strong dialogue of what we are trying to do there,” Nystrom said.

He praised Resnikoff for having “every answer” to the state officials’ questions.

Norwich agencies are using the option period to study the feasibility of creating the business park on the property. Resnikoff said the property contains 80 acres of wetlands, which would be turned over to the city to be protected permanently.

Nystrom said the city is not asking for specific funding from the state at this point, but that state officials “get behind the project.” He said state officials now have a greater understanding of the plan.

On Tuesday night, the Commission on the City Plan gave its unanimous endorsement — two members who also are NCDC board members recused themselves — to a proposed business master plan district, an overlay zoning district that would be applied to the Occum property.

The commission made several changes to the proposal submitted by NCDC. Because the business district master plan potentially could be used as an overlay zone in other areas of the city, the commission voted to reduce the proposed minimum size from 200 acres to 100 acres. Other tweaks were made to parking, architectural design requirements and approval and development deadlines for properties within the master plan district.

Commission member Kathy Warzecha also objected to what she called a limited list of allowed uses within the zone. She added language to say the list was “non-inclusive” and other types of development could be proposed, subject to approval by city planning and zoning authorities.

In Norwich, the City Council serves as the zoning commission.

The council will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. April 5 on an ordinance to create the proposed master plan development district. While the overlay district could apply to other areas of the city, the submitted plan specifically states it would be used for the proposed second business park in Occum.

c.bessette@theday.com