There's talk of a new $15 million hotel project being built on an empty parcel of land in the Fort Trumbull area.
It could put that property back on the tax roll for the first time in 10 to 15 years.
The hotel, proposed by the Massachusetts-based J-Hotel Group, would include a conference center, restaurant and coffee shop all on New London's waterfront.
The group's attorney, Glenn Carberry, of TCORS, said it could create between 20 to 60 full-time and part-time jobs.
"Hopefully the timing is right now to create something to benefit the city," Carberry said.
"Obviously it creates buzz and it puts New London out in front of the development world," said Peter Davis, executive director of Renaissance City Development Association, that owns the land.
RCDA is the City of New London's development partner.
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Davis said the original concept was to build a hotel on the nine acre parcel of land about a decade ago. But the plan fell through, partially because of the economy.
Now with the growth of Electric Boat, the coast guard museum, and the merger of L&M Healthcare and Yale New Haven Hospitals, it seems like the right time to grow, he added.
Commercial fisherman would potentially need to be relocated. The Connecticut Port Authority is looking at options at State Pier.
Proposed housing projects on Howard Street and at the corner of Howard and Bank Streets can drive even more people to the area, Davis added. He believes residential housing can rejuvenate a community.
There has been a lot of talk about the history of eminent domain in the Fort Trumbull. This parcel is not part of that. But Davis said it's time to build up the Fort Trumbull area.
While the hotel is only an idea, Nathan Przybysz at Dev's American Bistro & Bar on Bank Street said it could mean a lot of foot traffic and word of mouth.
He's excited about the possibility.
"We'd be so close to them they wouldn't need a means of transportation to get to us," Przybysz.
