With the Woods Corners site in Norwich demolished the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency is seeking infrastructure improves to aid in future development. Chobani and the IDA are collaborating for a solution. (Photos by Shawn Magrath)

NORWICH – The Chenango County Industrial Development Agency doesn’t know exactly what’s next for the razed property at Woods Corners. But one thing the agency says is certain: The site needs public water and sewer to be viable for future developers.

The now leveled site north of the City of Norwich, once a hub for Proctor and Gamble and more recently owned and utilized by Chobani for administrative offices, was leveled last week – an undertaking spearheaded by Chobani to make the site “shovel ready” for future development. Chobani is carrying out the multi-million dollar demolition and cleanup effort without any form of public assistance.

Chobani initially sought a buyer for the Woods Corners facility in 2023 and continued the search for nearly two years. However, the property presented too much risk for investors, largely due to its complicated boiling and septic systems that were shared among the five separate buildings on site. Despite a few near deals, including one with a private solar company that backed out of a proposal to create a solar microgrid, developers shied away from signing a final closing agreement.

With demolition and cleanup of the facility now underway, Chobani is collaborating with the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to identify a solution for the site that would have the “greatest transformational" impact on the greater Norwich area, said Commerce Chenango President and CEO Sal Testani.

“We need to start thinking about what would be true in order to make that site attractive to development in our area,” Testani said. “People are speculating on what development there might mean; but that’s the point. We want to understand what would be best for our community, and Chobani has been a tremendous partner with us on this project.”

Efforts between the IDA and Chobani go hand-in-hand with a $50,000 Empire State Development grant recently awarded to the IDA to fund a feasibility study to extend Norwich city water and sewer to Woods Corners. Public water and wastewater lines end at NBT Bank on State Route 320, just a few hundred yards west of the demolished facility. The study will examine the challenge of extending water and wastewater lines to the east side of the Chenango River and up the Route 12 corridor, as far north as the Lt. Warren Eaton Airport two miles from the Norwich city limit.

“The development of public water and wastewater districts have been a topic of discussion for my 35 years of dealing with Chenango County,” said Chenango IDA Chairman RC Woodford. “It’s been a somewhat common issue over the years. This project is an opportunity where the IDA, whose mission is to go after job creation as well as increase taxable value and the local tax base, is a great opportunity.”

Testani says the study, which will include site evaluation as well as an action plan to

support economic investment in the targeted zone, is a necessary step in attracting the right developer for the site.

“We believe that the whole Route 12 corridor has tremendous opportunity,” said Testani, adding his hopes of attracting an advanced manufacturer that may contract with larger new manufacturing industries, including Micron. Because of work performed by Proctor and Gamble, the Woods Corners site already has a jumpstart on energy infrastructure needed to support advanced manufacturing.

“What I would like to see from this state grant is at least a preliminary service area that could be identified for water and wastewater. We’ve had some discussions with respective towns and they have identified at least some possible service areas. This will help us focus on that project and help see it to fruition.”