Waterbury, Conn., Economic Resource Center Launches Web Site

Jun. 27--A new Web site containing a wide assortment of eclectic information about Waterbury will be accessible to the public within a week.
The new site, sponsored by the Waterbury Economic Resource Center, contains statistical profiles of the community, lists of schools, parks, restaurants and shopping centers, information on the local labor market and a detailed inventory of available commercial and industrial property throughout the city.
A real estate database to be up and running by the time the Web site goes online within the next five to seven days. The address will be: www.GrowWaterbury.com.
The new site also contains numerous links to other Web sites that offer additional information about the city and its institutions.
"It's designed to give anyone who may be interested in relocating to Waterbury a quick and convenient way to see what's here; to give them a quick read on what Waterbury offers," said Robert M. Van Geons, the city's economic development director. "Our goal was to provide a convenient way of getting all the information you need about Waterbury within three clicks."
The inventory of commercial and industrial property will list all types of commercial real estate, including factory and office buildings, warehouses and empty lots zoned for industrial use, Van Geons said. Each property in the database will be listed with a digital photo and a description of its dimensions. The listing will also include broker contact information, amenities, such as the number of loading docks or parking spaces, applicable zoning limitations and leasing or purchasing information.
Each listing will have a mapping component that will help visitors locate the property, he said. Visitors will also be able to compile site-specific demographic data about the property and its surroundings, including, for instance, the income level or shopping habits of everyone within a 1- 3- or 5-mile radius of the property.
The real estate database cost $12,500 to create and to maintain for the next two years, Van Geons said, with a portion of the money coming from a Waterbury Foundation grant.
In addition, the site will eventually contain a customized business-resource search engine that will enable visitors interested in a particular commercial property to inspect the various tax-incentive packages, loan programs and business development grants purchasers of the property might qualify to receive. Van Geons said he expects the business-resource search engine to be up and running in 30 to 45 days.
A quick surf of the data available elsewhere throughout the site reveals a wealth of information about the city, including such nuggets as:
n Approximately one-third of the nation's total population lives within a 500-mile radius of Waterbury;
n The city has a total labor force of 113,634;
n The average salary of payroll clerks in Waterbury is $11.10 per hour, while telemarketers make an average of $9.28, bank tellers make $8.90 and receptionists make $7.55;
n Webster Financial Corp., the city's two hospitals -- St. Mary's and Waterbury Hospital -- and Connecticut Light & Power Co., are the city's top employers;
n Housing costs in the city are well below state norms: a two-bedroom condominium averages $65,000, a three-bedroom home in a family neighborhood averages $115,000 and a two-bedroom rental apartment averages $650 per month;
n As of 1999, there were 215,596 books in the Silas Bronson Library.
The site also contains information on the city's Information Technology Zone as well as short profiles of, contact information for and links to the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce, Waterbury Partnership for Growth, the Naugatuck Valley Development Corp. and the Waterbury Foundation.
The site also lists and provides contact information for 17 different neighborhood or civic associations throughout the city.
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(c) 2003, Waterbury Republican-American, Conn. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.