Delamar hotel seeks to add rooftop terrace
GREENWICH — The management of the Delamar Harbor hotel is seeking permission to construct a rooftop terrace on the south wing of the luxury hotel building that is located directly on the waterfront.
Following a trend in the leisure and hospitality field, the hotel is looking to expand its outdoor spaces, and it wants to create a space for seating, a small pool and other decorative elements on top of the structure, which is now used as storage and support space.
According to the application filed with the town Planning Department by attorney Chris Bristol, the hotel has a “serious shortcoming when it comes to outdoor
space to serve its hotel guests,” and the shortage has been apparent since the hotel opened in 2003 on the harbor.
“It has been a constant and consistent complaint that the hotel’s management has advised must be addressed for the hotel to remain competitive in the coming years as a leisure-luxury hotel,” the application stated.
A similar application for the Delamar was reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission in 2015, but the terrace was never constructed, and the proposal is now being put forward again.
As in 2015, the hotel management said there would be no bar service, no music and the hours of operation would be restricted from dawn to dusk in the new outdoor space. The terrace would be only used by hotel guests, and light fare and drinks would be offered there, according to the application.
The hotel is not proposing a full restaurant use on the rooftop terrace.
Attorney John Tesei, addressing the Planning & Zoning Commission on Thursday, said the planning for a small pool was still in the works. “We’d like the option,” he said.
The commission held an informal review of the proposal on Thursday, pending a formal application and site plan that is expected to be filed soon.
P&Z Commission Chairwoman Margarita Alban noted that there were residences nearby, which the commission had to take into account for the hotel project.
“I would like to be flexible. Post-Covid, making a space for people to relax outdoors seems like a good idea,” she said, noting that she was speaking only for herself, not for the commission.
Tesei responded, “It’s a balance. We don’t have much more outdoor land.”
“It’s good to be flexible,” P&Z Commissioner Peter Lowe said.
Alban said that the P&Z Commission was likely to set conditions on hours, bar service and music as part of any approval. More specifics on the kind of
dining and beverage operations would be sought as the application moves forward, commissioners said.
An elevator and stairs are also part of the proposal for the rooftop terrace.
Construction work could take place in coming months for the terrace to be in operation next year, if approvals are granted, according to the application.
Other changes are planned at the Delamar. The L’Escale restaurant at the hotel is closing at the end of the year, after the hotel management declined to renew the lease.
Greenwich Harbor LLC is the owner of record at the property at 500 Steamboat Road, along with Greenwich Hospitality Group founder and CEO Charles Mallory. A similar operation will open there next year in the restaurant space.