SoNo hotel project granted one-year extension

NORWALK — After facing some hurdles in 2023, the Marriott SoNo Residence Inn was granted a one-year extension on its expansion project.

“We are asking for a oneyear extension of time, and that is largely due to the volatility in the interest market in 2023, increases in volatility in the construction industry, both of which we anticipate will level off and become a little more stable in the upcoming year,” said attorney Liz Suchy, representing the hotel during the Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting Wednesday night.

Last February, the P&Z Commission approved the hotel’s expansion into the next-door property at 31-35 S. Main St. The eight-story expansion will add 48 rooms and 45 street parking spaces.

The property at 31-35 S. Main St., also known as the Udelman building, was constructed in 1927 and is within the South Main and Washington Street historic district, which was established in 1985.

Progress on the demolition was delayed to determine the historical value of the property.

Historic preservation hurdles also delayed the project’s start, Suchy said.

“We’re also delayed a little bit in moving forward in that the State Historic Preservation Office weighed in on the demolition of the structure where this project was going to be constructed,” Suchy said. “And then also we had the redevelopment third-party review, which extended into late April.”

The Norwalk Preservation Trust spoke out against the demolition, saying the expansion and historical preservation could be achieved simultaneously.

But a peer review did not find the building to have historical significance. In the report, shared with Hearst Connecticut Media, it was found that the two-story, seven bay wide retail space was “decidedly unremarkable.”

“Expansion of a nationally recognized hotel will further assist SoNo to thrive and flourish and continue to serve as an integral component to connect and integrate the area, from the Maritime Aquarium to the South Norwalk Railroad Station,” the developers wrote in their application.

The P&Z Commission did not hesitate to move and unanimously approved the one-year extension.

“We are just asking for a one-year extension of time; we fully anticipate we’ll move forward in the upcoming year,” Suchy said.

H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media Residence Inn by Marriott Norwalk’s planned expansion into a historical building at 31-35 South Main Street, Norwalk. The expansion adds 45 rooms and parking spaces to the hotel.