NORWICH – At the City of Norwich joint committees meeting on Tuesday night, the committees unanimously approved a motion to designate up to 70 parking spaces and $25,000 in resources for the hotel project being undertaken by Principle Design & Engineering, PLLC that will be considered later this month by the Common Council.

Mike O'Reilly and Dan O'Reilly of Principle Design & Engineering, PLLC, along with supporter and collaborator Patrick McNeil, proposed a reconfiguration of the Hayes Street municipal parking lot and asked the committees for the city's support to designate up to 70 parking spots for the future hotel's parking.

McNeil noted that the project has already received a $500,000 CFA grant to restore the former Morrisville school building at 16 South Broad Street into a hotel, but that their biggest hurdle remains: designating ample parking so that the project can obtain a hotel flag.

"Do we want this project to go forward? Because we need this parking lot," said McNeil. "We need your vote. Without that, we can't get a flag. We have to have a hotel flag––if we don't, the project's dead."

Mike O'Reilly said hotel flags will require 70 parking spots for hotel the hotel––enough parking for one space per room, and also for hotel employees.