Diana Li Photo
Dorthula Green urges zoners to let neighbors’ voices be heard.
After the project initially seemed bound for easy approval, neighbors lined up to urge city zoners not to let the Marriott build a new residence inn on Elm Street behind its Whalley Avenue hotel — at least not until Dwight has more say.
The opposition surfaced Tuesday night at the monthly Board of Zoning Appeals meeting inside the Hall of Records at 200 Orange St. Marriott wants to build the 115-room six-story facility at the corner of Elm and Howe Streets. adjacent to the hotel’s current 30 Whalley Ave. location.
A rendition of the planned Residence Inn.
The proposal first came up for hearing at the BZA two months ago, when commissioners decided to continue the hearing in order to obtain more information. (The zoners don’t meet in August.)
Courtyard Marriott developer Douglas Cohen of the Newport Hotel Group and his attorney, James Perito, Tuesday night continued to present their case for the addition of the residence inn. Meant to complement the Marriott, the new hotel would target visitors planning on extended stays. Room layouts include a mix of studio-style and one-bedroom suites with kitchenettes.
There were two requests up for discussion: First, permission for an increase in floor-to-area (FAR) ratio of 2.0 to 2.4, allowing a larger building than permitted under the zoning code; and second, a special exception for 216 parking spaces where the zoning code currently requires 267 spaces.
The board could have voted on the FAR increase on Tuesday, but not on the parking-space exception. That matter must first go to the City Plan Commission and come back to the Board of Zoning Appeals in October. Since the two issues are related, the board decided to vote on both of them next month at their October meeting instead of taking a vote Tuesday night.
In the meantime, the board heard from 11 neighbors who hadn’t previously spoken up about the project, as well as from the developer.
“We need to start moving this project along,” said Perito (pictured addressing the zoning board). “This is a business world, and we’d like to see this move forward.”
Perito described meetings his group has held about the project with individual neighbors and local groups . He said that some design changes have already occurred as a result of discussions, with feedback continuing.
Sheila Masterson, executive director of the Whalley Avenue Special Services District, spoke in favor of the project. She confirmed that the developer had attended two monthly meetings of her group to seek input.
“In fact, at our September meeting, one of my board members asked, ‘Didn’t we approve this already?’ This hotel would be a strong addition to New Haven,” said Masterson (pictured).
Other neighbors addressing the hearing complained that they had little notice about the project. Some said they learned about the project just a few days before Tuesday’s hearing.
Dorthula Green, a member of the Dwight Central Management Team, said that the developer has not sufficiently consulted the neighborhood.
“The Dwight management team is the segue into the community, and we ask that all those who are interested in bringing business and whatever else in the area make sure they come to the management team,” she said.
Curlena McDonald, co-chair of the Dwight Central Management Team, argued that the developer should have contacted her group. She said she first heard of the project was when she read about it in the New Haven Independent and never directly from the developer.
“At our meeting just last week, it was amazing how many people didn’t even know there was a hotel going up,” said Dwight resident Elaine Quinn. Two neighbors that testified said they had just heard about the project two days before Tuesday’s hearing.
Ward 2 Alderman Frank Douglass.
Dwight Alder Frank Douglass (pictured) argued that while this new hotel “might just benefit” the neighborhood, the developer “needs to start over” with the community.
Perito responded that his team had tried contacting the Dwight Central Management Team over the summer. Due to miscommunication and contacting the wrong individual, he said, he not aware of the group’s September meeting. Zoning board member Victor Fasano said the 11 people who testified against the approval demonstrated that there had not been enough dialogue with community members.
Some neighbors spoke about parking and traffic concerns. Alex Lew, a student at Yale University, argued that during peak times, such as Parents’ Weekend and commencement, an “already cramped” space would see even more traffic and difficulty with parking.
Perito responded that the new hotel would have the same ratio of parking spaces to rooms (0.68 parking spaces per hotel room) it has now. Even at the peak times Lew mentioned, the Marriott has never reached full capacity with parking, meaning the new project would not cause any spillover street parking, he said.
The board could have voted on the FAR increase on Tuesday, but not on the parking-space exception. That matter must first go to the City Plan Commission and come back to the Board of Zoning Appeals in October. Since the two issues are related, the board decided to vote on both of them next month at their October meeting instead of taking a vote Tuesday night.