Commerce Chenango Board Chairman Luke Hess-Murphy; Michael O'Reilly, George Liaskos and Dan O'Reilly of Principle Design and Engineering; Commerce Chenango CEO & President Sal Testani; New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley. The Principle Hotel includes a $8.3 million renovation of the former SUNY Morrisville building at 14-16 South Broad Street. (Photo by Sophia Root)

By Sophia Root

Commerce Chenango

NORWICH - On Thursday, October 23, Principle Design Engineering broke ground on a new hotel in downtown Norwich.

To mark the special occasion a large group of area leaders and business owners joined by state officials took part in a special ceremony. They applauded the development and encouraged investment in Norwich and the greater communities of Chenango County.

Plans for The Principle Hotel include a $8.3 million renovation of the former SUNY Morrisville building at 14-16 South Broad Street.

“Today, we're about to embark on one of the largest project investments in the city of Norwich in decades. We're about to take this three story building built in 1992 and create a 61-room boutique hotel right in the heart of our city,” said Michael O'Reilly, one of the founders of Principle Design and Engineering, a firm based in Norwich.

“We get to control the name, the design language, personalize it to the area, and make it something indelibly cool,” he said.

New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosely attended the announcement representing state support for the project.

“I'm very excited for a multitude of reasons, because when you get to this point, when you start to actually break ground, you know that change is happening,” Mosley told the crowd.

He added, “Change is tangible. Change is visual. Change is going to impact your economy. Change is going to impact visitors. Change is going to impact people who vacation here. Change is going to impact the business corridor, change is going to impact the walking customers that are going to be walking up and down Broad Street.”

A fourth floor will be added to the building, as well as a rooftop lounge, restaurant, dining area, lounge, conference room, fitness center, outdoor patio and open courtyard with a fountain.

The project is comprised of five prime contracts, four of which are all local contractors who reside within 25 minutes of this project site.

This announcement is a long time coming. Norwich was selected as a recipient of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative by New York State in 2021.

Since then, plans have been laid to spend this grant on: construction of The Principle Hotel, rehabilitation of the Heritage and Unguentine Buildings, improvement of East and West Parks, upgrades to the Martin Kappel Theater at the Chenango Arts Council, and enhancements to the American Avenue Streetscape.

Sal Testani, Commerce Chenango President and CEO said “The Principle isn't just a hotel, it's a catalyst. It will bring new visitors, new energy and new opportunity to our downtown, helping strengthen all the businesses around it. So today, we're not just starting a construction project, we're continuing the transformation, one that ensures we remain a community where people want to visit, work and live.”

Commerce Chenango Board Chairman Luke Hess-Murphy added, “This project is a great example of many entities, private and public, individuals at all levels of local, regional and state government working together to bring us here today.”

Demonstrating the impact The Principle will have, O’Reilly said, “The project supports our expansive business markets and growing tourism. If you use our initial occupancy numbers of 63% that will put roughly 43,000 people into the heart of our city annually, every year. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, that equates to $2.65 million spent in our community: restaurants, bars, mercantile, gas, events and the movie theater.”

O’Reilly thanked his brother Dan, his family, his business partner George Liaskos, interior designer Laura, past summer Interns, Jim and Marty from SFCU, Omar Sanders, Dave and Jen from NBT Bank, Luke Hess-Murphy, Erik Scrivener, Sal Testani, Tyler Oliver, former mayor Carnrike, the McNeils, their contractors, and New York State for the funding.

“Our hope with this project is it will stand as a lasting testament to what perseverance, collaboration and a bold vision can achieve,” O’Reilly said.

“We're not just constructing a hotel, we're laying the foundation and the cornerstone of a legacy that will uplift our city and welcome travelers from every corner of the world as if they were coming home. With every decision we made, every obstacle overcome, our unwavering commitment has been to shape a place that radiates excellence, warmth and genuine hospitality for generations to come.”