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Worcester officials say a planned five-building development accompanying the under-construction Polar Park AAA baseball stadium will be delayed by a year or more and will lose about half its hotel rooms.

City Manager Edward Augustus notified city councilors in a letter on Friday that accompanied a proposed updated agreement between Madison Properties and the city. The story was first reported by the Worcester Business Journal.

Madison is currently seeking a building permit for one of two residential buildings in the development and hopes to begin construction this fall, and has recieved city Planning Board approval for both that and the office-focused “Left Field Building,”  which will overlook the ballpark itself. Initial site preparation work for the building has begun, Augustus said, adding that Madison has “sourced equity to support the overall financial plan” and established an Opportunity Zone fund for the project.

The biggest change to the project noted in Augustus’ letter would see completion dates for various buildings slip. The first residential building would be delayed from Sept. 1, 2021 to Sept. 1, 2022; the Left Field Building’s occupancy date would change from April 1, 2021 to April 1, 2023; the second residential building wouldn’t be completed until Dec. 31, 2023 instead of by Dec. 31, 2022; the lab building would be delayed a year, not completing until Dec. 31, 2024 unless tenants could be signed sooner; and the hotel block wouldn’t be finished until May 1, 2024 – a two-year delay.

The other significant change: the hotel block would also lose 137 of 262 rooms, shrinking from a dual-branded facility to one with only a single hotel brand.

The delays are also coupled with delays to the tax increment financing deal that undergirds the project. Augustus told city councilors that Worcester has assembled enough funds to help offset the delay in the schedule, combined with delays in the project’s debt repayment schedule.