The owner of Herndon’s Hyatt House appears ready to move forward with a potential redevelopment, but it may have to wait a little longer for any changes to be considered.
New York-based developer Widewaters has asked the Town of Herndon to amend its comprehensive plan for the hotel site at 467 Herndon Parkway to allow housing as “a viable near term redevelopment option,” according to the submitted request.
However, town staff have recommended that the request be set aside until a new comprehensive plan is finalized within the next couple of years.
“An individual [plan amendment] intended to allow a project at a specific property cannot appropriately be evaluated in isolation without a comprehensive view and assessment of the housing and market conditions, fiscal inputs, and general land use guidance,” Deputy Director of Community Development Bryce Perry said in a memo to the Herndon Town Council.
The council was scheduled to vote on a resolution supporting staff’s recommendation to not initiate a comprehensive plan amendment on Tuesday (Dec. 9), its final meeting of the year, but members voted unanimously instead to defer the item to January.
The first town council meeting of 2026 will be on Jan. 27, though members are slated to meet for a work session on Jan. 13.
Widewaters acquired Hyatt House in September 2019 for $15.3 million — an increase over the previous price of $9.1 million from a 2003 sale that “reflects anticipated redevelopment,” Fairfax County property records say.
Built in 1999, the hotel remains in operation with 104 rooms and suites, offering an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, meeting rooms and complimentary breakfasts, among other amenities, to guests.
After more than 25 years, though, Widewaters says the Hyatt House building “no longer meets brand standards for many national hotel brands.”
“However, the form of the building and overall good condition of the structure make the building on the Property an ideal candidate for conversion to a residential use,” the property owner wrote in its request to the Town of Herndon.
While it hasn’t filed a formal development plan yet, Widewaters proposed adding a provision to the town’s comprehensive plan supporting a conversion of the hotel rooms into rental apartments. The existing building’s footprint, including its parking and drive aisle configuration, would be retained.
“This amendment to the Plan will enable the Applicant to bring much needed housing and activity to this portion of the Plan area,” Widewaters said in its statement of justification.
Widewaters had previously indicated an interest in rethinking the hotel site as one of several property owners involved in Herndon’s Transit-Related Growth (TRG) Small Area Plan study, a consultant-facilitated review that kicked off in April 2022 to determine the future of development on 120 acres of commercial land near, but not immediately adjacent to, the Herndon Metro station.
Adopted by the Herndon Town Council on April 23, 2024, the plan envisions the TRG area as a mixed-use neighborhood with both single-family and multifamily housing as well as office, retail and other commercial activities.
With approximately 5.4 million square feet of potential development, the area would serve as a transition between nearby residential neighborhoods and the denser transit-oriented core right at the Metro station.
The Hyatt House property wasn’t included in the ultimate plan after Widewaters revised its intent and opted to withdraw, town staff told the council in December 2023.
“Since his plan changed, he wasn’t ready,” Elizabeth Gilleran, Herndon’s director of community development, said at the time.
Since the TRG area plan was adopted, the town has received one rezoning application for a property in the area: a proposal to replace the Van Buren office park at 250 Exchange Place with a 400-unit apartment building and townhouses. The development plan remains under review by town staff.
Supported in part by grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Herndon hired a group of contractors led by the Massachusetts-based firm Agency Landscape and Planning in September to update its comprehensive plan for 2050 and conduct a market study that will be used to establish a new economic development strategy.
Now underway, the Herndon 2050 initiative “will guide land use decisions for the town for the next 20 years,” Perry said in his memo. Data collection and community outreach efforts are expected to start in early 2026, with a final plan not coming until the fourth quarter of 2027.
According to Perry’s memo, the proposal to convert the Hyatt House building into homes, instead of a full redevelopment, isn’t compatible with the current comprehensive plan and the TRG plan, but it could be incorporated into the larger 2050 update.
“There is potential to have the types of changes proposed in this [plan amendment] considered as part of that broader initiative and interconnected conversation regarding land use policy for the town in the future,” he wrote.
Hyatt House image via Google Maps
