A New York investment firm wants to convert an extended stay hotel in the Fair Lakes area into housing.
Churchwick Partners submitted a rezoning application to Fairfax County on Dec. 21 for the existing Sonesta Extended Stay Suites at 12811 Fair Lakes Parkway.
The rezoning would convert the property from the Planned Development Commercial district to Planned Development Housing.
Chadwick Partners has been buying extended stay hotels across the country over the past few years, particularly the Sonesta brand, including an $80 million purchase of 12 Sonesta properties in 2022.
While the investment firm said in 2022 that it was going to keep operating the extended stay hotels, over the past few years, it has proposed several redevelopments into housing. A similar project is planned in Herndon for another Sonesta Extended Stay, and others have been approved or are under consideration in Illinois, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio.
Developers also have recently been proposing several redevelopments of commercial property in Fairfax County into residential space, including the Flint Hill Office Park and Fair Oaks Business Park.
The existing Sonesta hotel has 114 rooms across three buildings on 3.14 acres near the Fairfax County Parkway exit of I-66. The buildings make up about 83,000 square feet and were constructed in 1997.
Previously a Residence Inn by Marriott, the hotel was rebranded by Sonesta in February 2021. According to Fairfax County records, Chadwick Partners purchased the property on Sept. 25 for $850,000 — seemingly well below the $10 million that the county assessed as the value of the buildings and land for 2025.
“The proposed conversion of the existing underutilized extended stay hotel into a multi-family residential development aligns with the overall vision for the Fairfax Center Area,” the application says.
All the rooms, which are primarily studios, would be converted into apartments. The application says at least 8% of the rooms will be reserved for affordable or workforce housing.
The firm is also seeking a reduction in the required number of parking spaces from 149 to 125.
Image via Google Maps
