Burlington Planning Commission Recommends Denial of WoodSpring Hotel Near Elementary School

A split vote by Burlington's Planning and Zoning Commission has put the brakes on a proposed 122-room WoodSpring Suites extended-stay hotel near Highland Elementary School, with commissioners recommending denial of developer Kartik Patel's request to rezone a 5.5-acre parcel at the corner of Bonnar Bridge Parkway and Danbrook Road.

Patel presented the WoodSpring prototype to the commission on March 26, arguing that the four-story hotel would occupy roughly two acres of the parcel, leaving the remaining 3.5 acres available for complementary uses. He sought a limited-use designation for that remainder that would permit small retail, medical offices, and a walk-in restaurant, though not a drive-through. Patel framed the arrangement as a way to "put something else beside" the extended-stay hotel. The WoodSpring concept, as proposed, would carry no restaurant or bar on-site.

The proposal ran into a tangle of competing standards. City Planning Director Jamie Lawson noted that development rules adopted in November 2019 cap building heights at three stories for projects adjacent to residential areas, a restriction that sits in tension with the parcel's existing entitlements. In April 2007, Burlington's City Council had rezoned the same 5.5 acres for a five-story Holiday Inn with a restaurant and bar and an adjacent four-story office building. That conditional approval technically remains on the books, and Lawson said the planning department would need to analyze how the newer standards apply given those older approvals.

Four neighbors submitted written comments that were read into the record, voicing concerns about building height, traffic, and whether an extended-stay hotel would be compatible with the single-family homes in the Mackintosh on the Lake subdivision directly adjacent to the site.

The commission's recommendation now advances to Burlington's City Council, which faces a layered decision: preserve the older 2007 conditional approval for a five-story Holiday Inn and office complex, allow Patel's scaled-back proposal for a hotel with limited retail uses, or require the developer to redesign the project to conform to current development standards. The gateway corner at Bonnar Bridge Parkway and Danbrook Road, abutting both a school and an established neighborhood, will be shaped by whichever path council chooses.