Burlington International Airport could finally be getting a long-anticipated hotel.
After delays brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and safety concerns raised by the Federal Aviation Administration, the project developer has submitted a revised application to the city of South Burlington and hopes to start construction by the fall.
The proposed Fairfield Inn by Marriott would be located on an oversized parking lot north of the airport’s parking garage. The five-story building is expected to primarily benefit business travelers and passengers affected by flight delays or cancellations.
South Burlington’s planning and zoning department previously approved the project in 2021, but developer DEW Construction has since modified its plans. The firm is now seeking to construct 119 hotel rooms instead of the previously approved 111 rooms, according to Pete Kelley, vice president of business development at DEW Construction. An onsite restaurant and bar were also removed from the plan.
The new application is under administrative review, according to city development review planner Marla Keene.
Keene said she expects an updated permit will likely be issued in the next couple of weeks since the proposed changes are relatively minor.
Nic Longo, the airport’s aviation director, did not respond to requests for comment via phone and email since last month. At a meeting in May, he informed the airport commissions meeting that construction would likely begin in the fall.
The hotel was initially proposed in 2018 following a trend of airport hotels opening around the country. The plan began with a 105-room hotel located at the south end of the airport’s parking lot.
Construction was expected to begin in 2019, Kelley says. But the Federal Aviation Administration concluded that the proposed structure would interfere with the airport’s radar system, possibly posing a safety concern.
To adhere to FAA regulations, the proposal was redesigned and relocated to allow for designated hotel parking that was not initially included in plans. Updated permits were approved in February 2020 and another groundbreaking date was set for summer 2020 — which was later scrapped because flights decreased and revenue fell at the airport due to the pandemic.
The airport hotel began as a $15 million project. Price increases have caused total costs to go up by about $1.5 million, according to Kelley, who said increased building material costs and other expenses are the primary reason for the change.
The hotel is estimated to cause airport traffic to increase by no more than 38 cars during airport peak hours, 4-6 p.m., according to the approved 2021 plan. Keene says this is likely to stay the same. The plan indicates the hotel will have designated parking and that, based on scaled findings from other airport hotels, the hotel will create a parking demand of 45 vehicles daily.
Hotel access would be on Airport Drive and the hotel exit will be shared with airport traffic emptying onto the airport circle driveway.
