Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham Richardson, a long-stay hotel, is on track to be converted into an apartment complex.
Richardson’s City Plan Commission unanimously recommended a rezoning Oct. 20 that would allow the hotel to be converted into Hudson Heights, a planned affordable apartment development.
The overview
Hawthorn Extended Stay was originally constructed in 1982 and contains 72 hotel suites, city planner Christine Ross said. The property has three hotel buildings, an activity building, an outdoor pool, tennis courts and an indoor fitness center.
The hotel suites, which already include full kitchens, balconies and storage areas, are planned to be transformed into 36 studio apartments and 36 one-bedroom apartments.
Developer Culby Culbertson said his goal with Hudson Heights is to provide a more affordable place to live for the Richardson workforce and attract new residents to the city.
“As we’re continuing to grow the city, we need workforce housing to accommodate a lot of the tremendous growth,” Culbertson said. “What we also want to see as a city is implementing more opportunity for future permanent residents.”
Culbertson estimated that rent for the studio apartments would range from $950-$1,000 per month and the one-bedroom units would be around $1,600-$1,800 per month.
A closer look
The studio apartments will have a minimum of 550 square feet, while the one-bedroom units will be at least 820 square feet.
Culbertson said he plans to upgrade each unit’s interior fixtures and finishings, as well as provide painting and other upgrades to the exterior of the property.
The hotel activity building will be converted into a residential activity building with a leasing office, clubhouse and study area, Ross said. The existing indoor fitness center and outdoor pool will remain, as will the tennis courts, although they will be updated to accommodate pickleball in addition to tennis.
Two landscaped areas on the property will also be repurposed into usable open space with picnic tables, a grill and a fenced-in dog park.
“There’s so much space that’s just not being utilized,” Culbertson said. “We plan to use those to enhance the experience and the long-term tenant occupancy.”
Also of note
Culbertson requested a reduction in the zoning parking requirement of 144 spaces, as the property only contains 90 parking spaces. Due to the small size of the units, Culbertson said he expects that the development will primarily attract single occupants with one car, rather than families who will need multiple spaces.
In addition to the on-site parking, street parking is also available and Culbertson said he could also pursue a shared parking agreement with nearby businesses.
“If it’s more affordable housing than people can find anywhere, you may have families with kids, you may have young couples starting out,” commission member Kristen Schascheck said. “It may be a little presumptive to assume that it’s going to be a 1-to-1 ratio.”
Looking ahead
Following the commission’s unanimous recommendation of approval, City Council will consider the rezoning request.
“It makes all kinds of sense to push this [hotel] into something that we do need, which is more [apartment] units in our city, especially units that can appeal to the workforce,” Vice Chairman Jeremy Thomason said.
Culbertson said the full renovation of the complex could be completed within a year.
