SOUTH BURLINGTON - A new 83-unit apartment building rising at the end of Dorset Street and Williston Road is just one of several projects included in the redevelopment of the former Holiday Inn site here, near one of the busiest intersections in town, which includes ill-timed red lights that are a never-ending source of frustration for those traveling east.

When the Burlington Free Press wrote about the project in 2021, the apartment building was still awaiting Act 250 approval. South Burlington's Development Review Board signed off in October 2021 on the apartment building, as well as renovations to the Holiday Inn, a second hotel and upgrades to Williston Road to straighten out the abruptly shifting lanes near the traffic light.

Developer Joe Larkin has now decided to demolish the former Holiday Inn and build something new. Larkin said Monday he doesn't yet know what will replace the hotel, but he and his team will figure that out over the next week or two.

"More apartments could go here, a hotel could go here, an extended stay (hotel) could go here," Larkin said of the former Holiday Inn building.

Tired bones

Remodeling on the Holiday Inn had already begun, but Larkin stopped it last August after the project began to feel like an episode of This Old House, he said.

"The renovation was riddled with challenges," Larkin said. "Some of our assumptions about the building were wrong. Candidly, the old bones of the Holiday Inn didn't have enough charm to keep."

The third building on the site will be a Hampton Inn on the corner of the property near Williston Road. The entrance will be shifted east about 35 feet, to align with Dorset Street's crosswalks and traffic lights.

Larkin said he wants to create a neighborhood feel for the project. He pointed to several large piles of dirt where a plaza area will be, connecting the three buildings in a "walkable" space.

"Cars would be driving through it, but it makes it more pedestrian friendly," Larkin explained. "Each of these buildings will have a lively, urban feel to them, with cafes, hopefully a restaurant and some light retail."

The apartment building will have eight two-bedroom apartments and 75 one-bedroom and studio apartments, including a dozen affordable apartments. The building will have about 6,000-square-feet of retail space. Larkin said the building will be finished by the end of November.

"We're hoping it's the start of a neighborhood continuing down that way the next 20 years," Larkin said, pointing toward the nearby Windjammer Restaurant.

The project

Project cost: Originally estimated at about $18.3 million, the current cost is yet to be determined because of the uncertainty regarding what will replace the Holiday Inn.

Developer: Larkin Hospitality (South Burlington)

Contractor: Stewart Construction, Inc. (Essex Junction)

Architect: BMA Architectural Group (Amherst, New Hampshire)

Engineer: VHB (South Burlington)

Address: 1068 Williston Road, South Burlington.

Progress:

• Five-story apartment building under construction, slated to be completed by the end of November.

• Renovations of former Holiday Inn halted. Building will be demolished to make way for something new, yet to be determined.

Features:

• 83 units in a five-story apartment building; 8 two-bedroom apartments, 75 one-bedroom and studio apartments.

• Two-level parking garage at north end of apartments.

• About 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial/retail space included in apartment building.

• New hotel likely to be a 101-room Hampton Inn, with partially enclosed roof garden.

• Municipal water and sewer; natural gas heating.

• Eight electric vehicle charging stations.

What's in the neighborhood:

• Windjammer Inn & Conference Center/Best Western Plus.

• Four other hotels in the immediate vicinity.

• Interstate Exit 14/Williston Road (northbound entrance ramp).

• Higher Ground.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: South Burlington is getting 74 new apartments at end of Dorset Street