The half-finished hotel that has stood along Route 50 for nearly 14 years will be demolished, according to a newly adopted ordinance in Loudoun County, Virginia.
The site plan for the 243-room, 161,489 square foot Sheraton Dulles South Hotel at East Gate was accepted in 2008 but has sat vacant at 25450 Lizzio Center Drive along Route 50 since then.
On Tuesday, the county’s Board of Supervisors held a public hearing for residents and the current property owner to discuss the option of demolishing the structure.
“The unfinished hotel site on Route 50 has been a source of frustration and concern for Dulles District residents for well over a decade,” said Matt Letourneau, Dulles Supervisor with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.
The board then agreed to have the metal structure removed.
“If the owner does not remove the structure after reasonable notice of being required to do so, the county will proceed with removal at the owner’s expense,” the county government wrote in a news release Friday.
“In addition to being unsightly, it attracts individuals participating in unsafe behaviors and poses a safety risk for the community and for first responders. Despite my many attempts over the years, the site has not been redeveloped and the structure remains. I am pleased that the Board of Supervisors has now taken this action to ensure that the structure will be taken down,” Letourneau added.
One of the main concerns of the county board is how the unmonitored, empty lot has attracted crime from the area as the broken fence is easily breached.
“The site has been broken into, there’s been vandalism. It’s become a hangout place for teenagers to go and do things they probably shouldn’t be doing,” Letourneau told WTOP last month.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has responded to three incidents in recent years, including an injured juvenile in July 2017 who required an assisted rescue. The board also claimed the metal hotel skeleton could endanger the safety of area residents if someone gets injured.
“It’s been there a long time, and it really is a blight on the community, and it’s unfortunately quite noticeable. We’re trying to make it a welcoming place that people are proud to live in and businesses want to locate. It’s such an eyesore, and a safety hazard, and it just kind of holds us back,” Letourneau said.
