Plymouth Township Changes Mind on Hotel to Apartment Conversion
In a key local development decision, Plymouth Township’s Zoning Hearing Board voted 3-1 to approve plans to transform the long-vacant former DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia West at 640 Fountain Road into a residential apartment community. The decision, made during a public meeting on February 16, 2026, grants a special exception under the township’s zoning ordinance that allows the property — previously operated as a 253-room hotel — to be converted into apartments.
Proposed Development
The proposed development will reconfigure the existing six-story hotel structure into 173 one-bedroom and 40 two-bedroom units, equaling a total of 213 apartments. The apartments, sized roughly between 600 and 1,200 square feet, will be created largely from the former hotel rooms, with interior public spaces such as the lobby and event areas repurposed as resident amenities. The exterior of the building will remain substantially unchanged under the current plans, preserving the existing architectural footprint.
Below Market Rents to be Offered
The property is owned by Kingsbury Hospitality REIT I Inc., a company that acquired the hotel in 2022 for approximately $22.3 million, benefiting from distressed hotel market conditions following the pandemic. Company representatives emphasized during the hearing that this investment position enables them to offer rental rates that could be below those of comparable apartment communities in the area, potentially attracting new residents seeking relatively affordable housing options in this part of Montgomery County. During the February 16th meeting, the applicant provided a sheet that showed a one bedroom at the former hotel renting for $1,585 and a two-bedroom for $2,325 which is lower that the averages at existing apartment communities which rent for $2,158.75 for a one bedroom and $2,710 for a two-bedroom.
Reasoning for Granting Special Exception
Despite the zoning board’s approval, the process has encountered some organized opposition and procedural hurdles. Earlier in January 2026, the Plymouth Township Planning Agency voted 4-3 not to recommend the special exception, expressing concerns that apartments did not fit the planned office park zoning district’s intended character and raising questions about potential impacts on traffic, township infrastructure, and services. However, the zoning hearing board — which ultimately has authority over special exceptions — chose to grant the variance based on testimony that residential apartments, particularly those adapted from extended-stay suite configurations, are similar in character to hotel uses already permitted in the zoning district.
Responses to Community Concerns
At the hearing, applicants also addressed common community concerns, providing expert testimony and data related to traffic generation, school system impact, and sewer usage. Traffic experts cited comparisons showing that apartments would generate similar volumes of traffic as the previous hotel use. School impact was projected to be minimal due to the relatively small number of larger family units, and wastewater usage data suggested parallels between hotel and residential usage levels based on Pennsylvania DEP standards.
Project Aimed to Help Revitalization of Business District
The project reflects a broader pattern of adaptive reuse and residential growth in the Plymouth Meeting area. Local development patterns have increasingly favored converting underperforming or obsolete commercial properties — such as hotels and office buildings — into housing as market demand shifts. In concert with other apartment projects in the vicinity, including conversions near Plymouth Meeting Mall and speculation about future mixed-use transformations of larger sites, the hotel-to-apartment conversion adds to a growing portfolio of residential options aimed at revitalizing portions of the township.
Goal of Township
Looking ahead, developers anticipate finalizing detailed design plans and moving forward with construction and occupancy timelines, with the goal of having tenants begin moving in as soon as summer 2026. The redevelopment not only addresses the future of a prominent vacant property but also plays into larger community and economic planning discussions about housing supply, land use, and strategic growth in Plymouth Township and neighboring Montgomery County.
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