Construction of a planned Residence Inn at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road has been held up pending the replacement of a sewer line, according to the developer.

Timothy Eden, founder of Starr Capital LLC and the project’s development partner, said the company has been working to get a permit from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

The line that needs replaced, he said, runs along Colesville Road and under the Metro bridge, then left up East-West Highway.

That route requires coordination not only with WSSC, but also the State Highway Administration, the Maryland Transit Administration, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and CSX Railroad, Eden said.

The work will cost the company $4 million, he said. In addition, the delay has resulted in cost increases for the building’s construction.

As a result, Eden said the company is reassessing the details, looking for cost savings in areas such as the common space and the food and beverage services, while still delivering a quality product.

As reported earlier, the original site plans were approved in December 2017 for a 173-room extended-stay hotel that will stand 145 feet tall, with about 4,200 square feet of ground-level retail, about 5,000 square feet of meeting space, dining, and 28 below-grade parking spaces.

Groundbreaking originally was planned for the second quarter of 2018. Eden couldn’t provide a date when construction would begin, but said he hoped to have the sewer issue settled by August and then to be able to proceed.

Top, rendering of the Residence Inn lobby. Renderings courtesy Starr Capital. Click on images below to enlarge.