Apartments planned for the former ‘Rock ‘n Roll’ Burger King property in Van Ness

4422 Connecticut Avenue NW

Three Van Ness properties are under contract to a single buyer that intends to build apartments on two of the lots.

A screenshot of the website for the commercial real estate firm Feldman Ruel, which is handling the sale of the three properties.

The buyer: Highcrest, a DC-based developer. The properties: the former Van Ness Burger King and drive-thru, a portion of the parking lot on the other side of the alley behind the restaurant, and the parking structure behind the Days Inn.

Colin Dean, president and founder of Highcrest, revealed the plans at ANC 3F’s November 18th meeting. Dean was there to seek the ANC’s support for a zoning map amendment. The Days Inn parking structure (3415 Yuma Street NW) occupies a lot currently zoned for single-family detached homes, and Highcrest expects to file its zoning application in the next six weeks.

Highcrest is planning a 65-unit apartment building on the Yuma Street site. Under the District’s inclusionary zoning program, Dean said 20 percent of the units would be affordable for residents earning 60 percent of the area’s median family income.

“We’re excited about this opportunity, and hoping to join the neighborhood and be a good neighbor,” Dean said.

The Burger King redevelopment, on the other hand, is by-right, said Dean, and will not require zoning adjustments. He did not mention the number of units, but said together with the 3415 Yuma project, there would be “closer to 110 units.” The parking area across the alley would remain a surface parking lot, Dean said, and likely be fenced off for apartment residents’ use.

Jeff Utz, a land use attorney with Goulston & Storrs, told 3F commissioners that the Yuma Street zoning map amendment process could take nine months to a year. Dean said he expects the development of 4422 Connecticut will move along faster, but even so, “you won’t see us active on site until early 2027.”

Dean expects to finalize the purchase of the properties next month. The former “Rock ‘n Roll Burger King,” nicknamed for its unique decor, closed in late 2022 and was put up for sale in mid-2024. The Days Inn parking structure went on the market later that year.

The entrance to the Days Inn parking structure at 3415 Yuma Street NW. (Feldman Ruel photo)