An unassuming hotel in southwest Charlotte is on its way to becoming something very different: a dedicated Veterans Village for people who served. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation officially broke ground on Thursday, March 12, 2026, on a project that will turn the property into permanent, low-cost housing with on-site services aimed at helping veterans find work and access medical care.
The foundation purchased the Sonesta ES Suites at 7925 Forest Pine Drive and plans to convert the three-story property into roughly 117 apartments, according to Lodging Magazine. The City of Charlotte's pre-hearing staff analysis for rezoning Petition 2025-090 describes the proposal as 117 multifamily units and notes that the plan "commits to adaptive reuse of an existing hotel," with staff recommending approval of the petition.
Tunnel to Towers presents its Veterans Villages as more than just a roof and four walls. The foundation's program materials describe a model that pairs apartments with a national case-management network designed to support veterans as they stabilize their lives. Local organizers told WCCB Charlotte that the Charlotte site is expected to host on-site services to help residents line up jobs and connect with medical care.
How the conversion model speeds delivery
The nonprofit has leaned into hotel conversions instead of ground-up construction, arguing that renovating existing buildings can get veterans housed faster and avoid some of the delays that bog down new developments. Reporting on Tunnel to Towers' broader expansion notes that reusing hotels can trim what is often a multi-year development timeline and allow the organization to open Veterans Villages in multiple cities in a shorter window. Military.com details that strategy and its appeal to the group.
Next steps and local process
The rezoning petition for the Forest Pine Drive site made its way through Charlotte's process in 2025. City records show the Zoning Committee voted to recommend approval of Petition 2025-090, clearing a key hurdle for the conversion. Local coverage from late 2025 also noted that the foundation did not seek taxpayer funding for the project, indicating that the work would be financed privately. WSOC-TV outlined both the approvals and Tunnel to Towers' stance on paying for the development.
With the ceremonial ground broken, the foundation and the city will now work through permitting and renovation details. Only after that process plays out will a move-in timeline for veterans be announced.
