The Suffolk City Council cleared the way for residential hotels to move into Suffolk on Wednesday.

The council unanimously approved a change to the United Development Ordinance that paves the way for extended stay hotels-similar to those in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake- to operate in the city.

Such establishments are particularly needed in the city’s growing northern end, where many high-tech businesses-such as Lockheed Martin’s Center for Innovation and U.S. Joint Forces Command-have frequent customers come into town to work for several weeks at a time, said Councilwoman Linda T. Johnson.

Many of those employees now stay in Chesapeake or other neighboring localities, she added.

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com