5-story Portsmouth hotel with Starbucks dropped, at least for now

Jeff McMenemy, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

PORTSMOUTH — The developers seeking to build a new five-story hotel with a Starbucks and drive-thru window have dropped — at least for now — their effort to get the variances needed to move the project forward.

Giri Portsmouth 505 Inc., the owner of 505 Route 1 Bypass, had filed documents with the city in April seeking to demolish the existing 1957 Port Inn & Suites on site and replace it with a 115-room Cambria hotel, plus a Starbucks.

But attorney John Bosen, who represents the developers, said “the applicant has decided to withdraw its application for a special exception and variances,” according to a May 13 letter he sent to the Board of Adjustment.

Developers have withdrawn their application seeking to demolish the existing Port Inn off the route 1 Bypass and replace it with a five-sotry hotel and Starbucks, featuring a drive-thru window
Developers have withdrawn their application seeking to demolish the existing Port Inn off the route 1 Bypass and replace it with a five-sotry hotel and Starbucks, featuring a drive-thru window

Bosen did not say in the letter — nor is he required to say — why the developers dropped the request for the multiple variances needed for the project off the heavily traveled Route 1 Bypass.

Bosen could not be immediately reached for comment.

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Developers would have needed six variances for the project, according to city documents.

If the developers had moved forward with a hearing on the variances requested, it would have marked the second time they tried to secure variances to push the hotel and Starbucks project forward.

The city's Zoning Board of Adjustment denied variance requests that were sought by Giri Portsmouth 505 Inc. in January on the initial proposed redevelopment project.

Bosen described the existing Port Inn & Suites, which has 57 rooms, as “severely outdated for the modern traveler.”

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The property itself, Bosen stated in project documents “has unique site constraints in that it is a corner lot bound by two streets to the front and Hodgson Brook to the rear.

If the application had not been withdrawn, the project would have needed a litany of zoning relief, including a special exception for hotel use, a variance to allow 5 feet between the lot line and drive-thru and bypass lanes, where 30 feet is required for each, a second variance to allow 18 feet between the menu and speaker board and several others.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 5-story Portsmouth hotel with Starbucks dropped by developer