New plans filed with the town propose a reimagined Hampton Beach Casino complex that includes an expanded music venue, charitable gaming, a boutique hotel and 99 condominiums.
The plans reveal a six-story facility that would replace the aging Casino complex, with its most recent addition built in the 1920s and original structures dating back to 1899. The development would span from F to D Street, transforming the current back parking lot into an expanded area for charitable gaming, retail, and a new stage and ballroom for concerts.
Four levels of parking, including the rooftop, would accommodate 650 spaces, accessed from the rear of the building on Ashworth Avenue, according to the plans. The hotel would feature 204 rooms, and building plans show two floors of restaurants facing the ocean. Condos would be built overlooking both the ocean and marsh from as high as the sixth floor.
The project will go before the town’s Zoning Board Feb. 20 as its developers seek variances for height and density. The project would replace a facility that the developers describe as “functionally and structurally obsolete.” They state the new year-round Casino complex would fit the vision outlined in the town’s master plan, which calls for the extension of the tourism season.
“The Applicant proposes a thoughtful design intended to meld with the character of the neighborhood while enhancing Hampton Beach’s resort feel and desirability,” representatives of the Casino developers wrote in the plan’s narrative. “Uplifting the property and surrounding area as one of New England’s premier tourist destinations.”
The Casino property covers 4.5 acres located in the town’s Business Seasonal 1 District. Co-owners Sal Lupoli and Fred Schaake have said the building is beyond its life span. Lupoli, who became the majority owner of the property in 2012, announced in 2023 that he planned to spend $400 million to $600 million on revamping the Casino.
The project proposed has a smaller footprint than has been previously imagined by its owners. Prior presentations to town boards depicted the project spanning F to C Street, almost all of which is owned by Lupoli. The plans filed with the Zoning Board are within the block between F and D Street and did not include the next block to C Street. That block includes JB’s Seafood and other storefronts, as well as the site of the former Cascade Waterslide Park that was removed in 2021.
At one point, the Casino owners considered working with the town to eliminate D Street through a lease or sale agreement to build a complex that expanded north to C Street. They ultimately told selectmen they would forgo taking D Street after learning such a deal would have to go before voters at a March Town Meeting. The developers have said the project could take place in phases, though, and the plan does not indicate if more construction will be proposed north of D Street.
The plans include no mention of a convention center included in the plans. Lupoli has said a convention center could help draw corporate groups and events during the offseason to help the Casino stay open in the winter.
The new Casino as proposed would be 85 feet tall, according to the plans, the limit in that zone being 70 feet. The plans state only a portion of the building would be higher than 70 feet.
A variance is also needed for the condos authorizing a lot area of 1,979.5 square feet per dwelling unit for 99 dwelling units on 4.49 acres, where a minimum lot area of 2,500 square feet per dwelling unit, or 5.51 acres is required.
The plans state the height variance is necessary because of the slope from Ocean Boulevard down to Ashworth Avenue, as well as to keep dwelling units and key electrical equipment outside the flood plain.
The density variance would allow the building to shield the parking garage at the interior of the lot from the view of abutting properties. The plans state that helps in “creating a vibrant building that showcases residential and commercial uses rather than parking.”
“This proposed development represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine Hampton Beach and rejuvenate the once-storied Casino Ballroom,” representatives of the Casino developers wrote.
“All while modernizing the property to meet current code, life safety, and environmental resiliency standards to secure the property and anchor the Hampton Beach District for another 100 years.”
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