Businessman eyeing East Avenue site for proposed hotel
LEWISTON – Tim Dubuc has a million-dollar view.
Or at least it seems that way. From his family’s property at the top of the hill on East Avenue, a visitor can see the entire city laid out before him and, on a clear day, Mount Washington in the distance. At night the city’s lights blend into the lights of the bridges over the Androscoggin and into Auburn, and off to the side, the lights of Saints Peter and Paul Church shine.
Dubuc is hoping the view will help convince a national hotel chain to open a franchise on the seven-acre parcel now occupied by Mom and Dad’s Guest House. Dubuc has been discussing the idea with hotel moguls for the past year-and-a-half. Now he’s ready to get the ball rolling.
He unveiled his plans at a neighborhood meeting Tuesday; next week the plan goes in front of the Planning Board.
“I want to do something nice,” said Dubuc. “The timing is right.”
His concept is to raze the guest house, which has been operating as a bed and breakfast for the past 25 years, and build a midscale hotel (80 to 100 rooms) with suites, a separate building for extended-stay guests and a restaurant.
Dubuc said preliminary research on his part shows the area can support another hotel. Developer Lee Griswold did a feasibility study in 2000 before embarking on his Auburn Hilton Garden Inn project, and it showed the area was underserved for accommodations.
Dubuc thinks there’s still plenty of need. He said he plans to cater to people interested in visiting the local colleges and hospitals, as well as business and tourist clients.
“There are a lot of people who come here to visit,” he said.
But first he needs to clear a zoning hurdle. The proposal is scheduled for a hearing before the Planning Board Monday, Jan. 26. The seven-acre parcel is zoned office residential and neighborhood conservation district. The petition seeks to change the parcel to a conditional community business zone.
Originally included in the parcel set for review was the property of Mayor Lionel Guay at the corner of Malo Street and East Avenue, which abuts Dubuc’s property. But the petition was revised to exclude the Guay property.
Lincoln Jeffers, assistant director of economic and community development, said the zoning change to a community business designation would limit new development to hotels and eating or drinking establishments.
“We’ve been looking at the whole East Avenue corridor for a while now,” said Jeffers. “The city is trying to get away from split zoning.”
Dubuc said his study of the area shows that of the 22 nearby parcels on East Avenue, only two are exclusively single-family homes.
“It really isn’t a residential neighborhood,” he said.
If the zoning change is approved, Dubuc said he can begin negotiating with hotel chains in earnest. He said some chains have already expressed interest, but nothing can progress until the zoning is set.
He’s keeping his fingers crossed. One of the prospective chains is making noises about looking for a site in Auburn, said Dubuc.
Now that his mother is retired, Dubuc and his family want to see some better use for the family property. The guest house – the city’s first bed and breakfast – has 12 rentable beds.
“It’s time for us to do something,” said Dubuc.
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