State Street Inn Clears Hurdle

State St. Inn

PORTSMOUTH — The Historic District Commission on Wednesday night approved plans for a five-story “boutique inn” at 68 State St., clearing the way for the developer to seek site plan review with the Planning Board.

By Susan Nolan

Posted Apr. 12, 2007

Jennifer Ramsey, the architectural designer who presented the plans to the HDC, said she is calling it a “boutique inn” instead of a “hotel” because the latter term implies a large chain, and the developer is hoping the 25-room “inn” will be locally run.

“We don’t know yet, but that is the intent,” said Ramsey.

In addition, said Ramsey, the architectural accoutrements — such as awnings and French balconies — on the proposed building will be in keeping with the historical context of the neighborhood, which abuts Strawbery Banke Museum.

Plans for the inn, which will stretch from State Street to Court Street, include French doors on the top floor and inverted decks and French balconies overlooking a second-floor courtyard. Awnings would decorate the front of the building and rooms overlooking the interior courtyard, she said.

The footprint of the building, which would be built next door to The Rosa Restaurant, is about 7,200 square feet, said Ramsey.

The total area of the inn will be about 27,000 square feet, she said. The inn would be five stories high on State Street and four stories high on the Court Street side.

She said that the owner, Steve Kelm, is developing a mixed-use project at 58 State St. beside the proposed inn. It will include retail space on the bottom floor and residential space on the upper floors, she said.

Ramsey said she would hope construction on the inn could begin as early as this summer.

“Of course, that’s dependent on the approval process,” she said.

Kelm has no buyer for the inn, she said.

“Once we get this thing off the ground, I think it will be easier to get interested parties involved once there’s something concrete to look at — once we have our approvals in place,” she said.

The plan must be approved by the Planning Board before construction can begin.

Article originally published on Seacoastonline.com and can be viewed at:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20070412/News/704120412