Redevelopment Of Interstate 95 Hampton Rest Areas Moves Forward

HAMPTON, NH — Plans to redevelop nearly 90 acres of land owned by the state along Interstate 95 have moved forward after Hampton’s planning board approved a rezoning amendment for expanded usage of the land.

In November 2019, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission began searching for developers that could potentially rework the property for more development. Recently, the planning board approved of an “interstate corridor overlay district” which will allow the property to be redeveloped. The commission will be looking for “a highly and uniquely qualified, financially secure buyer/developer(s) specializing in highway-orientated commercial real estate” to purchase and redevelop the property.

The proposal will be put before voters in March.

Joseph Mollica, the chairman of the commission, said when they get community approval, “we would be confident in our ability to forge a public-private partnership that delivers an innovative, vibrant, first-class, and thoughtful New Hampshire-centric development to the seacoast and I-95 corridor, as well as significant tax revenue for the town of Hampton.”

The commission has concluded a request for qualification process and will move forward on a request for proposals phase of the project. If Town Meeting approves the project, RFPs will be issued. State officials, in 2019, said they hoped the redevelopment would be as successful and impressive as the redevelopment of the Hooksett rest areas.

Anyone interested in more about the initiative can visit the project’s website, linked here.

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