A hotel-multifamily development in Portsmouth’s North End has been approved by city planning officials. 

A joint venture of Hooksett-based XSS Hotels and Anthony DiLorenzo, owner of Portsmouth’s Key Auto Group, had proposed a 5-story, 128-key hotel and a 5-story, 60-unit apartment building with ground-floor commercial space for a trio of lots on Raynes Avenue backing onto the city’s North Mill Pond.  

Over the course of the approvals process, the apartment building was downsized to 31 residential units and the hotel to 124 rooms, however the residential building’s two ground-floor commercial spaces remained. The surface parking lot serving both buildings was cut in half, to 59 spots. 

Despite the reductions, the developers retained their plans to turn the portion of the site facing the water into part of the city’s long-planned greenway and community path along the North Mill Pond. A public kayak launch was also included in the plans.  

The board voted to grant the development team its key wetland permit and conditional use permit at its Dec. 16 meeting according to the Portsmouth Herald.  

The project sits around the corner from a 5-story, 45-unit apartment building planned for 53 Green St. by Boston developer Cathartes. That project was approved this summer by city historic district, planning and conservation officials.  

With the approval for the Raynes Avenue project, the pipeline of redevelopment projects for North End properties north of Maplewood Avenue leveled during Portsmouth’s “urban renewal” era is nearly complete. These parcels – before the 1960s home to working-class homes, shops and industrial buildings – have provided a steady source of development opportunities in the city for the last dozen years. Local office developer Two International Group has proposed a trio of structures – one condominium, one office and one apartment building – for the remaining parcel at 2 Russell St.