Image courtesy of Opechee Construction Corporation

A Massachusetts hotel developer is proposing to replace a Dover property that’s been abandoned since 2021 with a hotel.

The 47 Central Ave. property was a Burger King restaurant until 2021, but had largely been closed since 2018 due to legal issues following a ceiling collapse, according to local media reports.

Buildings on the site were demolished last year.

Westport, Massachusetts-based Lafrance Hospitality recently filed plans with Dover city officials for a 94-key, 4-story hotel at the 1.77-acre site. The site has been owned by San Diego, California-based investor Realty Income since 2013.

The hotel will be branded as a TownePlace Suites by Marriott, development filings say. That will make it a limited-service, extended-stay hotel for business travelers and families. No restaurant, bar or meeting/conference spaces will be included, although the hotel will offer a continental breakfast and a patio with a fireplace and grill for guests.

The site is relatively unique, as it sits in the infield of the Exit 7 onramp/offramp complex for northbound Route 16, the main highway connecting Portsmouth, Rochester and the Lakes Region. It fronts onto one of Dover’s principal avenues.

Lafrance will need three conditional use permits from the city, filings state, covering design standards for the property’s zoning district and for the hotel use. In addition, the project will need to undergo site plan review covering physical layout, site circulation and infrastructure.