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The Planning Board signed off on the multi-million-dollar plan to modernize and more than double the size of the ocean-front venue.
The Hampton Planning Board has cleared the way for a major overhaul of the Hampton Beach Casino, approving a plan to replace the aging two-story structure with luxury condos, a hotel, a charitable gaming venue, and a ballroom venue in the New Hampshire beach town.
Lawrence-based Lupoli Cos. is the developer of the project at 169 Ocean Blvd., working with the Cambridge architectural firm PCA, Lawrence-based engineering firm TEC, and Boston-based landscape architect Halvorson.
The project received approval from the Planning Board on Nov. 5.
According to planning documents, the project includes a 3,500-seat ballroom event and music venue, a 208-room boutique hotel with an event hall, 99 residential condominium units, a spa, restaurants, and retail space.
Plans also include a 52,000-square-foot charitable gaming casino and a 732-space enclosed parking garage.
Planning documents say the developers are eyeing a September 2026 start of demolition, following the annual seafood festival.
Once demolition is completed, the developers expect construction to take 36 months, or about 3 years, with a phased opening.
The Hampton Beach Casino, a two-story wood-framed building, has a storied past. The doors opened in July 1899 as a social gathering place for dance, music, and gambling, soon expanding into a 57-room hotel called the Ocean House.
Unlike today’s casinos, the venue offered a family-friendly atmosphere, including a penny arcade, a merry-go-round, and a shooting range.
In 1927, the Casino Ballroom opened, ushering in an era of big-name performances by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bing Crosby. By the ’60s, rock ‘n’ roll took over with acts such as Peter, Paul & Mary, The Beach Boys, The Who, and Jethro Tull.
Fred Schaake, the partner of Sal Lupoli of Sal’s Pizza, has been involved with the property for 50 years and owns and operates the Casino Ballroom.
The pair will double the venue’s capacity as they continue to redo the entire block.
“Is there an opportunity to talk about more residential because we don’t need any more hotel rooms?” Lupoli said at the hearing, according to Seacoastonline. “This is going to be a great indicator of what we’re going to do in phase two.”
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