WINDHAM – The Windham Planning Board gave its blessing Monday night to the first large-scale, brand-name hotel in Windham, considered the gateway to the Lakes Region.

Under the plan, a 50-room, three-story MainStay Suites hotel will be built on Route 302, just north of Pettengill Pond. Erik Heyland, owner of the Wells-based Heyland Development, received a unanimous vote from the Planning Board for a three-phase project, located on 7 acres across from Seacoast Fun Park, that could ultimately end with a 74-room hotel plus a retail building.

Heyland said Tuesday he would commence the first phase, which is construction of the 50-room hotel, in late April. The second phase allows for a 24-room addition to the hotel. The third phase allows Heyland to build a free-standing, 9,000-square-foot retail building near the front of the property.

All three phases have been approved, said Assistant Town Planner Ben Smith. Smith said Heyland would need to begin construction within two years to ensure the approvals stay in place. If construction commences within the deadline, Heyland can build the second and third phases at any point in the future.

Heyland said he would be hiring local tradesmen to do the work, with Heyland Development acting as the general contractor. The first phase of the project also includes septic system that will be located toward the rear of the property.

“We’re pleased to be done. We’re hoping to move on,” Heyland said. “We’re just going to start with 50 rooms. That’s it for now. That’s the only plan at this point.”

Heyland approached the town in 2007 with a similar project and received approval at that time, as well. The 2008 financial meltdown affected the project’s financing, said Heyland, who is working with Androscoggin Bank on this project, according to Smith.

The building will likely dominate the northern stretch of Route 302 in North Windham and could draw further hoteliers to the area. Donna Beth Lippman, co-owner with her husband, Martin Lippman, of a second brand-name hotel project near Sherwin Williams, said their proposal is still in the works.

“We’re working through the process. We’re getting our things together, and we’re looking to move forward on it,” Donna Beth Lippman said.

The presence of Heyland’s hotel, which features extended-stay rooms, is likely to cause further traffic issues, according to Jim Hanscom, vice chairman of the Planning Board. As a result of greater development pressure on Route 302 north of the Whites Bridge Road intersection, the Planning Board and Town Council are looking into ways to ensure traffic safety.

According to Smith, the Town Council in March 2011 approved a Route 302 corridor improvement plan that calls for a third lane from the Whites Bridge Road/Anglers Road intersection of Route 302 and Windham Christian Academy. Smith said the town is looking into ways to implement the plan. Hanscom said the middle turning lane, which would benefit southbound Route 302 drivers attempting to make a left turn into the hotel, is not warranted by traffic counts, and likely wouldn’t be even when the hotel is in operation. The Maine Department of Transportation determines whether traffic-calming measures are warranted.

“I know it’s going to be an issue,” Hanscom said of traffic. “But it doesn’t meet the criteria yet for a center turning lane. However, Phase III of the project is a 9,000-square-foot retail operation, and that would trip the third lane. But DOT doesn’t have to do it, and they don’t have to do it until they trip a number.”

MainStay Suites is part of the Choice Hotels network. In past interviews, Heyland said he will lease the 7-acre property in Windham and would own the hotel. He owns a MicroTel extended stay hotel in York. The Main Stay Suites is an extended-stay hotel with each room featuring kitchenettes. The hotel would also include an indoor pool and a small meeting room. Heyland expects to finish construction in late 2013.

MainStay Suites, an extended-stay hotel to be built in North Windham, was approved Monday by the Windham Planning Board. The project will likely break ground in April. Courtesy image