A prominent Kennebunkport hotel developer is the driving force behind a plan to invest $50 million to convert a former Biddeford textile mill into a hotel and apartment complex.

Tim Harrington of Atlantic Holdings LLC will appear Wednesday before the Biddeford Planning Board to present the project, which would include 101 market-rate apartments, an 80-room boutique hotel with meeting space, two restaurants and a rooftop pool. City officials had announced plans for the Lincoln Hotel and Lofts last month, but Harrington did not reveal his involvement or details of the project until Tuesday.

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The Lincoln Mill project would renovate the brick building, which was built in 1850. In addition to the hotel and apartments, preliminary plans call for a 150-seat restaurant, a higher-end 65-seat restaurant, a 5,000-square-foot meeting space and the rooftop pool with a bar.

If approved, the Lincoln Hotel could become the first hotel built downtown in recent city history. The company that owns the nearby Pepperell Mill Campus proposed a 40-room hotel in 2013 and is considering how to develop the project.

The Lincoln Mill building sits near the site of the former Maine Energy Recovery Co. trash incinerator, which had an odorous presence downtown that stymied development before its removal last year. The city bought the Maine Energy property for $6.65 million two years ago.

Harrington, who expects to finalize the purchase of the Lincoln Mill in January for an undisclosed price, said he never would have considered this type of project while the trash incinerator was operating.

“I watched the MERC situation with great pleasure as the city government took the steps it did to make that go away,” he said. “I know it was politically complicated, but they’re going to have profound positive change in Biddeford.”

Although city officials have long said the trash incinerator impeded development, Harrington said he sees a silver lining: Its presence may have prevented old buildings from being torn down.

“You now have this downtown that’s somewhat of a time capsule,” he said.

Harrington, who lives in Kennebunkport and Miami Beach, Florida, is a founding partner and creative director of Kennebunkport Resort Collection, which has nine hotels and seven restaurants in Kennebunkport. Those properties include Hidden Pond, a resort of 36 luxury cottages; the Kennebunkport Inn in Dock Square; and Earth at Hidden Pond, a restaurant headed by chef Ken Oringer, winner of a James Beard award.

The Lincoln Mill project is a separate venture for Harrington and is not associated with the Kennebunkport Resort Collection.

Harrington, a Massachusetts native, also has ties to Biddeford, where he has owned the Five Points Shopping Center for 15 years.

“What drew us to this project is way beyond the bricks and mortar of the building itself; it is the spirit of community and cooperation every step along the way from city leaders,” Harrington said. “Their shared vision and commitment to the revitalization of downtown Biddeford is inspiring. I really don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about a project as this one.”

Harrington said he wants to be a part of the continued revitalization of the Mill District, following earlier developers such as Doug Sanford, who has led mill redevelopment with his transformation of the Pepperell Mill Campus.

Sanford said Harrington’s project will be a welcome addition downtown.

“He has great entrepreneurial spirit,” Sanford said. “(His project) validates what we’ve been doing and the future of Biddeford. Now that MERC is gone, I think we’ll continue to see more folks coming in. If (Harrington) is successful, it sets the tone for other developers.”

City officials also say the Lincoln Mill project confirms the redevelopment potential in downtown Biddeford.

“This residential and hotel development is exactly what downtown Biddeford needs to honor its legacy as a prosperous hub,” said Daniel Stevenson, the city’s economic development director. “It will become a vital part of this emerging destination for visitors and residents that will draw even more artists, galleries and restaurants to round out a true downtown experience.”

In November 2013, the Biddeford Planning Board approved a plan by Odyssey Properties LLC, the Lincoln Mill’s owner at the time, to build a different version of the project, one without the hotel and restaurants. The 2013 plan included 101 market-rate apartments and a mixed-use space for research, testing laboratories and commercial uses.

If Harrington’s proposal is approved by the Planning Board, workers could break ground for Lincoln Hotel and Lofts in the spring and complete the project in 2017.

Harrington estimates the project will create at least 200 permanent jobs. He plans to work with the handful of current commercial tenants to find new locations in the city.

Lincoln Mill is valued at about $1.3 million, according to city property records. The brick building has about 224,000 square feet – or roughly 5 acres – and is located at the corner of Main and Lincoln streets, just across from City Hall.

One aspect of the project that will likely receive close scrutiny is parking, which is a frequent concern downtown as new businesses and apartments increase demand for parking spots. There is a surface parking lot behind the mill building with 121 spaces.

City staff will recommend that the project receive a certificate of appropriateness for exterior alterations from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.