80 rooms with a view: Developer sought to build hotel in Dover-Foxcroft
Courtesy / Piscataquis County Economic Development Council
The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council is courting proposals to develop a hotel in Dover-Foxcroft with at least 80 rooms. This would be the view from one of two possible locations, on vacant land within the Pine Crest Business Park.
The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council is courting proposals to develop a hotel in Dover-Foxcroft with at least 80 rooms, at an estimated cost of $16 million to $18 million.
Community leaders aim to attract more visitors to the area following the 2019 construction of a $5.5 million ice arena, funded by Maine's Libra Foundation. and the opening of Maine's largest indoor turf field house at Foxcroft Academy in 2022.
"The community has not been fruitful in attracting regional and statewide tournaments to be held in these venues due to the lack of a hotel offering 60 to 80 rooms," Angela Arno, executive director of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, told Mainebiz.
"Youth sports and high school sports present an immense opportunity to create hotel demand," she added. "These two facilities can house hockey, field hockey and soccer tournaments.
"With some imagination and creativity, many other uses are possible. Foxcroft Academy has an extensive boarding student program and there is a need for a hotel to house students' families during holidays, graduation and other family visits."
The vision for the development is an upper-midscale, limited-service hotel to be built on one of two properties at a price to be determined later.
The properties are an undeveloped lot that sits directly between 1093 West Main St. and 1123 West Main St., and any available lot within the Pine Crest Business Park, according to the official project description.
Dover-Foxcroft, the largest town in Piscataquis County and the county seat, has a population of 4,558.
For now, lodging nearby is limited, and consists primarily of the Mill — a boutique hotel in a renovated historic mill complex — the Freedom House Bed & Breakfast and the Peaks Kenny Lodge.
To lure a developer of a larger establishment, the development council is touting attractions of the entire Maine Highlands region, described in the official materials as "the heart of Maine."
The sales pitch mentions thousands of undeveloped frontier land in the area, more than 200 waterfalls and thousands of miles of trails to explore on foot, bicycles, skis, snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles. The project materials also cite a study showing there were 876,000 visitors to the area in 2022, generating 1.98 million room-nights and spending $619 million in accommodations, transportation, groceries, restaurants, shopping and entertainment.
Proposals are due by 5 pm. on Jan. 12, with in-person presentations set to take place the week of Jan. 22. A decision is planned for early February, Arno said.
'Good response'
Arno reports strong interest so far from potential developers.
"We have gotten what we feel to be a good response during the Q&A period, and four site tours were conducted with hotel representatives and developers who took the time to travel from other states to look at our project," she said.
Ideally, the hotel would be affiliated with a nationally recognized hotel company, she said. There would be amenities such as complimentary breakfast, as well as a brand waiver for a full-service bar offering evening wine, beer, cocktails and snack food.
Also on the wish list are about 1,200 square feet of meeting space to accommodate local gatherings such as weddings, funerals, family reunions or meals for youth sports teams. There might also be a pool or hot tub, fitness center, business center, 24/7 market and free parking, according to Arno.
More information
Further details about the request for proposals and the project are available here.
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There are several lodging options other than the 3 mentioned in this article, and there are numerous airbnbs in the area as well. No mention of The Bears Den Motel and Restaurant, which is probably the most widely known and popular with a dozen rooms and cabins right in the middle of town. So a 60 room hotel??? How did they come up with that number? As a personal anecdote - if it had not been for mid-term renters, we could not have consistently filled up our rooms during Winter, and we only have 5 rooms at our motel - also in Dover-Foxcroft. This is a very interesting proposal...
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