Peter and Michael Labrie are seeking to redevelop the former Lafayette Animal Hospital site at 2059 Lafayette Road in Portsmouth. (Photo by Jeff McMenemy, Seacoastonline)
Developers and restaurant owners Michael and Peter Labrie are proposing to redevelop a property they own off Lafayette Road with an eight-unit apartment building.
An “antiquated multi-use building” would be demolished and replaced at the corner of Hoover Drive and Lafayette Road, according to documents filed with the city. The 2059 Lafayette Road property, formerly home to Lafayette Animal Hospital, was “originally developed in the early 1970s and has undergone numerous expansions,” the proposal states.
Most of the current parking on site is located in front of the commercial building and near Lafayette Road.
As part of the Labrie’s proposed redevelopment plan, “access to Lafayette Road will be eliminated,” according to documents filed with the city, but they will construct “an 8-foot wide multi-use path,” along the property’s Route 1 frontage.
Indoor and outdoor parking
The new multi-use path will connect with an existing path to the south of the property, according to documents filed by the Labries’ representatives.
Access to the new 8-unit apartment building would come from Hoover Drive. The property plans call for 16 inside parking spaces for residents and five outdoor parking spots for visitors.
Indoor parking for all apartments would be located on the first floor of the proposed apartment building, with what appear to be two-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors, according to diagrams filed with the city.
Next steps for Labries’ development
The city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment voted in December 2023 to grant two variances needed for the Labries’ proposed redevelopment project to move forward.
The city’s Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled to discuss the site-plan application at its Tuesday, Nov. 5 meeting.
The existing building on the site consists of three two-bedroom apartments on the second floor and office space for Dockham Builders in an addition, attorney Derek Durbin said.
Labries looking to utilize property on Lafayette Road
The property was previously home to the Chug-a-Lug convenience store from about 1974 to 1994 and later the Lafayette Animal Hospital, until it moved in 2021, Durbin stated previously.
“Since the Lafayette Animal Hospital vacated the building in 2021, the Labries have had difficulty renting the approximately 3,400-square-foot space the animal hospital occupied,” Durbin said. “A change of use would require a full-scale renovation to bring the building into compliance with current code and make the space functional for a new tenant. The space has been listed for rent since the animal hospital vacated and has generated very little interest from prospective tenants.”
The Labries own the popular downtown club Jimmy’s On Congress and several well-known Seacoast restaurants, including the River House and The Atlantic Grill.
The Labries in August 2023 sought variances to redevelop the property and build 16 apartments there, but the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment denied the request.
That was followed by the latest redevelopment plan, which was first filed with the city in December 2023, featuring eight apartments.
The property was most recently assessed at $920,200, according to records with the city assessor’s office.
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