CONWAY — A three-story 77-room Fairfield Inn and Suites is coming to Mount Washington Valley, continuing the trend of branded hospitality properties in North Conway.

The project, which would include a 133-seat 5,000-square-foot chain restaurant, would develop the Fandangle's Restaurant lot near the southern end of the junction of Routes 16 and 302 on the town's busy commercial strip.

Fandangle's, a locally owned restaurant, burned in 2007. It was previously a Howard Johnson's, built in the 1930s. As a Howard Johnson's, it operated until the early 1980s. After the owners dropped the franchise, the iconic orange roof was painted green.

The Conway Planning Board got its first look at the plans during a site plan review for the new construction at its meeting Thursday. Steve Long of Opechee Construction Corp. of Belmont discussed waivers the applicants have requested.

The property abuts TD Bank, Conserve Car Wash and KGI properties.

Long said that as proposed there would be a wider driveway off of the state highway, and that connections to the bank and car wash do not make sense. He said his firm is working with the mall owners, KGI, which abuts the eastern property boundary. Conway site plan review regulations call for commercial sites to have connecting drives between adjacent properties.

Tom Irving, town planner, said that town staff has no problem with the waivers, but cautioned the board to pay attention to the landscaping.

Long is asking for a waiver on the number of trees required, from about 121 to 60. That drew the most concern among the board members, and after some discussion on size and type of trees, Long said his firm can come back with a revised plan for the board's Aug. 23 meeting.

Board member Ray Shakir, who stressed that he was pro-business, said he thought another hotel “would be needed like a hole in the head.” He said that he understood his remarks might not be appropriate, but said that he was sure a lot of people have the same questions.

Ashok Patel of Jamsan Hotel Management said the particular kind of restaurant is not finalized yet, adding that though there are quite a few rooms in the area, there is a lack of quality and people are looking for a brand name. The property would be owned by a group of investors organized under a limited partnership.

Branded properties in North Conway now include Hampton Inn & Suites, Residence Inn by Marriott, Comfort Inn & Suites, and Holiday Inn Express. Occupancy rates in the area's inn, hotels, and motels vary greatly depending on the time of year, with properties depending on revenue from the tourist trade in July, August, September and early October to operate in the black.

The restaurant business in the Mount Washington Valley has always been challenging, with some properties turning over every few years. Even long-established eateries have had a hard time balancing the books during this latest economic downturn. Earlier this year, Decades, a steak house in North Conway Village, closed, and the Homestead Restaurant on the Strip has also shut its doors.

Issues of whether a new business will be successful, however, are not under the planning boards purview, and planning board chairman Steven Porter said that Shakir's remarks were inappropriate.

syoungknox@newstote.com