Secrecy, a canceled bid, and a lawsuit: Inside NH’s troubled I-95 service plaza project
Business
That state has struggled to select a private developer to replace the aging Hampton plazas, home to well-traveled NH liquor outlets.
On either side of I-95 in Hampton, New Hampshire, two weathered red barns greet thousands of motorists each day.
The paint is sun-bleached, the parking lots are stained with oil, and the restrooms are showing their age. For many travelers, the main attraction is the tax-free alcohol from the state liquor outlets situated on the sites.
New Hampshire officials have envisioned something more: modern service plazas with restaurants, fuel, EV charging, visitor information, and other amenities that could serve as a gateway to the Seacoast.
But the state’s effort to find a private developer to rebuild them has become increasingly complicated.
New Hampshire has gone through two procurement processes for the project. The first was canceled after the state Department of Justice identified a procedural problem affecting the bid review. The latest process is being challenged in court by one of the companies that submitted a proposal, while the state has declined to identify the developer it has shortlisted.
The project would transform two heavily traveled commercial properties in the state. I-95 carries an average of 86,000 vehicles a day through Hampton, with summer traffic topping 125,000, the state said.
For local business leaders, the plazas could also be an opportunity to introduce travelers to the Seacoast rather than simply giving them a place to stop for a bottle of liquor.
“We want it to showcase the region and make it feel like it is part of the region and reflect our region, versus just another rest stop like on the Mass Pike, which are very generic and sterile,” said Ben VanCamp, Chief Collaborator and President of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth.
“Not like we get a say, but we want it to highlight what we have to offer and be a good partner to our local business community,” he added.
The project
The project involves two state-owned properties on I-95 in Hampton, one northbound and one southbound, where the existing New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets operate.
According to the latest procurement documents, the existing facilities would be demolished and replaced with at least a 16,000-square-foot service building and a 22,000-square-foot liquor store at each location.
A private developer would finance, build, and operate the non-liquor-store portions of the plazas under a 35-year ground lease. The state would own and operate the new liquor stores. The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is the state’s sole retailer of spirits, with the system generating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales each year for state services.
The new plazas are envisioned to include restaurants, convenience stores, fuel, EV charging, restrooms, visitor information, and parking for cars, trucks, and buses. The state also wants the design to reflect New Hampshire’s culture and tourism identity.
The properties already generate significant revenue. The two liquor stores bring in about $45 million in annual revenue each year, according to the Liquor Commission, and the agency expects the new stores to generate even more.
The procurement process that got complicated
The Liquor Commission began looking for a private developer in late 2025.
By March of this year, two groups had emerged: Common Man Roadside, the New Hampshire company behind the Hooksett Welcome Centers, and Massachusetts-based Global Partners, which partnered with Manchester developer Dick Anagnost.
Global Partners is no stranger to highway service-plaza fights. The Waltham-based company lost a bid to redevelop and operate 18 Massachusetts service plazas, sued MassDOT over the decision, and is now watching the state go through the procurement again after the winning bidder, Applegreen, pulled out.
But in New Hampshire, the first procurement soon ran into its own problems.
On April 24, the commission canceled the procurement after the New Hampshire Department of Justice identified a “procedural deficiency” that affected the review of all submissions.
The commission issued a new solicitation in May.
Both Common Man and the Anagnost-Global team resubmitted their proposals. But this time, it appears that Common Man did not make the shortlist.
On July 31, the commission announced that one bidder had been selected to advance to the next stage, but did not identify the company.
“The RFP process is still ongoing, and by law, we cannot share additional details about the RFP participants at this time,” the commission said in a statement.
The Selection Committee for the NHLC is expected to recommend a bidder by Sept. 18, with a final award expected by the end of the year. The Long Range Capital Planning Commission must approve the recommendation, and the governor and Executive Council must then approve the final ground lease. The state hopes to open the new service plazas in 2028.
Global Partners declined to comment. Anagnost said he could not discuss the bid because the details are being kept confidential.
“I’m a New Hampshire guy, I do [this] for a living,” Anagnost said when asked why he submitted a proposal.
The legal wrinkle
Common Man Roadside has sued the Liquor Commission over the procurement process, saying it faces “irreparable harm.”
The company filed a complaint in Merrimack Superior Court on Aug. 17. A closed hearing was held Sept. 1.
Much of that filing remains confidential because it contains what the complaint described as confidential business and financial information.
On Thursday, the court issued an order on a largely redacted petitioner’s reply denying the preliminary injunctive relief sought by Common Man, declining to halt the procurement process while the legal challenge proceeds.
The judge said Common Man had not established a sufficient likelihood of success on the merits of its legal challenge.
The court concluded that the commission “had a lawful and otherwise valid basis for the overarching action implicated by the Petitioner’s claims of error,” according to the summary of the order. The judge added that even if the NHLC “may have erred in other aspects of its determination,” that would not entitle Common Man to the extraordinary relief it was seeking.
The judge also said that, even if Common Man had shown a sufficient likelihood of success, an injunction would not be appropriate because state law provides a specific process for bidders to challenge errors in an agency’s vendor-selection process.
The court said halting the procurement through an injunction could conflict with that statutory framework and raise separation-of-powers concerns.
“This ruling reaffirms that the selection process has been comprehensive, deliberate, and most importantly, lawful,” the New Hampshire Liquor Commission said in response to the ruling.
The process, the commission said, was aided by experts and designed to evaluate bidders against “rigorous criteria,” including comprehensive financial disclosure and demonstrated access to capital required to “successfully build one of the most consequential pieces of real estate available in New Hampshire.”
Common Man has not responded to a request for comment on the lawsuit or the procurement process.
What locals want
Local business leaders say they were encouraged by Common Man’s initial proposal, particularly its plans to make the plazas feel connected to the Seacoast.
VanCamp and John Nyhan, president of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce, both wrote letters supporting Common Man during the earlier procurement.
Nyhan said he was disappointed to learn that Common Man had not advanced in the latest round of the process.
“I think everybody is deserving of [knowing] what the disqualification was because no one can tell us,” Nyhan said.
Regardless of who ultimately gets the contract, Nyhan said the state should view the plazas as more than just places to buy liquor.
“It’s a major travel stop for people looking for information on where to go, where to stay, and where to eat,” he said. “It’s much more than just a liquor store.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.