To avoid these spooky mistakes, please call us with your questions at 603-516-6008 or stop by the Planning Office at City Hall. You can also look through our Frequently Asked Questions.

To round out National Community Planning Month, the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association (NNECAPA) met for their annual conference at the Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine, on Oct. 17-19.

Planning Director Donna Benton and Zoning Administrator Natasha Kypfer were both in attendance to hear from, and connect with, a variety of professionals throughout the Northern New England area on the conference topic: Serendipitous Partnerships, Unique Results.

Director Benton and Zoning Administrator Kypfer also presented at the NNECAPA conference on the arts in Dover.

Their presentation highlighted the successful partnership between the Dover Arts Commission and Planning Department to integrate arts into the community.

The presentation included topics such as zoning ordinance updates that support public art being added throughout Dover and the continued work of the Arts Commission on projects like the nationwide Americans for the Arts survey that will provide data on how arts and culture impact Dover’s economy.

You can see their presentation slides, which include examples of art around Dover, by

Resilience Manager Dr. Jackson Kaspari was recently interviewed by UNH's Sustainability Institute.

His work for the City of Dover was highlighted, which includes supporting the Energy Commission, Conservation Commission, and Open Lands Committee and drafting the first Citywide Resilience Plan.

Here's a sample from the feature:

"He is currently drafting the Citywide Resilience Plan, which will cover a variety of topics from municipal solar projects to local food systems. Another big goal is to help the City work with the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire and potentially launch a Dover Community Power Initiative. In addition, Jackson now coordinates the City’s land conservation and preservation program, which involves work like monitoring Dover's conservation areas."

You can read more by clicking here.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is accepting applications from public service agencies, qualified individuals and eligible organizations for grants for the fiscal year 2024. The fiscal year spans July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

Applications are available online at www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/planning/community-development/ and at the Planning Office, located at Dover City Hall, 288 Central Ave., Dover, NH 03820. The application submission deadline is 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, and must be submitted via email to Dave Carpenter at d.carpenter@dover.nh.gov.

Eligible CDBG activities include but are not limited to property acquisition, development or improvement of public facilities, clearance or demolition, public services, and special economic development activities.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must meet specific requirements. They include but are not limited to:

For more information about project eligibility or to learn more about Dover’s Community Development Block Grant program, click here.

The City of Dover has been a CDBG entitlement community for over 25 years. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program provides annual grants on a formula basis to entitled cities and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income people. HUD awards grants to entitlement community grantees to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services. Entitlement communities develop their own programs and funding priorities. The entitlement grant is expected to be available in the summer or fall of 2023. The amount to be received by the City of Dover has yet to be determined by Congress.

For more information, contact Dave Carpenter, Community Development Planner, at d.carpenter@dover.nh.gov or 603-516-6008.

City Council voted to adopt the FY2024-2029 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) at their Oct. 26 meeting. The entire meeting can be viewed here.

The complete FY2024-2029 CIP book is available online and can be reviewed in person at the Library, City Clerk’s office, and the Planning Department.

For a look at how the CIP is prepared, click here.

In addition to each week's email edition of Dover Download, the City of Dover offers a weekly podcast. The podcast is hosted by Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker, who chats each week about the city's programs, services, public bodies, and projects. Each episode also takes a brief detour to the past with a look back at the week in Dover's history.

In this week's episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jane Bard, president of the Children's Museum of New Hampshire, and former Dover Mayor Jack Buckley about the Children's Museum of New Hampshire's move to Dover from Portsmouth in 2008, and why the museum is a vital hub of Dover's downtown. To learn more about the museum, visit childrens-museum.org.

In This Week in Dover History, we look back to 1956 and a massive fire that destroyed one of the city's largest retail stores at the time.

The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at https://anchor.fm/cityofdovernh.

Planning Word/Phrase of the Week: Nonconforming Use

A nonconforming use, according to the Dover Code, means a lawful use that does not conform to the prescribed use regulations of the district in which it is located.

For example, this could refer to a sign, lot, or structure, which may have been initially permitted, but no longer meets the regulations of the zoning district in which it is located.

For more information on how this could potentially impact a project of yours, consult the Dover Code, contact the Planning Department at 603-516-6008, or stop by the Planning Office at City Hall.

If you have a word of the week or topics that you want to hear about, please email E.Bassegio@dover.nh.gov.