Ekola Family Donates 11.19 Acres For Conservation Easement

This week, the City closed on an exciting conservation easement. The Ekola family of Dover worked with the Open Lands Committee, Conservation Commission, City Council, and City staff on the donation of an 11.19 acre conservation easement located off of County Farm Cross Road. With this generous donation, the City will ensure that this valuable conservation land will remain protected forever. The property is close to Blackwater Brook and is connected to an existing conservation easement. This land encompasses some of the highest ranked wildlife habitat in New Hampshire, helping to further expand the protected wildlife corridor in this area. In addition to wildlife, the conservation easement area contains prime farmland soils as well as soils of statewide importance. 

The closing comes during the initial phases of an update to the Conservation and Open Space Chapter of the City's Master Plan which will establish objectives to further this type of work for the next ten years. We greatly appreciate the Ekola family's commitment to conservation in the City of Dover and express our gratitude to all involved with this important project.

The donated conservation easement off of County Farm Cross Road.

Dover Community Power Highlighted for Energy Savings

In a recent article, the Energy News Network reviewed the work of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) five years after the passing of New Hampshire’s community power law. The law allows municipalities to aggregate electricity purchasing on behalf of residents and businesses, enabling them to negotiate better rates and choose more renewable energy sources.

City of Dover Resilience Manager Jackson Kaspari discussed the Dover Community Power program in the article stating, “The community power program has been a great success.” He noted, "Since Dover launched its program last October, for example, residential and commercial customers have saved an estimated $500,000."

The article also discusses the recent reduction in Community Power rates, effective Feb. 1 to July 31, 2024. Community Power's default residential rate is now the lowest in the state at 8.1 cents per kilowatt-hour. To review and compare Dover Community Power rates, click here.

To read the full article, click here.

Resilient Dover Presentation

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, Resilience Manager Jackson Kaspari will be presenting at the Dover Public Library on the Citywide Resilience Plan and resources and updates pertaining to the City's commitment to become a more resilient community.

The presentation will focus on the following:

• The development and implementation of Dover’s Citywide Resilience Plan.

• The launch of the Dover Community Power program.

• Municipal partnerships with electric utilities.

• Additional examples of municipal resiliency projects and a look towards the future.

The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall at the Dover Public Library.

Registration is not required. For more event information, click here.

Planning Review Question

The Department of Planning and Community Development would like your input! We'll be featuring a question in each edition of the Planning Review, and we'll also share the results from the previous week.

This week, we're asking you to take a guess and we'll reveal the correct answer in the next newsletter:

How many acres of protected land are there in the City of Dover?

Submit your answer here: https://polco.us/m3ket2

Here are the results from last week's poll, which asked, "Are you aware that the Conservation and Open Space Chapter of the Master Plan will be updated in 2024?

Keep an eye on this newsletter for information on the Master Plan update of the Conservation and Open Space Chapter!

Dover Download podcast: Your guide to what's happening this week

In this week's episode, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. about the strategic goal-setting process that the Dover City Council recently held and how the council goals align with and drive budget priorities. 

In This Week in Dover History, we learn about a devastating 1907 fire that took six lives at the Cocheco Manufacturing Company's Mill No. 1.  

The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and by clicking here.

Upcoming Meetings

Arts Commission, 2/5/2024

The Arts Commission will meet on Monday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m.. On the Agenda:

• Review the Commission's budget;

• Review the presentation by the Commission at the Library on the Americans for the Arts, Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 impact study;

• Review the Winter Arts Gathering at SHE Studios;

• Discuss updates for ongoing projects including the Commission's work with various other public bodies like the Graffiti Committee and Waterfront Committee;

• Review and report on 2024 Commission Goals and planned projects.

Click here to find the complete agenda, where minutes will be posted when available.

Community Trail Advisory Committee, 2/6/2024

The Community Trail Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 5:30 p.m.. On the Agenda:

• Review ongoing projects such as the Trail expansion, public art on the Trail, and outreach efforts;

• Discuss visioning and goals for the Community Trail.

Click here to find the complete agenda, where minutes will be posted when available.

Results of Recent Meetings

Planning Board, 1/23/2024

The Planning Board met on Tuesday, Jan. 23, where it:

• Approved an Extension Request for a conditionally approved Site Plan for VC Dover Investment, LLC, Assessor’s Map H, Lot 4-3-2, zoned C and RCM Overlay, located at 30 Grapevine Dr. Proposal is for the Planning Board to extend the period of time for conditions to be met prior to plan signing. *(WAIV-2023-0013)

• Approved Transfer of Development Rights for Altus Engineering (Owners: Paul Seaver), Assessor’s Map H, Lot 6-4, zoned R-20, located at 105 Durham Rd. Proposal is purchase 9 HUD-restricted units. *(TRAN-2023-0006)

• Approved Transfer of Development Rights for Brian Slovenski, Assessor’s Map L, Lot 111, zoned R-20, located at 306 Dover Point Rd. Proposal is to purchase five additional living units, within three buildings. *(TRAN-2023-0005)

• Approved Site Plan for TF Moran (Owners 256-264 Central Avenue, LLC), Assessor’s Map 9, Lots 111 & 112, zoned CBD-G located at 256 and 264 Central Ave. Proposal is to replace gravel parking with 10,595 square feet of paved parking related to their renovation of the buildings. *(SITE-2023-0013)

• Continued to the Feb. 26, 2024 meeting the consideration and acceptance of a Conditional Use Permit for Gove Environmental Services, Inc., (Owners: David R. Lemieux), Assessor’s Map 8, Lot 19, zoned R-20, located at 14 Leighton Rd. Proposal is for a residential redevelopment of the property with 2,887 square feet of temporary impact and 8,362 square feet of permanent impact to the Conservation District. *(COND-2023-0060) 

• Continued to the Feb. 26, 2024 meeting the consideration and acceptance of a Conditional Use Permit for Gove Environmental Services, Inc., (Owners: David R. Lemieux), Assessor’s Map 8, Lot 19, zoned R-20, located at 14 Leighton Rd. Proposal construct a new single-family house and cottage further inland creating 1,908 square feet of temporary impact and 2,067 square feet of permanent impact to the 50-foot wetlands buffer. *(COND-2023-0061)

• Approved a Conditional Use Permit for Robert Baldwin, Assessor’s Map 39, Lot 103, zoned Gateway, located at 34 New Rochester Rd. Proposal is to allow the site to have a frontage build-out of 47.4%, where 60% is required. *(COND-2024-0002)

• Approved a Conditional Use Permit for Robert Baldwin, Assessor’s Map 39, Lot 103, zoned Gateway, located at 34 New Rochester Rd. Proposal is to allow the current single-family residence to remain while not meeting the front build-to line of 5-20’. *(COND-2024-0003)

• Approved a Site Plan for Knox Marsh Development, LLC, (Owner: Robert Baldwin), Assessor’s Map 39, Lot 103, zoned Gateway, located at 34 New Rochester Rd. Proposal is to construct 6 duplex structures (12 units) with the existing dwelling to remain and be renovated into a duplex. *(SITE-2023-0007) 

Note: * denotes public hearing; (20XX-XXXX) denotes the application number.

Click here to watch the meeting or click here to find the complete agenda, where minutes will be posted when available.

Forest Management Subcommittee, 1/29/2024

The Forest Management Subcommittee of the Conservation Commission met on Monday, Jan. 29, where it:

• Reviewed updates and ongoing projects such as the Pocket Forest project and Central Business District (CBD) street trees.

Click here to find the complete agenda, where minutes will be posted when available.

Master Plan Steering Committee, 1/30/2024

The Master Plan Steering Committee for the Conservation and Open Space Chapter met on Tuesday, Jan. 30, where it:

• Heard the project overview, timeline, and outreach and engagement plan from project consultants, Resilience Planning & Design;

• Reviewed the Strafford Regional Planning Commission's Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) project.

Click here to find the complete agenda, where minutes will be posted when available.