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Introduction
A Master Plan is a comprehensive plan which guides the long-term physical development for a community. Each plan should be reviewed every 10—20 years. Dover began a recent cycle updating the Master Plan in 2007.
If you have questions about the review process, please contact Steve Bird in the Planning Department.
The following are brief descriptions of completed sections of Dover's Master Plan update. You may download .pdf of the chapters using the free Adobe Acrobat reader to view them. Additionally, you can view the 2012 Update on Recommendations - Executive Summary.
Vision – 2012
Download Vision
Land Use Analysis – 2007
The place we know as the City of Dover will become a different place in the course of our lifetimes. In some small way, it may even be different tomorrow. By evaluating the past and making recommendations toward the future, we can ensure that the community develops and grows in a managed and meaningful way. This plan is a statement of what the Dover community hopes to be, and how it might get there.
Download Land Use Analysis
Download 2011 Economic Development Addendum
Recreation – 2009
Recreation is an integral component of a healthy, sustainable community and should receive commensurate investment. In Dover, it is believed that Recreation issues are complex and require high attention, wise decisions, sensible implementation, and collaboration among different city departments. The goals established in this document here are similar to those in the past (2000). The mission of Recreation in Dover may not change much with each Master Plan update, but the ways in which Dover accomplishes those goals may.
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Natural and Historical Resources - 2000
Dover’s natural resources are a critical consideration in establishing a proper approach for land management. Understanding natural resource values provides a rational basis for determining which areas of the City are more appropriate for protection and open space and which areas are more suitable for development. Natural resources such as slope, soils, and vegetation, wildlife, and water resources add to Dover’s character, provide recreational opportunities and contribute to the quality of life for Dover residents. These natural resources also provide both opportunities and constraints for growth. Steep slopes and wetlands, for example, are less suitable for development, while better drained, flatter areas are more suitable. On the other hand, these well-drained areas may be associated with groundwater areas that require protection. Thus, the natural resource base of Dover provides an important factor as the basis for local land use decisions. The following is a description and analysis of Dover’s natural resource base.
Download Natural and Historical Resources
Community Facilities and Utilities - 2009
The City of Dover and its employees are recognized as providing a high level of effective services. The Dover government is a large, complex organization delivering a wide and diverse range of services to the residents and businesses of the City. City business is conducted by the City Council managing about half of the budget and the School Board managing the rest with only bottom line funding approval by the Council. By definition it is a bureaucracy and, like most other bureaucracies, our City government and its activities has evolved over time to meet the new demands placed on it by growth. Sometimes that growth has been slow and steady and sometimes it has been very rapid such as we are currently facing as we enter the new millennium. In either case, attention has sometimes been focused on meeting the new needs rather than finding ways to deliver existing services in the most efficient way. The City and School budgets have been developed separately without first setting limits for combined growth and identifying areas of mutual need and possible joint efforts to hold costs down. This has resulted in adding new people, facilities, equipment, and activities at ever-increasing costs. Efforts at last minute budget cutting to hold cost down have sometimes been misdirected to things such as deferring necessary maintenance or new programs, which eventually resulted in higher costs. Dover needs to change that approach to managing its business.
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Open Space and Conservation- 2012
Dover has a long history of placing a priority on environmental protection and management. Open Space and Recreation Plans were developed in 1973, 1978, 1988 and the 1988 City-wide Master Plan contained a detailed chapter on the open space and recreation needs of Dover. This chapter serves as an update to the 1988 Master Plan and integrates the information and recommendations contained in previous plans with the most recent needs that have been identified in Dover.
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Transportation - 2000
This chapter of the City of Dover Master Plan is intended to set policies and goals while providing a comprehensive vision for transportation. Dover will invest in, maintain and properly manage or regulate a coordinated, safe, efficient, and effective transportation system that promotes the long-term goals of its citizens and businesses expressed in this Master Plan. The City acknowledges this system to consist of public and private infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sidewalks, parking facilities, trails and transit centers as well as services such as transit, taxis, and traveler information resources. This system will enhance the quality of life for residents and the quality of experience for visitors and tourists while preserving the character and strategic advantages of the City for current and future generations.
Download Transportation
Official addendum to Transportation Chapter: 2005 Rizzo Dover Downtown Traffic and Parking Circulation Study.
Download Report
Download Summary Presentation
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