Visit the Nebi Park webpage for more information of the new public park that opened in July 2026.
Set along the banks of the Cochecho River in the heart of downtown Dover, the Cochecho Waterfront Development represents one of the most significant redevelopment efforts in the city’s modern history. Transforming former industrial and municipal lands into a vibrant mixed-use waterfront neighborhood, the project reconnects Dover to its riverfront while creating new opportunities for housing, recreation, economic development, and public gathering.
The redevelopment spans approximately 29 acres and includes residential buildings, commercial and restaurant spaces, structured parking, new public streets and utilities, and more than a half-mile of accessible waterfront. At the center of the project is Nebi Park, a signature public waterfront park featuring landscaped promenades, gathering spaces, seating areas, shoreline access, and a pavilion designed to support community events, recreation, concessions, and boating activities. Together, the public and private investments have created an entirely new neighborhood that extends and complements Dover’s historic downtown.
The completion of the Cochecho Waterfront Development marks the culmination of more than 30 years of planning, visioning, negotiation, environmental remediation, and public investment. Since the early 1990s, city leaders, residents, boards, committees, and private partners worked through multiple economic cycles and redevelopment concepts to realize the community’s long-standing goal of reclaiming the waterfront for public use and sustainable development. The effort involved environmental cleanup of former industrial properties, major infrastructure planning, land assembly, shoreline stabilization, and the creation of a framework capable of supporting both public amenities and private investment.
A central part of that effort was the work of the Cochecho Waterfront Development Advisory Committee (CWDAC). Established by the City of Dover and Dover Housing Authority in 2005, the committee played a critical role in guiding the project from concept to completion. Over many years, the CWDAC provided oversight, public engagement, coordination with developers and consultants, and recommendations to city leadership regarding land use, infrastructure, design standards, financing, and implementation strategies. The committee served as a consistent steward of the community’s vision for the waterfront, helping ensure that redevelopment balanced economic growth with public access, environmental resilience, and long-term community benefit.
The waterfront redevelopment also reflects Dover’s commitment to thoughtful urban planning and sustainability. Significant public infrastructure improvements were completed as part of the project, including new roads, pedestrian connections, utilities, stormwater treatment systems, living shoreline features, and extensive landscaping designed to improve environmental resilience and strengthen the relationship between the city and the river.
Today, the Cochecho Waterfront Development stands as a symbol of Dover’s continued evolution — honoring the city’s industrial and maritime history while creating a dynamic waterfront district designed for future generations. It is a place where residents and visitors can live, work, dine, gather, and experience the Cochecho River as an integral part of community life once again.