Gateway Project

Welcome to the Gateway Rezoning Study webpage! We hope that you find this page useful and informative. However, if you have any questions about this project or are unable to find what you’re looking for, please don’t hesitate to contact Tim Corwin, Assistant City Planner, at 516-6008. You can also email Tim. Thank you for visiting!

Background

In July of 2012, the City of Dover was awarded $50,000 by New Hampshire Housing through a competitive grant process to examine the zoning regulations in and around the gateways that lead into downtown. The goal of the project, which the City refers to as the “Gateway Rezoning Study”, is to ensure that the gateways are zoned to provide opportunities for robust growth and a mixture of uses in order to create a seamless transition from Dover's more suburban residential areas to the urban core. The gateways that are the focus of the project include portions of Central Avenue, Broadway, Portland Avenue, Sixth Street, and Silver Street. At the conclusion of this process (targeted for early 2014) we expect that the context sensitive zoning (or form based code) that was adopted for downtown Dover in 2009 will expand in one form or another along one or more of these roadways.

Our Progress

As of mid-February 2013, the City of Dover Department of Planning and Community Development, together with our consultants, Jeffrey H. Taylor & Associates have accomplished the following tasks and performed the following work:

• Site Analysis: Conducted preliminary site analysis to confirm project area.
• Inventories: Undertook extensive inventories of the on-the-ground conditions along the subject roadways including setbacks, building massing, road widths, street amenities and uses; and prepared detailed one page analyses for each property studied.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Identified key stakeholders including City staff and commissions, housing and mass transportation advocates, developers, design professionals, and land use attorneys, and conducted interviews to identify the strengths/weaknesses and opportunities/obstacles along the subject roadways.
• Design Charrettes: Planned and organized two design charrettes, held February 2nd and March 2nd, including preparation of base maps and other materials, and posting of flyers throughout the community advertising the charrettes.
• On-Line Survey: Prepared two on-line surveys regarding the subject roadways and conducted a public relations campaign aimed to encourage participation in the survey.
o The first survey asked respondents to discuss existing conditions. View Results
o The second survey asks respondents to evaluate the concepts developed in the design charrrettes. The Survey will be open until April 8, 2013.
• Public Relations Campaign: Conducted a broad public relations and outreach campaign to publicize the GRS and seek public participation and feedback, particularly from our renter population and student population including press releases, on-line social media, radio appearances, and e-mail blasts by the City of Dover, Dover Chamber of Commerce, Dover Main Street; prepared an 8 ½ minute informational video available on the City’s website and shown periodically on the City’s cable access channel introducing the GRS to the public; met with the Government Affairs Committee of the Dover Chamber of Commerce to promote and discuss the GRS.
• Outreach Campaign: Identified all property owners, residents, and occupants along each of the six gateways and sent each an individual letter in December introducing them to the GRS and inviting them to participate in the charrettes. In January, sent a second follow up letter; and attended a Dover high school AP history class to discuss the GRS and obtain the students’ feedback and participation.

The draft amendments were presented to the Planning Board in September of 2013. On October 8, 2013, the Board elected to post the amendments, and hold a public hearing. You can view a presentation from the 8th here

Staff developed a public notice and two public hearings were held in November and December, 2013. On December 17, 2014 the Planning Board amended the proposals to incorporate citizen feedback. It then voted to forward the amendments to the City Council for ratification. You can view the amendments here.

Survey

Please take our short on-line survey which is designed to gather your thoughts and opinions about the concepts designed for the gateways. The results will be tabulated and used by our consultant to help create draft regulations. The Survey will be open until April 8, 2013. TAKE SURVEY.

Documents and Materials

Grant Application

Grant Agreement

Request for Proposals

Map of Study Area

Press Release I

Press Release II

Foster’s Articles:
2/08/13
2/07/13
2/04/13
1/04/13
11/07/12

Video

DBIDA newsletter Article

Stakeholder Letter

Site Analysis Data (i.e. property sheets….)