On Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m., the draft Vision Chapter update of the Dover Master Plan will be presented at the Planning Board's regular meeting for consideration and possible adoption. A public hearing will be held beforehand to allow community members an opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions on the proposed vision.

The Master Plan's Vision Chapter captures the long-term view of the city, as told by Dover residents, and serves as the foundation from which all other Master Plan chapters are built.

Over the past nine months, Planning Department staff members and the Vision Chapter Steering Committee have worked alongside our consultant partners, Resilience Planning and CJW Consulting, to create an updated Vision Chapter of the city's Master Plan that represents what makes our community, "Distinctly Dover."

Engagement efforts by the Steering Committee and Planning staff began in October 2022. In the course of several months, they engaged the community through online polling, at community events, such as Apple Harvest Day, a virtual visioning session, ten "Vision on the Go" sessions with various community groups, and five "drop-in" events. In total, the committee received more than 400 responses from residents and stakeholders providing their input toward the city's Community Vision for 2035.

To review the draft Vision Chapter update, and for more information on the update project, click here.

On Wednesday, July 12, Dover City Council authorized the Conservation Commission, in coordination with the Open Lands Committee, to acquire two conservation easements that total 19.91 acres: 9.52 acres on a Garrison Road property and 10.39 acres on County Farm Cross Road.

The nearly 20 acres that make up the two conservation easements encompass some of the highest-ranked wildlife habitats in New Hampshire, helping to further expand the protected wildlife corridor in the areas. In addition to wildlife, the easement areas also contain prime farmland soils as well as soils of statewide importance.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between the landowner and the Dover Conservation Commission that permanently limits certain types of development and uses on the property by granting the development rights to the city. The City of Dover purchases the easement or receives the easement as a donation, and the property remains in private ownership. Conservation easements are voluntary and flexible and can be structured to preserve all or just a part of the property. Conserved properties retain their landowner rights and can still be gifted or sold, but they cannot be developed or mined.

Funding for the acquisition of conservation easements has no impact on taxpayers and it is made possible through the Conservation Commission's Conservation Fund. The Conservation Fund is funded through the Land Use Change Tax paid by landowners who develop land previously in the Current Use Program as well as through the Transfer of Development Rights program.

For more information, contact the Planning Department at 603-516-6008 or email Resilience Manager Dr. Jackson Kaspari at j.kaspari@dover.nh.gov.