Dover Planning Review: An Update From the Office of Planning and Community Development

UNH Students Tour Downtown Dover to Inform Master Plan Update

On Wednesday, Oct. 14, planning staff from the City of Dover and Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) led UNH Community and Environmental Planning students on a tour of downtown Dover. The tour highlighted local efforts to balance housing demand, transportation improvements, and area planning challenges. As part of the student’s coursework, they’re analyzing recent resident surveys and traffic and parking data to help shape the upcoming update to the Transportation Chapter of the City’s Master Plan.

To learn more about the Master Plan, click here. 

Pine Hill Cemetery Walk and Talk

City of Dover FY28 CDBG Grant Applications Now Available

The City of Dover Planning and Community Development Department is accepting applications from community service agencies, qualified individuals and eligible organizations for grants from the City of Dover for fiscal year 28 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The fiscal year spans July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028.

Application materials are now available online and in the Dover Planning and Community Department located at 288 Central Ave., Dover, NH 03820. The application submission deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, 2026; applications must be submitted by email to Dave Carpenter, Community Development Planner. The City of Dover reserves the right to reject any applications that are found incomplete or not received by the required deadline.

If you have questions or would like guidance in developing the application, please contact Dave Carpenter at by email or at 603-516-6008. 

NH Coastal Flood Risk Summary Steering Committee releases 2026 Draft Guidance Report

Public Comment Sought Through Oct. 30

The New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary Steering Committee is seeking comments on on the draft 2026 New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary, Part II: Guidance for Using Best Available Science. The deadline to submit comments on the draft is 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.

The purpose of the 2026 Guidance is to enhance understanding and application of the science summarized in the updated Part I: Science of the 2025-2026 New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary, was published in 2025.

First published in 2020, the Guidance is currently being updated as part of the 5-year update required by the state legislature and guided by a steering committee of state agency representatives, regional planning commission staff, and other partners. The Guidance is intended to support users to access the latest information about sea level rise, groundwater rise, coastal storms, and extreme precipitation in different types of projects, including planning, regulatory, or site-specific efforts.

The Strafford Regional Planning Commission and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program are seeking feedback on the draft Guidance content via the interactive StoryMap collection and/or the PDF.

Explore the Interactive StoryMap

Review the PDF of the content

Please feel free to reach out to Lisa Wise (Strafford Regional Planning Commission) at LWise@straffordrpcnh.gov and Kirsten Howard (NHDES Coastal Program) at kirsten.b.howard@des.nh.gov to ask any questions.

Recent Meetings

Below are summaries of recent land use meetings in the City of Dover. These meetings cover topics such as residential and development proposals, updates to the city's Master Plan, and energy and conservation initiatives.

Visit the city's Public Meetings webpage for a calendar of upcoming meetings with links to public meeting records, including agendas, minutes, and audio recordings.

Planning Board, 10/13/2026

The Planning Board met on October 13, 2026, where it:

OLD BUSINESS

• Approved a Lot Line Adjustment for John E. Roy, Assessor’s Map 4, Lots 45 & 46, zoned CBD-R, located at 2 & 4 Twombly Street. *(LOTA-2026-0004) [This item was continued from the September 22, 2026 Planning Board meeting.]
• Approved a Conditional Use Permit for John E. Roy, Assessor’s Map 4, Lot 46, zoned CBD-R, located at 4 Twombly Street. (Proposal is for relief from CBD-Residential district dimensional regulation requiring a 10-foot side setback.) *(COND-2026-0035) [This item was continued from the September 22, 2026 Planning Board meeting.]
• Approved a Conditional Use Permit for John E. Roy, Assessor’s Map 4, Lots 45 & 46, zoned CBD-R, located at 2 & 4 Twombly Street. (Proposal is for relief for each lot having less than the required minimum lot coverage per CBD-Residential zoning regulations.) *(COND-2026-0036) [This item was continued from the September 22, 2026 Planning Board meeting.]
• Moved to endorse the proposed Amendments to Chapter 170 (Zoning Ordinance) and make a recommendation to City Council. Topics include Transfer of Development Rights, Conditional Use Permit Criteria, Customary Home Occupations, Accessory Dwelling Units and others. The full text of the amendments is available in the Planning Department and at www.dover.nh.gov located under meeting materials and on the Planning Department page.

NEW BUSINESS

• Approved a Lot Line Adjustment for Margaret M. Gabriel Revocable Trust, Assessor’s Map L, Lot 98 & 99, zoned R-20, located at 262 & 262 B Dover Point Road, *(LOTA-2026-0005)
• Approved a Site Plan for Wentworth Home, Assessor’s Map 37, Lot 1-A, zoned H, located at 795 Central Avenue. (Proposal is to construct a 3,098 square foot addition to the Wentworth Home facility to accommodate six (6) additional memory care beds.) *(SITE-2026-0013)
• Continued consideration and acceptance of a Site Plan for 12 Lincoln Street Dover, LLC, Assessor’s Map 31, Lot 67, zoned CBD-R, located at 12 Lincoln Street. (Proposal is for the addition of a third floor to the existing structure with eight (8) additional units, for a total of nineteen (19) residential units.) *(SITE-2025-0018) This item was continued to the October 28, 2026
• Approved Transfer of Development Rights for 5 Sherman Street, LLC, Assessor’s Map 19, Lot 9-A, zoned R-12, located at 91 Court Street. (Proposal is to purchase three (3) size-restricted units through TDR, resulting in a total of four (4) units on the subject property.) *(TRAN-2026-0009)
• Approved a Site Plan for 5 Sherman Street, LLC, Assessor’s Map 19, Lot 8 & 9-A, zoned R-12, located at 91 & 103 Court Street. (Proposal is to merge 91 and 103 Court Street and coordinate development with the previously approved Farm Gate Drive project. The merged lot would include four additional residential units, bringing the total to ten residential units. *(SITE-2026-0015)
• Held public hearing on the City’s proposed Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) FY2028-2033. The CIP can be found on the City website at www.dover.nh.gov and in the Library, City Clerk’s office, and the Planning Department. * 

Open Lands Committee, 10/15/2026

The Open Lands Committee met on Oct. 15, 2026. Agenda items were as follows:

• Staff Report: Makayla Edgecomb 
• Conservation Fund as of June 2026

i. Conservation Fund: $ 1,234,865.97

ii. Receivable: $ 22,607.00 + $8,099.00

iii. Total: $ 1,265,571.97

• Public Land Conservation Projects
• Reports by Task Groups
• Outreach and Education
• Upcoming Events
• Birding Adventure with Wild Birds Unlimited Update
• Easement Monitoring
• Monitoring Group Update
• Identifying high priority City owned parcels
• Other business
• Workshop Schedule 

Energy Commission, 10/21/2026

The Energy Commission met on Oct. 21, 2026. Agenda items were as follows:

• Staff Updates
• Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Audit Update with EEI
• Local Energy Solutions Conference Last Call
• Apple Harvest Day Outreach
• Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Sales Discussion  

Upcoming Meetings

On the Agenda: Planning Board, 10/27/2026

In this video, Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton reviews what's on the agenda at the next Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Technical Review Committee, 10/29/2026

Projects to be reviewed by the Technical Review Committee on Oct.29, 2026 include:

• Sterling Way
• Proposal is to construct an approximately 26,547-square-foot, four-story, mixed-use building with ground-floor commercial space and 87 residential units on the upper floors

Dover Plan Review Poll

The Department of Planning and Community Development would like your input. We feature a poll question in each edition of the Planning Review, utilizing the city's online polling platform, Polco. This week we want to know:

What would make public transportation more useful to you?

Let us know!

Responses are anonymous, but poll respondents must create an account with Polco to submit answers. Only an email and password are required to make an account.

Results from the previous poll

What would make it easier for you to get around Dover?

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