Waterfront construction makes strides in 2024

posted on 12/31/2024

The decades of effort to redevelop the waterfront came into view in 2024 and will only accelerate in 2025. While the work started in 2023, it was in the past year that the public could see the buildings growing up from the ground around the newly paved streets.

The buildings constructed so far have been part of the private development by the city’s partner Cathartes, with the buildings known as C, D and E underway. Earlier this month, Foster's Daily Democrat reported Cathartes' announcement of its first commercial restaurant tenant for the new development with renowned local chef Evan Hennessey, owner of Stages at One Washington in Dover. The private development plan includes constructing three mixed-use buildings, two multi-family buildings, and three clusters of townhouses. The mixed-use development will provide approximately 26,000 square feet of commercial space and 418 residential units.

In 2025, the public park will begin to emerge. At its December meeting, the City Council authorized the contract to build the public pavilion that will be a part of the waterfront’s Nebi Park, with construction beginning in early 2025. The City Council awarded the bid to Pine Brook Construction for $1,462,875, which includes $100,000 of contingency funding; the cost will be partially offset by a $500,000 grant from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Council also authorized expending $52,000 for construction oversight by CJ Architects, the firm that designed the pavilion building.

There have been some changes to Nebi Park’s original plan to keep the overall public improvements project on budget, which increased by more than $1 million in unanticipated costs, according to city documents. One significant change at Nebi Park is postponing the purchase and installation of a motorized dock, which will provide additional contingency funding for the public improvement portions of the project. The Cochecho Waterfront Development Advisory Committee agreed to the change at its November meeting, with city officials hopeful there will be grant money available for the dock installation, which can be done from the river and not impact Nebi Park after its complete.

Other utility work continues for the project site. Earlier this month, the City Council authorized the city to partner with Eversource to complete electrical installation for the development and pay them $925,038 to help complete the work. All the utilities at the waterfront will be underground, which will also extend to lower Washington Street.

Work continues upgrading the River Street Pump Station, which the City Manager said remains on schedule. The City Council recently authorized expending an additional $380,000 with Wright-Pierce, which has designed the upgrades and is providing construction oversight. A focus of the renovation work includes a complete overhaul of the electrical system, with a new transformer installed by Eversource, a new electrical service, a main control center, a SCADA system, and an emergency generator. The pump station is a critical component of the city’s wastewater system.

For more information, visit the Waterfront development page at https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/planning/cochecho-waterfront-development/, and sign up for the email newsletter by visiting https://bit.ly/dovernewsletters and adding “Project updates: Waterfront Development” to your current email subscription list.