Dover OK’s developer’s plan to add downtown apartments

DOVER — Developer Eric Chinburg’s plan to convert 30,000 square feet of industrial space into 36 residential units at the Washington Street Mill is moving forward.

The Planning Board voted this week to accept Chinburg Properties’ application to amend the previously approved site plan to allow him to convert industrial space on the first and second floors into apartments.

Once the conversion work is completed, it will bring the number of apartments at the downtown location to 90, according to paperwork filed with the city by CivilWorks New England on behalf of Chinburg Properties. The initial mixed-use project was approved in September 2017, and there are already apartments on the third, fourth and fifth floors.

Stephen Haight of Civilworks New England, who represented Chinburg at Tuesday’s meeting, said the developer decided to convert the space to residential in part because they didn’t have a commercial tenant for the space. Plus, Haight said, the demand for housing downtown, especially in the mills, remains high.

“People love them,” he said about housing in converted mills.

Christopher Parker, Dover’s assistant city manager and planning director, said he and the city’s Economic Development Director Dan Barufaldi agreed converting to residential fit the market.

“He agreed with the applicant that due to the unique nature of high ceilings” an industrial use didn’t make sense in the converted mill building, Parker said during this week’s meeting.

“You don’t see industrial users want to be in a downtown setting anymore,” Parker added.

The board, as part of its vote, required Chinburg to develop a parking management plan for the site and auxiliary lots. Board member Erin Allgood, who has an office in the mill building, said at times when it snows, the parking “ends up being a bit of a mess over there.”