Additional Dover 2023 Workshop Scheduled for May 1st

What will Dover be like in the year 2023?  More importantly, what do Dover residents want it to be?  These questions have been the central focus of a community-wide public engagement process that began on March 10.  The “Dover 2023 – Building our Tomorrow” effort is designed to get the community thinking about where it is now, where it has come from in the past few decades and where it wants to get to in the future.

Christopher Parker, the City’s Director of Planning and Community Development, feels strongly that “developing a vision for our City is the key first step to building the community that we want to become.”  This longer term perspective is particularly appropriate since Dover will be celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2023, and serves as the cornerstone to City’s master planning efforts.  

A series of neighborhood meetings were held in March to get the community’s ideas about what Dover should be like in the year 2023.  A second series of neighborhood workshops are being held in April in order to refine and prioritize the long term vision for the City.  Kirt Schuman, Planning Board member and Chair of the Master Plan Steering Committee, remarked on the importance of the community’s role in developing the vision:  “The Planning Board recognizes that the City’s vision must, at its core, reflect the community’s values and concerns, not just those of the Planning Board and staff.”  

Recognizing that the March and April workshops were held in the evening, an additional Dover 2023 workshop has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 1, 2012 from 8AM to 10 AM in the Lecture Hall at the Dover Public Library. “We want to ensure that as many residents, business owners and property owners are able to participate,” says Tim Corwin, the Assistant City Planner.  “Having a weekday morning session is a great way to provide an opportunity for those people who want to participate but who are not available in the evenings.”

The May 1st workshop will provide those who have not yet had an opportunity to participate in Dover 2023 with a chance to hear about the City’s long term vision and to provide their insights and perspective on where Dover should be headed in the next ten years.  

The Dover 2023 visioning process will wrap up with a final community-wide event to be held on Saturday, May 5th at 9AM at the Dover Middle School cafeteria.  “Everyone is encouraged to attend,” says Corwin.  “Even if you weren’t able to make to any of the previous meetings, the May 5th meeting is the perfect opportunity for you to participate in the process and tell us what you want Dover to be.”

For more information please go to the project web site at: www.dover2023.com.