Downtown Dover Partnership outlines $26 million-plus investments, requests modest city funding bump

The Downtown Dover Partnership (DDP) presented its 2024 annual report to the Dover City Council, detailing capital projects underway, private reinvestment and requests for a modest increase in city support.

Diane Laird, executive director of the Downtown Dover Partnership, told council members the organization had steered about $2 million in city and DDP-funded improvements toward roughly 20 projects in the downtown development district and anticipated another $7 million in combined public-private improvements once additional private investment is in place.

Laird described several projects the partnership is advancing: remediation and demolition at West End parcels, acquisition of properties at 148 and 150 South Bradford Street to prepare for the mobility center, and a planned five-story mixed-use project at 120 South Governors Avenue with an estimated 160 mixed-income residences and ground-floor commercial spaces. She said the mobility-center site and other remediation needs could require substantial cleanup; Laird and other presenters mentioned a remediation estimate of roughly $5,000,000 for one parcel under discussion.

Laird said the DDP secured multiple funding sources in 2024, including ARPA allocations, a state bond act commitment (the presentation cited $25,000,000 at state level tied to downtown revitalization programs) and an EPA assessment/grant to support remediation and site readiness. She said these project-specific funds, together with DDP-managed parking revenues and private investment, had produced what she described as more than $26 million in committed funds for downtown projects.

On operations, Laird said the DDP historically received $150,000 annually from the City of Dover; she asked city leaders to consider a $25,000 increase to help cover the immediate cost of contracting an accounting firm to meet expanded reporting requirements tied to new grants and funding. The DDP estimates hiring an accounting firm will cost about $50,000 per year; the organization asked the city to cover roughly half of that first-year cost.

Laird also outlined organizational capacity issues: the partnership has expanded its scope of projects while operating with a small staff and anticipated hiring additional accounting and administrative support as projects and reporting demands increase.

Council members questioned funding breakdowns, the source of DDP operating revenue (Laird said rental income from a property with an anchor tenant has been the major operating source), and the timing of remediation and construction milestones; DDP staff said more detailed financial breakdowns were available and offered to provide them to council members and residents on request.

The presentation included promotional and placemaking initiatives (events such as Paintover and Fire and Ice Festival), parking management changes with Colonial Parking, and specific street and pedestrian improvements tied to underground water and sewer work on Lockerman Street. Laird said the DDP anticipates a mobility center groundbreaking in the coming months and potential groundbreaking on the mixed-income project at 120 South Governors Avenue by late 2025, subject to permitting and financing.

The DDP asked council to accept the report; the council proceeded from the presentation to subsequent agenda items.