Downtown Dover Partnership broke ground on a new 325 spot parking garage, which developers say will also include commercial business locations, public transit, and bike storage.
The project is being developed by Downtown Dover Partnership. Executive director Diane Laird says this is one of three projects the organization is prioritizing after receiving the downtown master plan in January 2023.
“And that’s because we want to make sure we have the parking infrastructure ready upfront for the development that is to come." she told DPM.
That development, Laird says, will come in the form of a new housing project planned for the area, which are promised to include 120 homes, including affordable housing, workforce housing, and market price housing.
The project is expected to cost around $22 million, with 18.2 million of that covered by the American Rescue Plan Act, which DDP is obligated to spend by the end of next year.
DDP says the project has been in development for the last two years, but the issue of parking availability has been an issue for decades.
Ken Anderson is Downtown Dover Partnership Property Development Director.
“Even in slow periods here, there’s always been a challenge for parking. Even when we were growing up, even today, and even after COVID there’s always been a challenge for parking. So, we call it a parking garage but it’s much more than that.” he said.
The parking garage also features 12,000 square feet of business space, according to Laird, who says the yet unnamed tenant plans to hire around 85 workers.
Governor Matt Meyer commented that the parking garage is part of a "grand vision of what the state's capitol can be."
Mayor Robin Christensen says this project will solve longstanding downtown parking issues.
Partnership officials say they plan to have the facility up and running by December of 2026.
