The Downtown Dover Partnership looks to bring more restaurants into the capital’s downtown district, with some grants to help out.
The economic development group awarded a $5,000 loan to a new restaurant opening up on Loockerman Street downtown.
Operations Manager Tina Bradbury says they put out feelers for the property only 10 days ago, and are already close to signing a lease.
She says the restaurant came out of the Capital City Farmers Market.
“Our farmers market has been a proven ground for a business incubator district and we’ve had many successful businesses launched from the farmers market," Bradbury said.
Bradbury says she can’t release the name of the restaurant until they sign the lease.
But, she notes it started out as a food cart before opening a brick and mortar store in Middletown, and wants to head back to Dover.
Some of the committee members stress that offering a loan to this restaurant opens the floodgates for other businesses seeking a loan to start their business or make improvements.
But, they add it’s a better investment in the downtown district than buying dilapidated buildings and trying to resell them.
The loan will go towards the licensing process, helping the restaurant get its liquor license before opening.
The Partnership is also moving closer to installing meters to create a better system for parking.
The partnership’s president Tom Stonsiefer says the ability to generate more revenue in the district will help the organization achieve its goals.
“But making sure that money is not dedicated to the city’s general fund but actually spent here in the district where the money’s being collected,” said Stonsiefer.
Stonesiefer says parking revenue could be used on improving the public safety of downtown, trimming the overgrown trees, and saving for a future parking garage.
The committee remains undecided on parking system details, after consulting with Colonial Parking, which manages parking in Wilmington.
Those details include inclusion of a free parking period during the day, when parking enforcement would end each night, and the effect on local business.
The committee looked at case studies from Old Pasadena in California and Pittsburgh, PA. But members notes both cities don’t match Dover in terms of average income or population.
