Cochecho Waterfront Park | Dover, NH

The City of Dover owns a 30-acre parcel of land on the Cochecho River that has been underutilized and is now ripe for development. The historic site was once home to a velvet mill, a coal shed, a city farm, and the City’s public works facility. Contamination from these prior uses will be remediated as part of the site’s redevelopment.

Ironwood Design Group is working with a consultant team of planners, architects, and engineers, as well as the City of Dover and the Cochecho Waterfront Development Advisory Committee (CWDAC) to develop a master plan for the parcel.

The master plan includes mixed-use new development as well as a 4-acre public park along the river that will be a community destination and a greenway link between Henry Law Park in downtown Dover and the recreation facilities at Maglaras Park. The waterfront park program includes an accessible trail network, temporary docking facilities for small and large watercraft, river access points, a walk-in canoe/kayak ramp, a floating dock for crew boats, a civic plaza and overlook, and naturalized areas for picnicking and passive enjoyment.

A major consideration of the design is landscape resiliency particularly as it relates to tidal fluctuations and sea-level rise projections for this area of the Cochecho River. The waterfront park will be graded to accommodate storm surges, and the river.