In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Eric Chinburg, owner of Chinburg Properties, which has owned and redeveloped the mills in downtown Dover for the past 15 years. They discuss the changes Chinburg has spearheaded in redeveloping the mills into vibrant mixed-use spaces, the process and incentives involved in rehabilitating historic buildings, and the current challenges developers face with construction costs and financing. Chinburg also talks about his company's approach of having in-house teams for development, construction, and property management, as well as their focus on saving and repurposing historic mills and buildings in downtown areas. He shares examples of projects in Dover and other New Hampshire cities and towns, addressing factors that make redevelopment feasible or challenging, such as availability of parking, zoning allowances, and sewer infrastructure capacity. Chinburg and Parker also discuss trends in the residential rental market.
In This Week in Dover History, we learn about Maria Ricker, a prominent women's rights activist who lived in Dover in the late 19th/early 20th century. As one of the most influential suffragists of her time, she tirelessly advocated for women's right to vote through writing, public speaking, and protests. She made history as the first woman to attempt to vote in NH in 1870, to apply for bar membership in 1890, and more.
