Dover Planning Board Unanimously Backs MBTA Zoning for September 29 Town Meeting Vote

DOVER — September 8, 2025 — Dover Planning Board votes 4-0 to recommend MBTA zoning overlay to September 29 special town meeting. The board unanimously endorsed a proposed zoning bylaw and map amendment that would designate the County Court condominium complex on Tisdale Drive as Dover's single multifamily overlay district, with Vice Chair Jody Shu leading the presentation and Town Planner Melissa Santucci Rossi detailing four last-minute revisions including a density cap of 16 units per acre — reducing the state compliance model's theoretical maximum from 227 units to 159. Board of Selectmen Chair Robin Hunter warned that non-compliance could cost the average homeowner $600 per year in lost state grants, plus $425 more annually if the town loses a $13 million earmarked bridge replacement grant, and an additional $475 if legal fees mirror the roughly $1 million spent by Milton. Town Counsel Nina Pickering-Cook fielded questions distinguishing the overlay from a separate Chapter 40B application near the same site, emphasizing that no property owner is forced to sell or act. The town faces a December 31, 2025, state compliance deadline.