Dover Select Board Shrinks Study Committee to Five, Clearing Path to January Start

DOVER — December 18, 2025 — Dover's Select Board voted 3-0 to reduce its stalled board membership size study committee from seven members to five, allowing the panel to begin meeting in January. Chair Robin Hunter, Dave Havlin, and Pam Hudson took the action after Havlin reported that repeated recruiting failures had left the committee unable to reach seven members. The board also approved unanimously inserting a Tree Preservation Committee flyer about Dover's stormwater and tree protection bylaws into resident tax bills, with distribution also planned through the library, public buildings, and a new-resident welcome packet. Hunter disclosed that Toll Brothers holds contingent purchase agreements on roughly 50 acres on Junction Street and is proposing a 66-unit over-55 active adult community, with a January meeting between the developer and town officials expected. The town also received a Chapter 40B application for a 20-unit townhome project on Strawberry Hill Road. The board entered executive session to discuss litigation strategy involving the community center building project and abutters at 4 and 12 Whiting Road.