Executives from developer Cathartes and leaders from the city of Dover pose for a photo to celebrate the opening of a new riverfront park and apartment building developed by Cathartes. Cathartes managing director Jeff Johnston and Dover Mayor Dennis Shanahan stand at center left and center right, respectively. Photo courtesy of Cathartes
Officials from the city of Dover and developer Cathartes jointly celebrated the opening of a new waterfront park in the city, and a new apartment building next door, on July 14.
Nebi Park and the Truette Apartments were built as the first phase of Dover’s Waterfront District development.
The city selected Boston-based Cathartes to develop the publicly-owned former industrial area as a public-private partnership in 2018. Since then, the multi-building project went through extensive approvals processes.
“The development of Dover’s Waterfront District is a success story nearly forty years in the making,” Dover Mayor Dennis Shanahan said in a statement provided by Cathartes. “Dover residents have advocated for the revitalization of The Waterfront District since the early 1980s, and the Cochecho Waterfront District Advisory Committee and Cathartes turned that vision into reality. We are proud of the progress we have made and look forward to welcoming the community into this neighborhood.”
While the ribbon-cutting for the Truette Apartments was held this month, the building has actually been open for some time. A press release from Cathartes stated the building already has over 160 residents and a restaurant called Topolino, founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Evan Hennessey.
A 43-unit condominium building, branded “Rivelle” is under construction with delivery expected in spring 2027.
When finished, the Waterfront District will have more than 400 residential units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The areas sits just across the Cochecho River from downtown Dover.
“The city put its trust in us – a private developer –to take on this property and shape its master plan, and that is a responsibility we have tried to live up to every step of the way,” Cathartes managing director Jeff Johnston said in a statement. “From the very first conversations about the master plan, this site was never just about buildings.”
