ROCHESTER — Portsmouth developer Steve Dumont said he withdrew an application he submitted to build a Dollar General store in Rochester because he says the city is trying to make him jump through too many hoops.
Dumont, owner of SWD Properties in Portsmouth, proposed the store last year, but says the city is putting condition after condition on the plan and he said “no more.” He informed the city officially Monday he is no longer proposing the project.
“Rochester used to be friendly to development,” he said. “Now it seems that is no longer the case.”
Dumont said he needed a variance from the ZBA to build on Old Dover Road because after the city Department of Public Works building was moved, the land was rezoned residential. He got that variance in August 2023. Since then, he said, one thing after another has been thrown at him.
“We changed the design three times,” he said. “We moved the building. I have spent $30,000-plus in design plans. Now I will just let the property sit vacant.”
Rochester Planning Director Shanna Saunders said the latest preliminary application for 25 Old Dover Road includes subdivision of a 2-acre lot off of the existing 8.5 acre lot for a Dollar General.
“The Dollar General development proposal exceeds lot coverage for the zone and therefore requires another variance.,” Saunders said. “The (city) Conservation Commission discussed the proposal at their last meeting on April 24 and because this lot is adjacent to the Cocheco River they expressed concern about the variance request to exceed lot coverage.”
The Conservation Commission’s meeting minutes state it has previously opposed construction of buildings and pavement within setbacks by the Cocheco River.
“The current proposal would significantly increase the amount of impervious surface within close proximity of the Cocheco River,” the meeting minutes state. “Commission members did not support the proposed increase of impervious surface, or the proposed structures within the shoreland setbacks.”
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In a letter to city Assistant Director of Economic Development Jenn Marsh, Dumont thanked her for her support of the project but said demands had become more that he was willing to handle.
“This got way out of control when the city is asking for so many changes,” Dumont wrote. “It’s a Dollar General store being put up by a local developer and his son for the benefit of the city, not a large strip mall by some outside New York or Mass. development that has deep pockets. My investment for architects, engineering and attorney fees are way over $35,000 so far.”
Marsh replied that she was sorry to hear his decision.
“Economic Development and staff thought having a Dollar General near the soon to be developed old public works building was a good idea,” said Marsh, in her letter. “I know there were a lot of comments at the TRG (technical review group), but I think those are things we could work through. The coverage of the lot and the shoreland regulations are tough but again, I didn’t feel that we couldn’t produce some solutions and get more support. The Conservation Commission did not support the layout as it was, but it sounded like they were willing to talk about some solution to chat with planning and go over the project again if needed.”
SWD Property Management proposed the 10,700 square foot retail business for 25 Old Dover Road. They already own the property, which already has a 70,500-square-foot, 10-unit building on the 8.5-acre site.
At the time the area was zoned residential, Saunders said the businesses already located in the Old Dover Road area were grandfathered for commercial/industrial uses, but added if they sought an expansion of use, a ZBA variance would be required.
Currently there is a Sherwin-Williams paint retail store, a dance studio, a jiu jitsu studio, a golf simulator/practice location, some manufacturing facilities and some office spaces in the larger building already on site.
“This would have been great for the residents of Rochester,” said Dumont. ” I have had no less than 50 calls from local residents that kept asking when the store would be open as they were really looking forward to it. I would have brought in (25 to 30 full- and part-time) jobs. There is no residential whatsoever at all on this complete strip only across the street, so this was all done politically.”
Dollar General stores are franchises, and all the buildings look the same and are laid out the same, said Dumont. He said the agreement with Dollar General was planned to be completed and ready to open by October 2024, and now it won’t happen.
“My architects have had a number of calls with the city trying to work together to make this a win-win,” he said. “The city didn’t want parking in front, so we only could put 6 mostly handicap spaces in front and the rest on the side. They wanted to change the roof design, wanted windows and also wanted to be involved in using Eifs on the front of the facade of the building. The list goes on not to mention that the river borders us and you can see from the attached this was not going to be an easy task as this was high on the list of places, they wanted to be.”
Dumont said he is not opposed to housing projects, and in fact is planning to build some by the Gonic Mill, which he also owns.
“We came to Rochester about 10 years ago,” Dumont said. “We bought the old Sherwin-Williams building and we bought the Gonic Mill and the land around it. We have 20 acres by the mill that we were trying to develop as housing. I am in favor of housing, just not here.”
In other seacoast and Tri-City areas, Dumont said they did the Drift Resort in Hampton Beach, taking a rundown hotel and making it one of the premier places to stay.
“We did the old block on 503 Central Avenue that now has the Thai restaurant, hair salon three apartments and a veterinarian,” he said. “We were given three awards from the city of Dover for improving downtown. We also took the building in Dover next to the train station and made it first class.”
