Dover addressing housing shortage with pair of new developments
DOVER – The city will soon welcome a pair of new housing developments and more than 60 new homes.
Groundbreaking for the 30-home Crimson Cove subdivision in north Dover was Friday. Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe says Lawver Homes has all the necessary approvals to begin construction off East Ohio Avenue past Aspen Drive.
“I think it speaks to the demand that Crimson Cove hasn’t even started putting the road in yet and approximately half of those lots are already spoken for,” Gunnoe said. “Clearly there is a need for additional housing.”
Jarod Lawver addressed those gathered on Friday:
“Today, we face a new era of development – one with increasing regulations, rising costs, and a scarcity of available land. These challenges have made it extremely difficult to create workforce housing, not just in Dover, but across Tuscarawas County and throughout Ohio, particularly in Appalachia. But Dover took a different approach. Rather than letting these obstacles stop progress, the city was willing to think differently, bring in experts, and work together to develop creative solutions. Through collaboration, we’ve created a system–one that not only benefits Dover but could serve as a model for other communities facing similar housing shortages.”
Gunnoe also expects demolition to begin soon on two homes and a business on East Iron Avenue near Union Hospital to make way for the “Iron 24” townhome development.
“It’s designed to really accommodate a need in the community,” Gunnoe said. “It’s the 600 block of Iron Avenue right next to Union Hospital, so it’s a pretty centrally located parcel. The developer is acquiring most of the city block to construct these townhomes and I think it is going to be an exciting project for the entire community.”
Gunnoe says those 24 townhomes plus 30 Crimson Cove homes plus other single-family homes under construction will give Dover a “significant number” of new housing units to address what he describes as a statewide housing shortage.