Railroad Apartments at 2 Grove St. in Dover, opening this fall. (Foster’s Daily Democrat)
A new apartment complex with 88 below-market-rate residential units is coming to 2 Grove St. in Dover this fall. The development is expected to be called The Railroad Apartments.
Located near the Community Transportation Center, the apartments are marketed as a commuter-friendly option, and affordable rents, which will follow approximate HUD fair market pricing for the region.
“I think (the location is) a great opportunity, because residents can hop on (the train) and be in Boston in an hour, and the rents are half the price here than they are there,” said Bill Goldstein, developer and principal of KAB Realty.
Floor plans will range from studio to two-bedroom units, said Goldstein. Most of the studios will be approximately 450 square feet, one-bedroom units will be around 600 square feet, and two-bedroom apartments will be just under 950 square feet, according to the plans approved in 2020.
The four-story apartment building will feature wood flooring, stainless steel appliances and tile in the bathroom, said Goldstein. Washer and dryer hookups will be in each unit. Many of the units will also have Juliet balconies, small balconies for decor that can hold a plant, said Goldstein.
Parking will be located underneath the building, in addition to surface-level parking. There will be 43 parking spaces in total. There will be a patio with seating overlooking the Cocheco River for tenants.
If a studio were to be leased today, the base rent would be approximately $1,500, said Goldstein, with water, sewer and garbage utilities included. The HUD Fair Market rents for Portsmouth-Rochester spell out that a one-bedroom would cost $1,517 per month and a two-bedroom would cost $1,961.
“These units by and large will be offered” at affordable rents, said Goldstein. “We made a commitment to try and build affordable housing.” He compared other developments going up in the city, such as the Waterfront District under construction in Dover, where the rent for a one-bedroom unit most likely will be over $2,500.
Exterior construction appears to be complete, with rough mechanicals currently underway hoped to be completed in the next 30-45 days, said Goldstein. The next steps will be to insulate and drywall the roughly 70,000-square-foot building.
Construction is expected to be complete by this fall with units available at that time, said Goldstein. There is not yet a waitlist or an application open for rentals.
The building will be 100% residential, with no commercial space, said Goldstein. He is also the developer behind the mixed-use development at the site of the former Asia restaurant, according to state business records.
