Dover, NH According to Cathartes, commercial leasing has commenced at The Waterfront District, with chef Evan Hennessey, a James Beard semi-finalist, as its first announced tenant. The Waterfront District, the public-private downtown development along the Cochecho River, is under construction with phase one. This phase offers 15,500 s/f of commercial space, spread across two mixed-use buildings, including a 5,000 s/f flexible Cowork space. The first phase will also include 197 apartments and 23 townhouses, for a total of 220 residential units.
“The Waterfront District’s commercial spaces have been designed to attract a dynamic mix of tenants to support this new neighborhood while serving as a vibrant commercial destination for those looking to work, shop or dine in historic downtown Dover,” said Cathartes director of asset management Jackie Huber. “Chef Hennessey’s current, highly rated Dover restaurant, Stages at One Washington, is well known and loved. We are very excited that he has chosen the Waterfront District as the location for his next concept.”
“I look forward to bringing this new food and beverage concept to Dover,” said Hennessey, who added the concept is still in development and he will provide more information in the coming months.
A Dover native and three-time “Chopped” champion, Hennessey is the chef and owner of Stages at One Washington, an 8 to 10-course, six-seat restaurant in Dover known for its progressive New England cuisine that uses locally sourced ingredients. Stages has been named to the 100 Best Restaurants in North America list by Opinionated About Dining eight years in a row. It has also been recognized as the number one hottest new restaurant in New Hampshire by NH Magazine and received a 15 out of 20 score from Gayot, the highest rating given in New Hampshire.
Cowork, which will be owned and operated by Cathartes, will offer flexible memberships, private offices of various sizes, multiple conference rooms and a 20-seat boardroom. It will be connected to the 3,700-square-foot space occupied by Hennessey and be similar to Cathartes’ successful Cowork space at its Orpheum apartments at 104 Washington Street in Dover.
Cathartes has retained Kent White, partner and principal broker at the Boulos Company’s Portsmouth and Manchester, NH, offices to serve as commercial broker for the remaining 6,800 s/f of space. This space can be subdivided and is ideal for neighborhood-focused ventures, such as additional food and beverage concepts, wellness facilities and boutique retail. It is also suitable for commercial office space.
“Cathartes has a reputation of developing some of the premier properties in the seacoast with a history of successful commercial tenants,” said White. “A lot of thought goes into finding the ‘right’ tenants for their projects. Chef Hennessey is just the start and we look forward to working with other tenants who want to be part of The Waterfront District.”
Huber also noted and thanked the Waterfront District’s phase one lending partners, “This project would not have been possible without the support and partnership of Eastern Bank, Salem Five Bank, Camden National Bank and Earlsfort Capital Partners.”About
The Waterfront District, located along the Cochecho River in Dover, NH, is a public-private effort between the city of Dover and Cathartes. Once complete, the mixed-use district will offer 26,000 s/f of commercial space and 418 residential units spread across three mixed-use buildings, two multi-family buildings and three groupings of townhomes.