DOVER – City Business Future Automation has proposed locating a new light manufacturing facility in Enterprise Park on land currently owned by the Dover Business and Industrial Development Authority.
If approved by the city, the now vacant site would be renovated to include two buildings, each containing office space, that would make up Future Automation's proposed manufacturing facility.
The first factory building is 25,000 square feet, while the second is 10,000 square feet. Both buildings will be built with a steel frame with a ribbed metal exterior and stand approximately 35 feet tall.
“The two buildings will be accessed via a single shared access corridor but will be serviced by separate parking and loading areas,” the proposal reads. “The parcel is currently owned by the Dover Business and Industrial Development Authority (DBIDA). The applicant has met with DBIDA and received approval to proceed.
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Forty-five employees will work on site, and 45 parking spaces are proposed. The buildings will be connected to the city's water and sewer systems via the Quality Road.
Future Automation's North American office is located at 127 Venture Drive in Dover, near the proposed manufacturing facility, while its European office is located in Bedford, England.
The company describes itself as “a globally established engineering company based in Britain and North America, specializing in concealment and detection mechanisms for displays in modern smart homes, commercial spaces and marine applications.”
Planning records from the city show Future Automation has had a purchase and sale agreement on the 8.1-acre Quality Way property since August 2022. Future Automation's proposal states the private construction is estimated to cost more than $3.5 million.
The applicant behind the project is the company's president, Alun B. Williams. He is represented by Civilworks New England in the application process.
Plans indicate that the Quality Way lot will be 375,192 square feet, although less than half of that — about 164,238 square feet — will be developed as part of the project. The proposed access corridor would require a hollow wetland crossing that would impact approximately 1,631 square feet of wetlands on the site.
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“In addition, a portion of the proposed grading, drainage, paving and buildings are proposed within the 50-foot wetland buffer zone. The resulting buffer impacts a total area of 39,820 square feet.”
The company's first site review plan will be presented before Dover's Technical Review Committee on Thursday, February 15 at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall.
