Self-storage developer Mark Phillips is waiting on a decision from the Dover, N.H., Planning Board to determine if he will be allowed to build a barn-themed facility on a challenging, 32-acre parcel at 385 Sixth St. The Storage Barn LLC would be constructed in three or four phases and ultimately offer up to 1,200 storage units, according to the source.

The front of the property would feature a two-story office and manager’s apartment designed to look like a New England barn. The storage buildings would be designed to look like horse stables and set back about 500 feet from the street. They would be obscured from view by the barn building and landscaping, the source reported.

The parcel has proven to be a challenge for previous development ideas because it stretches for nearly half a mile from Sixth Street, with a 500-foot width at the front and narrowing to 200 feet at the back. It also contains wetlands and is bisected by a 40-foot utility easement running to a nearby park. The land has been on the market for 17 years, Phillips told the source.

The property is surrounded by other businesses and land zoned for hotel, office and other commercial uses. Phillips received a zoning variance in February, but city planners have spent several months reviewing the project. Among possible issues with the project is drainage, planner Steve Bird told the source.

Phillips previously owned Eagle Self Storage, which operates four facilities in New Hampshire. He sold the company in 2005. He has partnered with Jessica Smith, owner of local real estate firm Winsor Brook Property Advisors, on the Storage Barn venture. Smith will serve as resident manager of the facility if it is approved, the source reported.

The planning board is expected to revisit the project on Nov. 18

Sources: