DOVER — White Birch Armory of Rochester may not need a variance to open a firing range in Dover after all.

Sean Manning, the owner of the business, has been scheduled to be back in front of the Dover Zoning Board of Adjustment Thursday night for a continuance of the public hearing from last month where he sought a variance to allow commercial recreation on a Quality Way parcel that was not allowed by city zoning rules.

Manning said that public hearing will be postponed until next month and may not be necessary at all as he is now seeking to relocate his business to a different Dover location where a variance would not be required for a firing range. Manning said his purchase offer for a property on Industrial Park Drive, which is off Littleworth Road, has been accepted. He is waiting to sign a purchase and sales agreement in the coming days.

Commercial recreation is an allowable use at this site, he said.

“We are very excited about this new location,” Manning said, declining to provide a specific location until the purchase and sales agreement is signed.

Because White Birch Armory would not need a variance for the firearm range, it can begin with the building process by seeking site plan approval.

Manning said he was not aware of the new location until after the Feb. 21 Dover ZBA meeting, as the parcel was unlisted. But he believes this is a better location than the Quality Way property, which drew concerns from residential abutters on Quail Drive. The closest home to Industrial Park Drive parcel is double the distance away compared to Quality Way, Manning said. It’s also closer to downtown.

Manning said the Quality Way property would remain a backup location until the purchase of the Industrial Park Drive property becomes official.

Currently, White Birch Armory operates off Great Falls Avenue in Rochester, where it sells firearms, ammunition and accessories to retail and wholesale customers, including law enforcement. White Birch is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business and receives federal contracts, according to Manning, an eight-year U.S. Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient who had multiple tours in Iraq doing reconnaissance and as a scout sniper.

According to White Birch’s initial plans submitted to the ZBA, it sought to build a 15,000-square-foot facility featuring three indoor firing ranges: a standard firing range for the public; a dynamic one for members and law enforcement training; and an underground range for large-caliber firearms. The building would also include offices, a classroom and a retail area. Manning said the new location would allow for a larger firing range.

Manning said the wholesale and retail business of White Birch Armory will relocate to Dover before May 1 but haven’t determined a location yet. He said it would allow the team to get acquainted with their new city as well as be close to the new site as the construction process begins.

“We want to be a part of the city as soon as possible,” he said.