DOVER — City Councilor Fergus Cullen is defending his family’s proposal to build “attainable” housing units on a recently purchased Sixth Street residential site after abutting property owners criticized the project.
The Cullens have proposed subdividing a parcel at 566 Sixth St. into two single-family residential lots, in addition to another lot to include a single-family residence and two duplex buildings. The family purchased the property at auction in late 2023 after the death of the home’s previous owner, according to the city councilor.
If approved by the city’s land use boards, the housing units would be priced “at or below” the median price of single-family homes in Dover, according to Cullen, who is the City Council’s representative to the Planning Board. The proposal went before the city’s Technical Review Committee on June 20 and hasn’t yet advanced to the Planning Board.
Neighbors say Cullen project would cause 'disruption,' hurt property values
Neighbors of the Cullens’ new property, however, expressed disdain for the project at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, with one claiming the councilor abused his power as an elected official to pursue his project.
Sixth Street residents Caitlin Wilkie and Leon Drouin both noted the city’s need for affordable housing but made clear their feelings it shouldn’t be pursued on the Sixth Street property.
“We understand that it's the city's number one goal to increase diverse housing,” Wilkie said. “Let me be clear: We are not opposed to that, and we understand that there is absolutely a need. However, developing attainable housing must be done in a manner that enhances our community without causing economic distress and disruption to neighbors and neighborhoods and without undermining established zoning codes.”
“We need to have public housing. We need to have low-income housing, but this is really not a place,” Drouin said.
Wilkie said real estate officials have told her and her husband the value of their home is estimated to “plummet at least 10%” if the project is approved and built as proposed.
“It will cause significant negative impacts for our privacy, our daily use, our value, our future marketability and our property, as well as other abutters and neighbors, as well as economic hardship,” Wilkie said.
Wilkie added if the Cullens’ proposed project is approved as currently presented, her family would consult their legal counsel “to take every legal action available."
“What am I supposed to tell my children … when an elected official doesn't have the self-awareness to see that their plans not only disrupt the enjoyment of our home and our largest investment, but will also cause us financial harm? We simply cannot allow a conflict of interest like this to occur,” she said. “Even if this is legal, and it's very hard to imagine that it is, how is this possible? He is not honoring the public trust and dignity bestowed upon him, as community elected leaders and role models as your council guidelines states.”
Cullen would recuse himself from any Planning Board proceedings regarding his family’s proposal, should it advance to that stage, he previously said.
Drouin and Sixth Street neighbor Ruth Brown both spoke about the area of the property, which lacks sidewalks and experienced heavy traffic flow.
“I can't see how we can handle seven families on a 1.37-acre lot, which is going to include parking,” said Brown. “The road just can't handle that. There's too much going on up there now. I feel like it's a dangerous area. It's been a discussion with neighbors up there for years.”
Cullen refers to neighbors' criticism as 'drawbridge problem'
Cullen responded to the criticism against his family’s proposal at Wednesday’s meeting and during a Friday interview.
On Wednesday, he said if he and his family had not purchased the home at auction to fix it up, another buyer would have. He said he “sought and received guidance” from city attorney Joshua Wyatt on how to handle the entire matter and that he’s acted in accordance with rules and land-use proposal procedures.
“We have proposed to create housing there that is at or below the median cost of new housing in Dover. This is the number one issue facing our state. It is the number one goal of this council, the creation of more housing, diverse housing, attainable housing,” he said at the meeting. “I was not going to be the guy who said somebody else should create attainable housing somewhere else. I was going to do it on my own property.”
“I am proud to be working to try to create a couple of attainable housing units so that we might have more neighbors,” he added Wednesday. “If anyone in the community has concerns about how I've handled myself on this, please speak with me directly.”
On Friday, Cullen said the abutting property owners' thoughts about the proposal mirrors the “drawbridge problem” that can occur with the creation of new housing: “People move into a community and then they want to pull up the drawbridge behind them to prevent anyone else from moving in.”
“This project is going through the review and approval process like any project would,” he added Friday. “We could have proposed to build two four-bedroom homes priced over $800,000. Instead we’re proposing to build homes that are at or below the median home price in Dover, attainable housing that a nurse, firefighter, teacher or police officer with a working partner might afford.”
The existing home on the lot, originally built in 1957, is presently being fully renovated by the Cullens. The Sixth Street site was last valued by the city at $369,300, according to Dover property records.
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Civilworks New England, a Dover civil engineering company, is working with the Cullens on the project, which would be connected to the city’s water and sewer systems.
The units within the duplex buildings in the Cullens’ proposal would all be built with two bedrooms and a bathroom, spanning 800 to 1,000 square feet each if approved. The official proposal shows each duplex would have a 988 square-foot-footprint, while the two proposed single-family houses would each have a 1,008-square-foot-footprint.
The estimated cost of construction for the project is $950,000, per a proposal filed with the city.
Dover Housing Authority leader speaks out, too, without naming Cullen
Dover Housing Authority executive director Ryan Crosby spoke about the relationship between city elected officials and staff and members of the public at Wednesday’s council meeting, focusing his remarks on the perception of a conflict of interest and public trust in leaders.
Crosby’s comments did not directly reference Cullen, nor his family’s proposed project, nor the Sixth Street address.
The housing authority leader stated he would resign from his position if he had proposed a plan calling for the development of multifamily affordable housing in Dover due to a conflict of interest.
“If your business interests are so important, then you should resign from the council and pursue your business interests,” Crosby said. “If you're acting in a way that reduces the public trust in the Council or the city then you're acting in a manner that compromises the public trust and impacts all of us, myself included. Just because something is legal doesn't mean that behavior is ethical.”
“We are in the public trust. We represent and we are accountable to a public body and we must maintain that trust,” he continued. “No one in holding an elected or appointed office should be involved in any business dealings where in fact or in perception that person appears to use their office for profit, pleasure or personal gain. I speak broadly and generally because of the erosion of public trust in government in our country. If the shoe fits for anyone that's heard this … wear it.”
Cullen responded to Crosby's comments during the meeting.
"A member of the community has suggested that I used inside information to purchase a property," Cullen said. "I want to be clear, this purchase, this property was sold at auction. There was a sign on the property for weeks announcing this fact. Anyone could have participated in that auction, not everybody chose to do so. If I wasn't working to redevelop this property, somebody else would have." "
Cullen also noted his family has has cleaned up the property, which he said was in "disrepair."
He added, "A member of our community has suggested that I withheld information from my colleagues on the Planning Board. It is true that I have avoided discussing the project with my colleagues on the Planning Board because first of all, there had been no application made to the Planning Board, and so there was no issue to consider. Second, because I anticipated needing to recuse myself from consideration and discussion of it, it would have been inappropriate for me to have discussed it with my colleagues."
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