Neighbors are attacking a plan to add four cottages behind an existing single-family house near downtown Dover, saying it won’t create “true family houses” or draw “real neighbors.”  

Central Falls Realty has filed plans with city officials to renovate an existing, 1,700-square-foot single-family home abutting a cemetery, then add four cottages behind it via the city’s “transfer of development rights” ordinance. 

While often used to protect wetlands, in this case Central Falls Realty is proposing to create a buffer zone between the development and the cemetery in exchange for additional “bonus units.” 

According to Foster’s Daily Democrat, abutters have decried the proposal. 

“I am here because no one yet has asked us what we want. Yes, we want less density and proper protection from excess TDR density for our family, but also, my wife and I want real neighbors, people who can truly own and make a home their own,” Court Street resident Merlin Mason told a recent meeting of the city’s Planning Board. 

Cottage courts, where small houses are clustered around a common courtyard, walkway or parking area, have gained popularity in New Hampshire as a way to add density in the state’s existing, large-lot neighborhoods without seriously disrupting their look or feel. 

Dover is also home to a celebrated 44-unit cottage-style cluster development from husband-and-wife development team John and Maggie Randolph. The Cottages at Back River Road opened its doors in October 2023.