Welcome to the Housing Matters Newsletter! 

On Wednesday, the House Finance Committee met for a public hearing on the New Hampshire State Budget. Housing Action NH released a memo highlighting the opportunities to address our housing shortage and increased homelessness in the budget. The memo included three key areas for progress:

  1. Increasing the supply of affordable housing through financial incentives;
  2. Supporting housing stability through state homeless shelter contracts and eviction prevention funds, and;
  3. Maintaining the permitting policy changes included in Governor Ayotte’s budget.
Overall, this was another good housing week in the legislature.

The House passed House Bill 382, which would cap minimum parking requirements at one spot per home (developers can, and likely will, build more than one spot to fit the need), House Bill 342, which streamlined neighborhood context-based variances, and House Bill 572, which identifies and clarifies housing opportunities on municipal land.

Senate Bill 84, which would legalize homes on smaller lots by addressing overburdensome lot sizes, was (again) special ordered to next week’s session.

As always, if you have questions about the legislation we mention in the newsletter or housing-related proposals that aren’t included, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, and you want to receive future updates, you can sign up here.

Best,
Nick Taylor

Director
Housing Action NH
nick@housingactionnh.org
 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes…

Housing Action NH Director, Nick Taylor, published an op-ed in the New Hampshire Bulletin and Union Leader about the opportunity to increase access to starter homes and homes more suitable for downsizing.

He highlighted that there are many communities in New Hampshire where you need more than one football field’s worth of land to build a home anywhere in the community. This is harmful to affordability and to our open spaces. 

You can read and share the Op-Ed here (NH Bulletin) and here (Union Leader).  

Senate Bill 84 would help address these barriers and will be voted on next week. 

 

In The Committee Room

It’s another light week in the policy committees as the legislature works through final amendments to the remaining bills ahead of the April 10th crossover deadline. We expect the bills that cleared the first legislative chamber to begin receiving public hearings by the end of March and early April.

 

On The Floor

The House of Representatives will convene for session on Thursday, March 20th. The notable housing bills are:

  • House Bill 631 allows residential uses in certain commercial zones. This proposal is often referred to as “homes near jobs” as it helps create more walkable communities and allows for housing in underutilized commercial space. The House Housing Committee voted unanimously to support this proposal as amended, and it is on the consent calendar.
  • House Bill 351 would require a 60-day notice to evict. This received a 9-8 inexpedient-to-legislate (ITL) motion. 
  • House Bill 628 would prohibit source of income discrimination, which currently allows someone to be rejected for an apartment solely because they are paying with a housing choice voucher.  This received a 9-8 inexpedient-to-legislate (ITL) motion. 
The Senate will convene for session on Thursday, March 20th. The notable housing bills are:
  • Senate Bill 81 doubles the annual appropriation from the Real Estate Transfer Tax to the Affordable Housing Fund from $5 million to $10 million and would make a one-time $25 million appropriation to the Affordable Housing Fund. The Senate Finance Committee recommended a 5-0 OTP. This will likely be passed and then tabled for consideration in the budget. 
  • Senate Bill 84 sets baseline minimum lot sizes (the minimum amount of land needed to build a home) for a majority of land zoned to permit single-family homes. The lot size depends on whether a lot has access to municipal water and sewer infrastructure. Legalizing smaller lot sizes allows for more starter homes and homes suitable for downsizing. SB 84 received a 5-1 OTP recommendation. 
  • Senate Bill 90 would allow for residential uses in commercial zones. SB 90 received a 6-0 re-refer recommendation to continue working on the proposal over the summer.   
  • Senate Bill 163 would prohibit local communities from placing a moratorium on new construction. SB 163 received a 4-2 OTP recommendation from Senate Commerce.
  • Senate Bill 170, as amended, includes a number of regulatory and approval timeline clarifications within the Department of Environmental Services and the Department of Fish and Game. This received a 6-0 OTP recommendation and is on the consent calendar. 
  • Senate Bill 173 would update the assessing formula for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developments. This would provide more predictability and standardization for LIHTC projects and better recognize the true assessed value of these deed-restricted developments. This received a 6-0 OTP recommendation and is on the consent calendar. 
  • Senate Bill 174 prohibits Planning Boards from considering the number of bedrooms in a housing unit when making a determination of approval or denial. This received a 4-2 OTP recommendation.
  • Senate Bill 282 updates the building code to allow for the construction of certain multi-family buildings that are up to six stories to only have one staircase provided other fire safety standards are met. This allows for multi-family on smaller lots. SB 282 received a 6-0 OTP recommendation and is on the consent calendar. 
  • Senate Bill 284 expands on HB 1400 from 2024 to further reform minimum parking requirements. This received a 5-1 OTP recommendation from the Commerce Committee. 
 

Floor Recap

  • HB 382, as amended, would prohibit municipalities from requiring more than one parking spot per unit. It’s important to remember that reducing parking restrictions doesn’t lead to no parking; it leads to right-sized parking. HB 382 passed on the consent calendar.

  • HB 342, as amended, allows for the property owner to bypass the variance process if the proposed project’s density or lot coverage already conforms to 51 percent of properties within 1,000 square feet. HB 342 passed on the consent calendar.

  • HB 572 establishes the “partners in housing program” under the housing champions fund to assist municipalities and developers in building workforce housing, specifically single-family starter homes, duplexes, small apartment buildings, and other missing middle housing on municipally and county-owned land that is suitable for residential development. HB 572 passed on a voice vote.

  • SB 86 creates a state-backed loan guarantee program through New Hampshire Housing. This loan guarantee will help affordable housing developers secure more favorable lending terms and lower overall costs. This bill passed on a voice vote and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. 

  • SB 279 continues the incentive-based Housing Champions Program administered by the Department of Business and Economic Affairs by appropriating $5 million to replenish the grant fund available to Housing Champion Communities. This bill passed on a voice vote and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

 

Call For Participants 

 

AgeWellNH Needs Housing Advocates’ and Professionals’ Experience and Ideas


Among Four Focus Groups of Different Sectors – All have listed Housing as a Top Barrier to Aging Well in NH. 

We all understand that Improved health and medical care has led to a longevity trend that requires changes to social, educational, economic, health, and housing practices and norms. Age Well New Hampshire (AgeWellNH) is a state initiative to build a 10-year plan for aging in NH that integrates many facets of our lives to create communities, services, and cultures that support and value older adults. The approach looks at the social, economic, housing, health and  cultural aspects of communities and how to ensure vibrant futures. AgeWellNH is led by a commission, representing all corners of the state and all aspects of aging, that provide insights, connections, and networks to promote the effort, gather feedback and create a feasible plan that defines how NH is becoming the greatest place on earth to live a long life.

The AgeWellNH effort is supported by Dexterity Management who is conducting outreach to housing advocates to share ideas, get feedback, hear what your thoughts are, find best practices, etc. AgeWellNH is working alongside Gov. Ayotte and state officials so that budgets and policies align to support new ideas. Dexterity Management wants to hear housing professionals’ perspectives on what has been and should be done to best leverage the longevity opportunities we see. To that end, it is conducting focus groups in the next two months.

To participate in these 1 hour focus groups, contact Molly Singer, CEO Dexterity Management

 

Federal Delegation

From the Office of Senator Jeanne Shaheen

Shaheen, Moran Seek to Protect Rural Families’ Access to Affordable Housing with Bipartisan Bill


(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would ensure that thousands of low-income tenants in rural areas can maintain access to safe and affordable housing. The Senators’ Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act would provide certainty to rural families—many of whom are elderly or disabled—who are at risk of losing rental assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Housing Service (RHS). 

“All Granite Staters deserve a safe place to call home – but the housing shortage we’re facing has placed affordable homes out of reach for too many families. That challenge is particularly felt in rural parts of our state,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our bipartisan legislation guarantees assistance to renters in rural communities who would otherwise face housing instability and preserves critical housing in these communities. We have an opportunity to come together to keep rural families in their homes without breaking the bank – and I’m encouraging both parties to do just that by advancing our Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act.” 

Click here to view the full bill text. 

Specifically, the Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act would: 

  • Codify and improve the existing USDA Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) program to support loan restructuring and extend additional support for both property owners and tenants at USDA multifamily properties. 

  • Allow for decoupling of USDA rental assistance under Section 521 from USDA multifamily mortgages to ensure elderly and low-income residents are not cut off from rental assistance and left with no affordable housing and that rural communities do not lose all access to multifamily housing. 

  • Allow USDA rural housing vouchers to be provided to residents living in properties with maturing and prepaid mortgages. 

  • Give the USDA authority to enter 20-year rental assistance contracts in properties with affordability requirements, subject to annual appropriations, which will ensure access to stable private financing for property owners to preserve and rehabilitate rural multifamily housing. 

  • Authorize $50 million to improve technology at USDA for multifamily housing. 

  • Direct USDA to create a written plan for preserving affordable housing for residents of USDA multifamily housing and create an advisory committee to assist with that plan.