Ten years ago, my family purchased a home in central New Hampshire. It is difficult to imagine making that purchase in today’s market. That same house, assuming we could even find it, would cost twice as much money.
Lawmakers in Concord are moving forward with a slate of bills they hope will create long-term housing opportunities by addressing barriers to new development, including minimum lot sizes and manufactured and multifamily housing restrictions.
The scope of this legislation and evidence of wide public support signals a genuine interest in finding lasting solutions.
To make a meaningful impact on the market, even the best legislation needs to work in tandem with local capacity, regulations and receptivity to new development.
Housing development depends on community development. It requires broad local support that is built through consistent engagement and is sustained through public hearings and, in many cases, town meeting.
The Housing Opportunity Planning (HOP) Grant program, launched as part of former Gov. Sununu’s InvestNH initiative, demonstrates that communities can come together in fruitful conversation to address their long-term needs.
From Lancaster to Sandwich to Newmarket, towns across the state are listening to their residents and engaging in meaningful discussion.
The HOP program has succeeded by offering towns the tools to engage their communities and build understanding.
A common concern heard in these conversations is maintaining “rural character” or “village character” in the face of new development. “Character” is a frustratingly difficult term to pin down and is commonly dismissed for being overly vague, tangential to assessed needs, or a red herring intended to undermine progress.
Character can be meaningfully addressed when we take the time to listen and ask questions. To just ignore these concerns leaves people feeling unheard and dismissed. It erodes public confidence and undermines even the best conceived policy initiatives.
When communities listen and think creatively, they can address these concerns. Canterbury decided to protect its rural character and open spaces by promoting the clustering of new housing and creating a “farmstead design alternative” that enables the conversion of larger farmhouses into multifamily housing.
Plymouth examined the historical patterns of development near its village core, which were quite dense in comparison to contemporary zoning. Residents liked what they saw, recalling fond memories of these neighborhoods. Plymouth responded by reducing lot sizes and setbacks.
These and other HOP communities have made changes to their zoning and land-use regulations that will enable growth to occur in line with community values.
New Hampshire Housing recently published a collection of “case studies” that provides a compelling review of the HOP program and its success stories.
Thoughtful zoning and land-use policies, when coordinated with effective community engagement, can both incentivize housing development and create pathways to vibrant communities that complement what our residents most value.
John Christ is UNH Extension’s community and economic development field specialist in Merrimack County, focusing on Main Street revitalization, housing and regional planning. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning.
