Seacoast Online – November 25, 2024
By BOB BEAR, BILL BOWEN, GEORGE DEYMAN, ART GREENBERG, DIANNE LAVOIE, JIM POLUS, KIM TYNDALL
With the Nov. 5 elections behind us, the shortage of affordable housing in New Hampshire may not be solved by increased federal or state funding. The housing situation is complex and will require a comprehensive approach, accessing other resources. The Common Ground Project is a small bipartisan group of Seacoast citizens who have studied housing insecurity in the Seacoast by interviewing local government, nonprofit, academic and private sector experts in the field. Here’s what we think should be done:
The governor should direct the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority to:
- Compile a list of all buildable land owned by the state and make the list available to municipalities and developers.
- Audit municipalities to determine compliance with the requirement to have a master plan that makes affordable housing available.
- Encourage use of municipal bond offerings to provide private funds to lower the cost of multi-unit housing construction and renovations.
- Encourage the recently enacted “Housing Champions” program to reward and publicize best practices in local zoning.
Government funding alone will not be adequate. We need to find ways to motivate private capital. Billions of dollars could be accessed by partnerships featuring the proper combination of tax incentives. Specifically, our U.S. senators and representatives should advocate for an extension of the Qualified Opportunity Zones provision of the federal 2017 Tax Reduction Act. This legislation created tax-benefitted funds for the development of workforce housing, but has been underutilized in our state. The program was set to expire in 2026, but it is now likely that the act will be renewed in some form.
Employers can provide housing for employees. Harmony Homes in Dover has successfully done so (with child care) for its nursing home employees. Medical facilities and municipal governments in particular have a compelling need to attract and retain staff. Hospitals, churches and land trusts can grant long-term land leases to nonprofit developers of below-market rate housing. As the Seacoast’s population becomes more dense, zoning transitions are necessary, but must be respectful of all residents. Local approval of multi-family market rate housing developments should require an expanded portion allocated to long-term low-income renters, using height and density incentives, property tax abatement and infrastructure as inducements. All housing is good. Increasing the supply even at middle and upper income levels improves availability at more affordable levels.
Nationwide internet-driven retail transformation and “work from home” trends have resulted in excess retail and office space. Seacoast opportunities for redevelopment include the Mall at Fox Run in Newington and the Liberty Mutual offices in Dover. The redevelopment of Pease Air Force Base has been hugely successful in bringing jobs to the Seacoast, but there have not been any residential units there since 1991. There are appropriate parcels present with roads, utilities and no NIMBY issues. The FAA has been resistant to allowing residential development in the past, but with a new administration in Washington, the opportunity deserves another look.
“Thinking small” is part of the solution. Municipalities are required by state law to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and manufactured homes. In the latter case, state and federal funds are available to upgrade water and sewer services to resident-owned developments, and the NH Opportunity Fund is a ready lender. Home owners can become landlords, renting rooms to workforce tenants and others. Tax abatements currently given to senior-owned property should also be awarded to landlords who house seniors. Municipalities should offer landlord training and aid in the screening of potential tenants using a nonprofit like Silvernest.
More affordable housing is often more feasible away from municipal centers, but transportation services are essential to get people to work. The COAST/Wildcat network serves some Rockingham County communities as well as the Strafford County communities of Rochester, Somersworth, Dover and Durham. More Rockingham County communities should participate in the utilization and funding of this service. As housing costs in the Seacoast have surged, many Seacoast residents have unfortunately become homeless. Municipalities must acknowledge their responsibility for caring for the least fortunate of their residents by providing “fair-share” funding for homeless service providers like Cross Roads House. The way things stand, only 40% of Cross Roads’ annual budget is paid by federal, state and municipal funds, the rest being paid by public donation.
Increasing numbers of our homeless are elderly, and many – young and old – face challenges from mental health issues, addiction and generational poverty. Our community should work to provide the social services that help stabilize their living situations before they become homeless. The conventional HUD vouchers are often unavailable to many. Could this system be augmented with a charitable voucher program managed by a local nonprofit? It is far easier to keep citizens in their home than to find them a new one. Housing security is a building block for the future growth and stability of our community. Our current course is failing, stunting economic growth and threatening social cohesion. It is a matter of basic humanity: what of our seniors, what of our children? We must act now.
Bob Bear, Bill Bowen, George Deyman, Art Greenberg, Dianne Lavoie, Jim Polus and Kim Tyndall are members of The Common Ground Project.